Hamas Murdered Yuval Roth’s Brother. Now He Helps Sick Palestinians.

The 70 miles from Pardes Hanna to Gaza seemed impassable last summer. But Yuval Roth, 60, didn’t have time for fear or despair. Since starting Derech Hachlama (“the way to recovery”) in 2006, every morning at 6 he’s already on his way from his home in Pardes Hanna to pick up Palestinians at a border crossing, where some 12 volunteers out of the organization’s bank of 500 use private vehicles to drive 30 to 50 Palestinians a day to Israel for medical care.

Derech Hachlama is an outpost of hope—a triumph of personal bridge-building that defies polarization among governments. That, at least, is Yuval Roth’s dream. Even at the height of the missile wars between Israel and Hamas, he continued to believe that the only way to end the conflict would be through initiatives that bring Palestinians to encounter a different Israel—an Israel where not every citizen wears an army uniform, and where Israelis and Palestinians might together build the mutual trust that may be the foundation for lasting peace. In the meantime, he helps save lives.

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