As I wrote earlier in a post about Medellin, this is a city which stands for one of the first in the world in medical care. One would not believe the many medical facilities one finds everywhere, last week I visited a patient in a very modern hospital, we commented with my wife it had nothing different from those we had been in Europe, also with the latest technologies. Patients from all over the world (at this moment four from Israel), come for treatments, between other procedures which are offered heart, lungs, kidneys and liver transplants. And since my arrival I have permanently been asked to give interviews on bioethics, a field so near to my heart as this blog can stand for, f.e.x. at Teleantioquia on the Jewish view on surrogates, not an easy task to approach, but thank G-d rabbis I know could give me a hand and supply the literature I had to read and then answer adequately. Because, and I love it, I have been reading and studying to be able to deliver as expected, now I can see, and many had told me before, I will develop my professional skills in this job, every time more opportunities of growth are showing up, even since I came for my job interview. The first week at work I was already participating in an ecumenical panel at the Catholic University together with a seminarist of Salamanca, Spain and a muslim Spiritual leader from Trinidad. I am also looking forward to next week’s conference I will share with Prof. Catherine Chalier from the University of Paris and the scholar with most expertise in philosopher Levinas on the theme “G-d in Judaism” at the local University EAFIT.

Jewish life in Medellin, who would think with so many activities and institutions interested in Jewish culture, as I wrote in my last post. This not to mention the inauguration of the exposition of world-famous sculptor Ronny Vayda and the many invitations we have received from members of this small but warm community. Because this is a city with a climate you only get in spring elsewhere and were not by casuality brought other known artists to the global arena as Fernando Botero or Juanes proud representatives of the “paisas”, which means “from Antioquia”, the also home for the biggest companies in export of kosher “phumaric acid” and also fine “kosher” chocolates of the National de Chocolates, which I can testify for, excellent production of textiles, plastics, flowers and not the narcotics center it used to be.

Have a good week.