WhatsappThe first female Bedouin medic and ambulance driver in Israel. This is amazing. She lives in Rahat. It is an area near Be’er Sheva where tens of thousands of Bedouin live. This kind of a move by a woman is certainly not the norm in her society.
Bedouin villages dot Israel’s south and other areas of the State of Israel. Often, the roads to and from the villages are unpaved. Street signs are almost non-existent. The idea of a first-responder living among the Bedouin, trained to save lives, and drive an ambulance to a hospital is simply earth-shattering. The stereotypes that she is braking by taking on these roles are many.
She is clearly leading the way in reshaping the role of a woman in her society. In addition, modernization is the greatest change that Bedouins experience on a day-in, day-out level. A female ambulance driver is yet another major change in the direction of modernity.
Is Modernity a Blessing or a Curse
Are the people in the Bedouin tribes of Israel’s south looking to embrace modernity or are they threatened by it?
Do they want to stay as shepherds, and live in underdeveloped areas? Its hard to know for sure. But some aspects of Bedouin society are very clear. Every human being looks to have better medical care. Every human being looks to not go hungry. There is nobody in the world who wants to live in a polluted area once they understand the health risks. Whatever the true wants of the Israeli Bedouin may be, anything that advances the most basic aspects of life will certainly add to the quality of life of this Israeli minority.
An excellent indicator of the nature of a free society is the measurement of the medical care of it’s minorities. This brave woman is an excellent example of the opportunities that Israel affords Israeli minorities who are looking to break taboos in order to make their small society better.
