Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem, 12 Shmuel Bait Street, Jerusalem (2026)

11/02/2026

Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center officially opened two new operating theaters today with support from a gift of the The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). The two rooms, designed and equipped to be the leading facilities of their type in Israel today, are specifically intended to treat trauma patients, as part of the hospital’s growing status as the Jerusalem region’s most active trauma hospital.

The new theaters include a dedicated ‘hybrid’ operating room, the most advanced of its type in Israel, which allows for a patient to benefit from multiple surgical and imaging modalities at the same time- a feature that is particularly beneficial for the comprehensive treatment of complex trauma cases. The new room significantly enhances care for patients presenting with multi-system fractures and internal injuries that are commonly seen among serious trauma cases. Prior to the advent of this ‘hybrid approach’ patients would need to be transferred between different stations for specific interventions or imaging scans.

Shaare Zedek’s President, Prof. Jonathan Halevy said, “Shaare Zedek is constantly expanding and developing whereby one of our core services is our promise to be ready to respond to all types of traumatic incidents with the highest levels of professionalism and sensitivity. We pledge to do all that is necessary to continue to strengthen Shaare Zedek, and together with our partners, our promise to the people of Jerusalem and Israel is to be here with quality and compassionate medical care whatever the needs might be.”

Prof. Ofer Merin, Director General of Shaare Zedek added, “In trauma care, every minute can make the difference for a patient’s care and these new operating rooms present a standard of medical response that significantly aids in our ability to provide a range of procedures and interventions that will help us better save lives through the embrace of new technologies. On behalf of all those people who will benefit from these new advancements and capabilities, we express our gratitude to the IFCJ for their commitment to making this possible.”

IFCJ President Yael Eckstein said, “Recognizing the extent of the injuries that have resulted over the course of this war we embraced this project with Shaare Zedek that responds to a new reality for even more enhanced and responsive trauma care with technologically advanced equipment and approaches. We know that these rooms will be the site where real medical miracles occur and we hope that through this gift, we will be partners in writing many more miraculous stories of lifesaving and recovery.”

Photo Courtesy of the IFCJ

06/02/2026

Shaare Zedek Medical Center recorded a particularly remarkable case recently when the hospital’s physicians helped restore eyesight to Yisrael, father of Avi Ofer z”l of the Israel Police who fell in a heroic battle in defense of Kibbutz Beeri on October 7th.

Throughout his medical journey, Yisrael was often joined by Avi’s commander in the Israel Police, Superintendent Avi Levi.

Yisrael, who is deaf and mute since birth, also suffered from a variety of other health complications and recently came under the care of a team of eye specialists at Shaare Zedek to help restore his eyesight.

Dr. Ehud Reich, who directs the Eye Tumor Treatment Program at Shaare Zedek explains, “The first stage required an emergency surgery to remove a tumor in the patient’s right eyelid.”

“We realized that we were dealing with a particularly unique case where if we were to wait on performing a necessary cataract procedure on Yisrael’s left eye he would be left without sight in both of his eyes and for him sight is even more important given his other impairments,” added Dr. Liron Berkowitz, a Senior Shaare Zedek Physician who specializes in corneal and cataract care as well as in laser treatments.

Proceeding with both the procedures led to an almost immediate improvement in Yisrael’s vision. The tumor was successfully removed and full functioning was restored to his eyelids.
Dr. Berkowitz commented after a follow-up appointment: “We were immediately able to see how Yisrael’s overall health had improved. He was walking far more confidently and we could see that his sight was also much better than before. It was very encouraging to see that within a week of his surgery his positive mood had returned along with his smile.”

Yisrael’s daughter Yael added, “This surgery gave our father back his life. The ability for Abba to once again look at pictures of our fallen brother Avi z”l and to clearly see the faces of his grandchildren and observe the beauty of the world that our father so loves is a small measure of comfort amidst the deep pain we have experienced.”

The full story was profiled in YNET (Hebrew): https://www.ynet.co.il/health/article/yokra14664260

01/02/2026

Almost one year to the day after Tehila collapsed after admission to the Weinstock Department of Emergency Medicine on the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Floor at Shaare Zedek, she returned with her family to thank Dr. Roee Salem who saved her life.

Tehila, a mother in her 30’s, presented to the Department complaining of intense abdominal pain and an inability to remain standing without fainting.

Dr. Salem, a senior emergency medicine physician at Shaare Zedek, handled Tehila’s admission to the department and together with the nursing staff, he determined that she was suffering from a ‘ruptured ectopic pregnancy’ which had caused over three liters of blood to stream into her abdomen. Moments after completing an ultrasound scan, Tehila collapsed and lost consciousness and was determined to be in an immediately life-threatening condition.

Dr. Salem immediately called for a blood transfusion and within minutes Tehila was brought into the operating theater. Her condition was successfully stabilised and she began to gradually recover from a situation that without the proper diagnosis and intervention could likely have cost Tehila her life.

Several weeks ago, Tehila sent a letter to Dr. Salem where she wrote, “Last year you were the messenger who gave me back my life. The image of your face runs through my mind at least once every day since and I run through those moments all the time. As we approach this anniversary I would welcome the chance to visit and express my thanks together with my husband and children and to close this emotional circle.”

Dr. Salem recalls, “I was so moved to receive the message from Tehila and of course I answered her right away saying that I would be thrilled to host her and her family. An ectopic pregnancy is not incredibly rare but that extent of bleeding which could have cost Tehila her life was a very dramatic occurrence. The meeting with her and her incredible family was so moving and only reinforced what I already knew – that my choice to become a physician and to go along this path of emergency medicine in order to save lives has been worth all the hard work and is nothing less than a source of great pride and satisfaction.”

29/01/2026

Wedding Joy Comes to the Halls of Shaare Zedek

When Ayelet’s mother was hospitalized in the Friedman Department of Surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and the date was quickly approaching for her planned wedding with her groom Omri, the decision was made to hold the wedding in the hospital to ensure that their mother wouldn’t miss out.

With the help and guidance of the Department Director Prof. Menachem Ben Chaim and Anika Schwarz, the Department’s Head of Nursing, the staff was enlisted to make the young couple’s day a moment that no one would ever forget. The emotional ceremony went ahead with the blessings and cheers of family, friends and fellow patients and staff.

On behalf of Shaare Zedek, we wish Ayelet and Omri and their families only the very best… Mazal Tov!!

27/01/2026

Shaare Zedek Medical Center: International Research Partnership Applies AI Tools for Groundbreaking New Understandings for IBD Treatment

A groundbreaking global research partnership is utilizing AI to treat inflammatory bowel diseases through in-depth data analysis using methods that were previously prohibitive due to technological and regulatory limitations.

The study being advanced at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center through funding from the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and the Helmsley Charitable Trust, compiled clinical data from about 740,000 people in Israel and Sweden. The study used AI analysis to provide the first comprehensive picture linking disease activity to lymphoma risk.

This study has the potential to provide critical understandings of how specific pharmaceutical methods could be better used for IBD treatment and an overall clearer picture between IBD and specific cancers.

The partnership involved the application of an advanced data analysis system developed by Rhino Federated Computing designed to allow multiple entities to share massive droves of data that can then be analyzed using AI. The system is specifically designed to accommodate privacy considerations and regulations by enabling the analysis to take place without it being digitally transferred out of the control of the relevant organizations where it was originally collected.

As a result of the partnership and the technological capabilities it relies upon, the research partners are able to significantly expand the size of the data sets being analyzed, including accessing data from multiple countries. Previous studies were limited in their access potential because the data would often need to be transferred out of the local networks and into other jurisdictions which could have posed regulatory challenges.

The Israeli research team was led by Prof. Dan Turner, Director of the hospital’s research corporation, Shaare Zedek Scientific, and Director of the Pediatric Gastroenterology Institute, together with statistician, Rona Lojan. The team compiled data from 100,000 patients with IBD and 640,000 controls). The analysis found that contrary to prior understandings, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) itself represents a risk factor to develop lymphoma as a result of the inflammations that present in the intestines.

Over the course of the period where the patients and control group were being monitored and the data analyzed, patients with IBD, even untreated, were found to have a 65 percent higher chance of being diagnosed with lymphoma in relation to the general population (3.97 cases per 10,000 people among IBD patients as compared to 2.42 per 10,000). The study further showed that the IBD activity was associated with higher risk of lymphoma. This research contrasted with the previously accepted professional view that the main causes for lymphoma in these patients was related to their drug treatments.

Prof. Turner said, “The findings from this study are important for how we treat IBD patients. Current medical practice operates with a certain fear over prescribing specific drugs out of a perceived danger that they can lead to lymphoma even while knowing those drugs can be particularly effective in combatting the disease. This study therefore will not only be instrumental in allowing us to provide better treatment for patients but also lead to increased awareness of the need to more effectively diagnose and treat IBD even in cases where there might not be recognizable symptoms. Additionally, the AI platform we established with Sweden opens the door for many future analyses of rare outcomes that require large cohorts, hitherto unavailable.

PICTURED BELOW: Prof. Dan Turner and Rona Lojan

25/01/2026

Shaare Zedek Medical Center is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Hanni Schroeder as the new Director of the Shaare Zedek School of Nursing.

Dr. Schroeder assumes the position following Mrs. Tami Glatt who is retiring after twenty years as the School's Director.

For the past decade, Dr. Schroeder has worked at Israel's Ministry of Health where she helped oversee many of the Ministry's core programs in the areas of strategic planning and health policymaking. She is a highly experienced educator and has contributed to academic publications in areas such as epidemiology, research methodologies and public healthcare.

Among her professional achievements, Dr. Schroeder established Israel's national plan for implementation of information-based healthcare in areas such as dialysis, oncology and PET-CT. She also worked to draft the Ministry's protocols designed to enhance public healthcare access for the charedi sector, increased attention for the senior community, as well as the Ministry's plan to expand home-based hospitalization options.

Dr. Schroeder welcomed the appointment saying, "I am deeply grateful to be selected for this role and am moved by both the challenge that comes with directing this school of nursing and the many opportunities that this position presents. I am used to starting each morning with long runs and will welcome the chance to adapt that sense of commitment now to these professional pursuits with a vision of running full-speed ahead and remaining at that pace in response to the many needs and opportunities that I know lie ahead. With deep gratitude for the sense of trust that has been placed in me, I am honored to help lead Shaare Zedek's School of Nursing in training Israel's next generation of nurses with the spirits of excellence and value-based idealism."

19/01/2026

Earlier today, Shaare Zedek Medical Center enacted its mass casualty response system following a major emergency where over 55 young children experienced serious respiratory symptoms at a childcare program in the Romema neighborhood.

Within about an hour of the initial call, 28 children were brought to the Glaubach Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine in the Wilf Children's Hospital. Additional medical teams and equipment were brought in to respond to the large number of patients.

Sadly one three-month old infant was declared deceased shortly after arrival. The additional children were monitored and will remain under observation overnight.

12/01/2026

Medical Miracle Helps Shaare Zedek Patient Crush the Odds

A recent case at the Helmsley Cancer Center at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center saw a terminally ill patient with metastatic lung cancer caused by smoking make a full recovery after two years of treatment at the hospital.

The patient, a heavy chronic smoker in his 70s, arrived at Shaare Zedek for evaluation and treatment after complaining of significant breathing difficulties. Imaging examinations identified a large tumor, approximately 7 cm in size, completely blocking the patient’s airway entrance in his right lung.

The patient was referred to Shaare Zedek’s Oncology Institute directed by Prof. Nir Peled. Recognizing the complexity of the case, he was prescribed with an advanced, and personalized treatment protocol under the direction of Dr. Basel Dabach, a resident physician in the institute:

Dr. Dabach recalled:

“Immediately after receiving the CT findings, we knew we were confronted with a terminally ill patient. Due to his medical condition and the fact that his lungs were filled with metastases, the determination was that surgery to remove the tumor would not be possible.”

At the same time, because of his severe respiratory distress, the patient was referred to the interventional pulmonology unit, led by Dr. Nader Abdel Rahman, for the insertion of a stent into the airway. This is a complex procedure intended to ease breathing and improve quality of life in the more serious respiratory cases.

After two years, through a highly dedicated effort and relying on a variety of advanced medical treatments, the oncology team succeeded in achieving a complete remission of the cancer - saving the patient’s life in ways that most would have thought impossible when he first presented to the hospital

“I am grateful to the oncology and pulmonary physicians who treated me with dedication even when my condition seemed hopeless. They invested every effort in me and saved my life,” the patient says.

Prof. Nir Peled, Director of the Oncology Division at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, adds:

“This is a rare and highly exceptional case of a patient who fully recovered from a terminal illness. The advanced and innovative oncology service at Shaare Zedek has many significant medical achievements, and this case is certainly one of the best and most inspiring .”

Pictured : Prof. Nir Peled on the right and Dr. Basel Dabach on the left.

01/01/2026

As we enter a new year, we take pride in having treated over 1,100,000 patients in 2025.

We welcomed the insights of two of our top experts, Dr. Sababa and Picolino, to offer their unique perspectives on this remarkable achievement...

26/12/2025

This week, Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center officially commemorated the naming of the Hanna and Maurice Zilkha Shasha Adolescent Daycare Center.

The Center’s naming was made possible through the generosity of the Shasha family of Israel and London in honor of their parents, following the passing of Maurice last year. The family’s connection with Shaare Zedek goes back many decades to the first half of the 20th century when Maurice, then a child living in Baghdad, was sent by bus to Jerusalem for medical care in Shaare Zedek Hospital.

The Center, directed by Dr. Shelly Ben-Harush Negari, provides comprehensive mental health and medical support for teenagers facing a wide-variety of physical and emotional challenges. This field has become increasingly important in recent years, particularly in light of the pressures resulting from the Corona epidemic and the war, with a growing number of teenagers presenting with problems including severe eating and behavioral disorders which demand a professional and experienced response. An underlying goal of the Daycare Center is to provide these teens with the chance for comprehensive care without the need for hospitalization, allowing them to maintain optimal functioning within their families and social networks.

The multidisciplinary approach involves medical, psychiatric, psychological, nutritional, nursing, social work, and educational professionals providing an extensive range of treatments and therapies. The Center’s mental health program is directed by Dr. Jennie Goldstein, Senior Pediatric Psychiatrist at Shaare Zedek.

Shaare Zedek Director General Prof. Ofer Merin thanked the family for choosing this critical area for their support saying, “The countless individuals and families who will benefit from the services of this Center owe you a huge debt of thanks for the impact you will be making to better their lives.”

After sharing the emotional story of a young woman who suffered from severe eating and emotional challenges before being successfully treated in the Center and going on to a successful combat service in the IDF, Dr. Ben-Harush Negari explained the Center’s philosophy saying, “Our approach is always non-judgmental to help these adolescents achieve their dreams and because of your family’s generosity that will now be possible for many more young people.”

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mrs. Sharon Douer said, “We are so very proud to be able to make this Center’s activities possible and while we pray that there should come a day when there is no need for its services until that time, B’ezrat Hashem, the staff of this Center should be blessed to provide the help for whoever needs it.

23/12/2025

A Terror Survivor Returns to Shaare Zedek - To Bring New Life Into the World

About ten years ago, Maya Netzer was seriously injured in a terror attack in Jerusalem. She was rushed to Shaare Zedek where Prof. Ofer Merin, then the hospital's Director of Trauma Medicine treated her and saved her life.

Last week Maya returned to Shaare Zedek- this time to deliver her second son.

Maya shared, “Ten years ago, in October of 2015, I was seriously injured in a terror attack in Jerusalem. I was stabbed in the shoulder and the knife penetrated into my lung. I was brought to Shaare Zedek where I was met by Prof. Merin, then the head of trauma and today the hospital’s Director General. With professionalism and unwavering dedication, he saved my life.

Since then all these years have passed and while the pain remains, life does go on. In 2022, I had my first son here at Shaare Zedek and last week on the first night of Chanukah I returned for this second delivery.

It’s the same place, with the same safe feeling that I am surrounded by a staff who in many ways have become like family. I am so thankful to Shaare Zedek, to Prof. Merin and to all the staff for the life that you have now given back to me multiple times.

Since that day of the attack until now I have remained in touch with Prof. Merin and every now and then we talk to discuss my rehabilitation and things taking place in my personal life. Prof. Merin treated me in a truly comprehensive way of caring that in my estimation doesn’t come along very often in the world of medicine. At every stage he made sure I was getting the best possible care, that I would always feel comfortable throughout my hospitilization and most of all that I could really feel safe and secure.”

On behalf of all of us at Shaare Zedek, we wish Maya and her family a huge Mazal Tov!

23/12/2025

Within the span of just several weeks, four women between the ages of 60 and 70 underwent succesful surgeries in the Department of Neurosurgery in the Helmlsey Brain Center at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after being diagnosed with spinal meningioma. This is a particularly large and unusual cluster of cases, with the Department typically only treating a handful a year of such cases at most.

Spinal meningioma is a benign tumor that grows within the membranes surrounding the spinal cord. The tumor, which is more common in older women, places pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, leading to various symptoms in the arms and legs, including tingling, limb weakness, walking difficulties, and in the most extreme cases leading to paralysis.

Gila, one of the women who was operated upon said:
“For months, I had been suffering from tingling in my legs and had fallen several times. My quality of life had deteriorated dramatically whereby I could take only one step every three hours. The tingling didn’t go away and even worsened to the point that my left leg had become almost completely paralyzed. I had been to other medical appointments other than at Shaare Zedek but they hadn’t identified the problem.

Only when coming to Shaare Zedek and after Dr. Mordechai Lynn from the Neurology Department ordered an MRI scan, were they able to determine that I had a benign tumor in my spine the size of a tennis ball. The tumor was removed in surgery, and immediately afterward my condition began to improve and I could move my left leg. Thanks to the amazing team of doctors and nurses at Shaare Zedek, I can now do things I couldn’t do before. I have never received such care from a medical team — they are simply angels, I have no other word. I didn’t even want to leave the hospital because the experience was so positive.”

Dr. Gustavo Rajz (pictured below), a Senior Neurosurgeon in the Helmsley Brain Center who performed all four surgeries, explained, “Over the years, I have never encountered such a high number of women diagnosed with spinal meningioma requiring surgery within such a short period. It was incredibly moving to see elderly women whose quality of life had already so severely deteriorated — some suffering from near-complete paralysis of one leg — show improvement after surgery and regain the ability to move their legs.”

Dr. Rajz emphasized that spinal meningioma is a tumor that can be effectively treated, making early detection essential.

“It’s important to know that if any neurological symptoms appear, even if there is doubt, I would recommend consulting a specialist and undergoing appropriate imaging test,” he said.

Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem

11/02/2026

06/02/2026

01/02/2026

29/01/2026

27/01/2026

25/01/2026

19/01/2026

12/01/2026

01/01/2026

26/12/2025

23/12/2025

23/12/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category