A Muslim and a Jewish paramedic were captured praying together in a stunning photograph from earlier this year. The snap has been praised for its symbol of solidarity amid difficult times.
Per CNN, During the pandemic, Avraham Mintz and Zoher Abu Jama worked as first responders in Israel as members of Magen David Adom (MDA), the country's emergency service.
Earlier this year in March, the two paramedics were attending to a 77-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman with respiratory problems in Be’er Sheva, before the picture was taken by one of their co-workers.
It was coming up to 6:00 pm and the pair knew that the remainder of their shift would be equally as busy. So, they knew they would have to use their small break wisely - and they wanted to use it to pray.
Mintz, who is Jewish, put on his black and white prayer shawl and stood facing Jerusalem. Abu Jama, who is Muslim, knelt on his white prayer mat facing Mecca.
Mintz and Abu Jama typically work together several times a week, so this was not the first time they had prayed jointly.
Following their 15-minute prayer, they went back into the ambulance and resumed work.
It was a colleague who took a picture of the religious men praying and posted it online.
"The fact that it is so simple makes it so powerful," Mintz said to CNN about the highly-praised snap. "I believe that Zoher and I and most of the world understand that we have to raise our heads and pray. That’s all that’s left."
"Everyone is afraid of the virus," he added. "So are we, but we have the belief that everything is under the control of God, blessed be He. We both believe this."
Abu Jama talked about his and Mintz' relationship with their faith, saying, "In terms of belief and personality we believe in the same things and we have something in common. I believe he is a person that gives and takes the feeling of honor and that is important."
"I believe that God will help us and we will get through this," he added. "We should all pray to God to get us through this, and we will get through this world crisis."
MDA Director-General Eli Bin said:
"The people of MDA are facing the virus, looking it in the eye. The workers of MDA are working with their hands and their gloves and their masks. We are the heroes of Israel.
"The image of Mintz and Abu Jama encapsulates community and togetherness, reminding people that we are all undergoing this experience together."