The +972 - 3 - 53 77 002 MS Society [email protected] www.mssociety.org.il The Association Registration number: 58-000-5890 The IMSS publishes in 4 languages & All The Israel MS society provides services services are provided in 4 languages. to persons with MS belonging to the The Society adapts its activities to diverse sectors of population that make meet the various requirements and up the State of Israel: Hebrew, Arab, customs of the various sectors & Russian, English speaking persons. different minorities.

The Israel MS society activities MS 27 multidisciplinary Support Peer adult groups counseling enrichment group 01 MS site resort 27 Support groups facilitated by Hotline professional psychologists & social 16 01 Society 15 workers in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian library 02 The support groups operate throughout the country. The groups meet once every two, three or four weeks 14 & some 30- 35 patients & family members participate in 03 Community each meeting. These meetings provide an opportunity Book listing social to relieve tensions, share problems & get advice & the rights of13 worker encouragement. MS patients 04 Russian language 8 12 social worker 02 Seminars & conferences 05 Peer counseling group Yearly in which patients who have had special training provide 11 telephone counseling to other patients. The counselors Grants 20 Social meet once a month for training. & loans 06 Work fund 10 07 students Legal 09 Data Coordinator 08 in Arabic 03 advice Yearly MS Hotline patients Yearly Excursions Summer run by a coordinator & specially trained operators, who camp handle incoming & outgoing calls to/from patients & & vacations members of their families. 04 Community social worker individual & community information & counseling, help 09 with referrals to government agencies, home visits. Yearly MS patients Excursions & vacations –since 1997 the Society has set itself the task of enabling 200 05 members with MS to enjoy a four-day vacation, Russian language social worker for offering them a refreshing change from the routine of their largely housebound lives, & their inadequate NII new immigrants pensions. individual & community information & counseling, home 14 visits. Society library: • Information sheets - the Society publishes updated 10 information sheets 6 times a year, in three languages: Legal advice Hebrew, Arabic, Russian 06 the department is managed by the Society’s legal • Annual news book- 300 pages- in Hebrew, Arabic, 20 Social Work students in their counsel – volunteer. Russian internship year • Documentary films training & guidance films the students from the universities - , , Sapir College, Mivchar College (Orthodox – – connected to Haifa University) college. Are 11 trained by the society for 1 year & provide individual Grants & loans fund 15 treatments in Hebrew, Arabic & Russian to hundreds of MS individual financial assistance for air-conditioning, MS site clients in the homes of members & the Society’s offices. distress buttons, dental care, wheelchairs etc – 3,000 at the beginning of May 1999 the Society’s site opened after this year the students go into the workplace NIS each loan for 30 persons a year. at: www.mssociety.org.il familiar with MS & the special needs of MS clients. The site was awarded a 5 rating, the highest awarded for Internet sites of its kind in israel & has more than 70,000 12 visitors each year. 07 8 Seminars Data Coordinator in Arabic individual information & counseling. & conferences yearly 16 on different current issues: Hebrew, Arabic & Rassian In planning Setting up a multidisciplinary adult enrichment 08 13 resort for people with MS & other Yearly summer camp for 170 Book listing the rights neurological diseases children of MS patients, summer – many MS patients are cut off from the most basic of MS patients health services, such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, since 1997 The book lists the rights & services in areas such as: occupational therapy, sex counseling, dental care etc. one-week sleepover camp, the children meet other healthcare, taxes benefits, welfare, housing, transport, MS patients & their families need a warm home where children with similar experiences & can relieve the rehabilitation & professional retraining, nursing, leisure under one roof, patients & their families can receive a tensions that are suppressed during the year at special services etc. variety of multi-disciplinary services to alleviate their facilitated workshops. Updated periodically. suffering. The Executive Board of the Israeli MS Society Board of Directors Medical Advisory Board - Board of Directors

Professor Dr. Ron Milo Dr. Esther Ganelin Cohen Dr. Hanna Rawashdeh Michael Sela chairman on the medical advisory board Head of the Clinic of Neuroimmunology Deputy director of the department of honorary president Head of the department of neurology, Senior child neurologist, Schneider neurology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa Weizmann Institute of Science, , Ashkelon Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Head of the neurology center, department of immunology, Holy Family Hospital, Basketball Coach Professor Dimitrios Karussis Professor Ronit Gilad Dr. Radi Shahien David Blatt vice chairman on the medical advisory board Head of the department of neurology, Head of the department of neurology, honorary chairman Head of the MS center, , Rehovot Rebecca Sieff Hospital, Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, Ambassador Jerusalem Michael Shiloh Professor Bella Gross Dr. Alla Shifrin honorary chairman The MS center & department of Professor Oded Abramsky Dr. Mark Hellmann neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Senior physician, department of neurology, Head of the MS center, Haifa Ms. Ruth Dayan Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, vice chairperson , Petah Tikva Jerusalem Dr. Nour Eddine Yaghmour Mr. Uri Nissan Dr. Yuval Karmon Specialist in Neurology, Neuroimmunology accountant, treasurer and acting Dr. Ibraheem Abu Salameh Head of the MS center, and Vascular Neurology, The MS center, chairman Head of the MS center, , Kfar-Saba Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, , Jerusalem adv. Dr. Arnon Karni Amir Tytunovich Head of the neuro-immunology center, Professor Professor legal adviser Tamir Ben-Hur Sourasky Medical Center, Head of the department of neurology, Adi Vaknin-Dembinsky Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, Jerusalem Senior neurologist, the MS center, Ms. Hanita Zentner Professor Ariel Miller Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, honorary secretary Head of the MS center, Jerusalem Ambassador Professor Joab Chapman Carmel Medical Center, Haifa Professor and Chairman of Neurology Professor Zalman Shoval Boaz Weller Dr. Panayiota Petrou Head of the department of neurology, Professor Chair in Mental and Neurological Diseases , Haifa Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv Senior neurologist, the MS center, Abraham B. Yehoshua University Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, Jerusalem The Israeli MS Society Mr. Eli Dagan is a Members of the Agronomist Dr. Tali Drori Dr. Keren Regev Sourasky Medical תHead of the Neuroimmunology Service, Head of the MS Service Neuroimmunology Clinic, Center, Tel Aviv Management Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer Ms. Janine Vosburgh Dr. Ayal Rozenberg Executive director & Dr. Ronit Galili Mosberg The MS center, director of social services Neurology Specialist, Medical Center Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa

4900 Persons with MS registered with the IMSS

of 35%Russian 15%Arabic Minorities2% Ultra8% Ortodocs young4% people 1.5%children MS2 patients3 speakers speakers sector aged 4-18 aged 6-14 are Women

'We are all uniquely beautiful and perfect "Just the Way I am" by Mirage Just the way we are' Dedicated to persons with MS and in honor of their families & caregivers worldwide. Today, each one of us can say: The music clip created by the IMSS celebrates the beauty within each one of us and advances the vision of a world free of prejudice and oppression of others due to their physical challenges, or their religious, ethnic or gender identity. "I am not my pain, I am not my struggle I am stronger than ever ONE day soon we will realize the hope – that a cure will be found. I am perfect just the way I am" TODAY we all must work to promote quality of life for persons with MS. Together we can win the battle against all expressions of narrow - mindness, disrespect, injustice, bigotry and shaming. Scan to see the Clip UNITED, WE CAN OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES AND MAKE A CHANGE! Mirage - “Just the Way I am”

.The Israel MS Society thanks the Pharma Co. for their support of the activities dedicated to the welfare of MS persons in Israel

BMS ISRAEL

The Israel MS Society 16 Homa Umigdal st., Tel Aviv 6777116, Israel 972-3-5377002 [email protected] www.mssociety.org.il