This Narrow Space

A Pediatric Oncologist, His Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Patients, and a Hospital in Jerusalem

By: Elisha Waldman

Narrated by: Barry Abrams

In 2007, Elisha Waldman, a New York-based doctor in his mid-30s, was offered his dream job: attending physician at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center.

Waldman's years at Hadassah were filled in equal measure with a deep sense of accomplishment, with frustration when regional politics sometimes got in the way of his patients' care, and with tension over the fine line he would have to walk when the religious traditions of some of his patients' families made it difficult for him to give these children the care he felt they deserved. Navigating the baffling Israeli bureaucracy, the ever-present threat of war, and the cultural clashes that sometimes spilled over into his clinic, Waldman learned to be content with small victories: a young patient whose disease went into remission; brokenhearted parents whose final hours with their child were made meaningful and comforting.

As he sought to create both a personal and a professional life in his new home, Waldman struggled with his own questions of identity and belief, and with the intractable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that had become a fact of his daily life. What he learned about himself, about the complex country that he was now a part of, and about the heartbreakingly brave and endearing children he cared for - whether they were from Me'ah She'arim, Ramallah, or Gaza City - will move and challenge listeners everywhere.

©2018 Elisha Waldman (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Pretty good

More an autobiography than anything. But interesting to hear his story and frankness about israel, relationships and finding yourself

good overview of issues facing medical personel

At the beginning I was a bit upset over his rather (seemingly) negative view of the "chareidim" (not all chareidim are closed-minded regarding medical practices), and floored when he seemed to (at first) disparage "Rabbi Perl" (who if it is who I think he means, is a man whose whole life is given over to help patients, and who consults with specialists worldwide). That being said, as a nurse I felt that he honestly discussed many of the topics medical personal face.