American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem

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American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem

American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center (ACSZ) raises funds to support the work of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

02/05/2026

After Lieutenant Colonel Avi Amar z”l was killed on October 7 while defending communities in the south, a deep and unexpected bond formed between his family and his commander, Deputy Commander Avi Levy. From the first days of mourning, Levy stayed close to the family, especially to Avi’s father, Israel Amar.

Israel, deaf and mute since childhood, was already coping with serious health challenges. In the months after losing his son, his condition worsened. A malignant tumor on his right eyelid and advanced cataracts began to rob him of his sight, leaving him increasingly isolated as his world grew darker.

Doctors said the situation was urgent.

“At the first stage, we performed an urgent surgery to remove the tumor from the right eyelid,” said Dr. Ehud Reich, who heads the field of ocular tumors at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
“We understood this was a very unique situation,” added Dr. Liron Berkovich, a specialist in cornea and cataract surgery. “If we waited a month to operate on the left eye until the right eye healed, Israel would be left unable to see with either eye. Vision is the main sense that allows him to function.”

At Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem, Israel underwent a rare and complex combined eye surgery. During one carefully coordinated procedure, medical teams removed the malignant tumor, reconstructed the eyelid, and performed cataract surgery. The operations led to immediate improvement. The dangerous tumor was fully removed, the eyelid was successfully restored, and Israel began to see again.

In follow-up visits, Dr. Reich and Dr. Berkovich could see the change right away. Israel walked more confidently, his vision was clearly better, and within a week, his mood began to lift. “We were deeply moved to see him smiling again,” they said.

Throughout the entire process, Deputy Commander Levy was there. He accompanied Israel to appointments, stayed with him before surgery, and held his hand afterward. Not out of obligation, but out of loyalty to a soldier he deeply respected and to the family he left behind.

Yael, Israel’s daughter, shared what the surgery meant to them:
“The operation gave dad his life back. Being able to look again at pictures of my late brother, to clearly see the faces of his grandchildren, and to witness the beauty of the world that my brother loved to walk in, is a small consolation in our deep sorrow.”

At Shaare Zedek Medical Center, advanced medicine, compassion, and human connection came together at a moment when all three were needed most.

02/01/2026

✨ One Year Later: Closing the Circle ✨

A year ago, Tehila, a woman in her 30s, arrived at the Weinstock Department of Emergency Medicine on the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Floor at Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem suffering from severe abdominal pain and repeated fainting whenever she tried to stand.

Dr. Roee Salem, a senior emergency medicine physician, immediately examined her with the department’s senior nursing staff and diagnosed a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Nearly three liters of blood had already filled her abdominal cavity.

Minutes after her ultrasound exam, Tehila collapsed, lost consciousness, and was in immediate, life-threatening danger.

Dr. Salem acted without hesitation, bringing two units of blood and transferring her to the trauma room for urgent, life-saving treatment. Thanks to the team’s rapid response and excellent care, her condition stabilized and she began to recover.

Two weeks before the one-year anniversary of the incident, Tehila sent Dr. Salem a deeply moving message:
“A year ago, you were the messenger who saved my life. Your face comes to my mind almost every day. I replay those moments again and again. In two weeks it will be the anniversary, and I would love to meet you with my husband and children to say thank you and close the circle.”

Their meeting was emotional, heartfelt, and full of gratitude. Dr. Salem shared:
“I was deeply moved to receive Tehila’s message and was very happy to meet her and her wonderful family. Ectopic pregnancy is not uncommon, but the massive bleeding she suffered, which nearly cost her life, was extraordinary. Meeting her again reinforced what I have always known - I chose emergency medicine to save lives. It is a great privilege, and it is worth everything.”

💙 Sometimes medicine is not just a profession. It is a calling.

01/29/2026

Today we were honored to celebrate the wedding of Ayelet & Omri right here in the hospital.

With Ayelet’s mother hospitalized in the surgical ward as their chosen wedding date approached, the couple made the heartfelt decision to bring the celebration to her.

Thanks to the compassion and dedication of Prof. Ben Haim, Director of the Surgical Ward, Annika Schwartz, Head Nurse of Surgery, the incredible nursing team, and the Religious Services Division, a moving, joyful, and unforgettable wedding took place today.

💐 Mazal Tov, Omri & Ayelet — may your life together be filled with health, love, and happiness ❤️

01/19/2026

Shaare Zedek Enacts Mass Casualty Response System in Glaubach Pediatric ER

We are devastatingly sad to report that earlier today, Shaare Zedek Medical Center enacted its mass casualty response system following a major emergency where more 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 treated for breathing difficulties before being released.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-883825

01/12/2026

✨ A Medical Miracle Against All Odds ✨

A terminal patient with metastatic lung cancer caused by smoking has made a full recovery after two years of treatment at the Helmsley Oncology Center at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

A man in his seventies with a long history of heavy smoking arrived at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after experiencing severe shortness of breath. Imaging tests revealed a large tumor measuring approximately 7 cm in his right lung, completely blocking the airway.

He was immediately referred to the Oncology Division, led by Prof. Nir Peled, for advanced, personalized treatment under Dr. Dabah Basel, an oncology resident physician, who explains:
“From the CT findings, it was clear this was a terminal patient. Due to his medical condition and extensive lung metastases, surgery to remove the tumor was not 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, where an airway stent was inserted. This advanced procedure was designed to ease breathing and improve quality of life in complex cases.

💪 Against all expectations, after two years of intensive and innovative medical treatment, the oncology team succeeded in achieving complete remission and saving the patient’s life.

“I am deeply grateful to the oncology and pulmonary doctors who treated me with dedication, even when my condition seemed hopeless. They gave their all and saved my life,” the patient shared.

Prof. Nir Peled, Head of the Oncology Division at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, adds:
“This is an extremely rare and exceptional case of full recovery from a terminal illness. The advanced and innovative oncology department at Shaare Zedek has many significant medical achievements, and this is truly one of the most remarkable and inspiring among them.”

📸 In the photo: Prof. Nir Peled on the right and Dr. Dabah Basel on the left.

01/08/2026

🏆 Ministry of Health Report 2025: Shaare Zedek Leads Jerusalem 🏆
The 2025 Ministry of Health report confirms once again:
Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s Internal Medicine departments are leading in Jerusalem — for the second year in a row 💪

✨ Key highlights:
#1 in Jerusalem for patient satisfaction with inpatient internal medicine services
Top-ranked among Israel’s large hospitals for physician staffing (specialists and residents) relative to the number of beds — achieving 100% of the national benchmark
Second place nationwide among large hospitals in patient satisfaction, with a score equal to the national average

👨‍⚕️ Prof. Ni**od Maimon, Head of Internal Medicine at Shaare Zedek:
“Our internal medicine departments provide personalized, compassionate care for patients across a wide range of medical conditions. While the work is often challenging, the high scores — along with improvements in most measures compared to last year — reflect the tremendous effort invested by our teams.”

👏 Internal Medicine teams — you are champions! 👑💙

12/30/2025

A Medical Milestone at Shaare Zedek 💙

We’re proud to share an exciting advancement in cancer care at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

For the first time, a patient has been treated in our brand-new radioactive iodine treatment room, built as part of our oncology department that opened last year.

The first patient was a 28-year-old diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After surgery to remove his thyroid, he received a radioactive iodine pill — a common and highly effective follow-up treatment that helps destroy any remaining cancer cells.

What makes this so significant?
Until now, patients needing this treatment had to travel to other hospitals. Thanks to this specially designed room and newly trained teams, patients can now receive their entire course of thyroid cancer care right here at Shaare Zedek.

The room is carefully engineered to keep staff and the public safe, while allowing doctors and nurses to stay in constant visual and verbal contact with the patient. After treatment, the patient was discharged home in good condition, following strict safety guidelines.

A week later, patients return for advanced imaging using our new gamma camera, which helps doctors check that the treatment worked and detect anything that might otherwise go unnoticed.

This achievement is the result of extraordinary collaboration across many departments — a true example of what’s possible when teams come together with one goal: the best care for our patients.

We’re grateful to our dedicated physicians, nurses, and staff who made this milestone possible — and proud to keep advancing care for our community, close to home.

💙

12/23/2025

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 Medical Center Jerusalem - 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 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 hospitalization 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!

12/22/2025

Unusual Cluster of Cases at Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem

Within the span of about one month, four women between the ages of 60 and 70 underwent surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after being diagnosed with spinal meningioma. This represents an unusual cluster, historically similar cases have appeared far less frequently in the hospital’s neurosurgery department.

Gila, who underwent surgery at Shaare Zedek about two months ago, shared:
“For months I suffered from numbness in my legs and fell repeatedly. My quality of life was severely affected, and the numbness worsened until my left leg was almost completely paralyzed. Only after arriving at Shaare Zedek, when Dr. Mordechai Lin from the neurology department performed an MRI, did they discover a benign spinal tumor the size of a tennis ball. The tumor was removed, and immediately afterward I began to feel improvement and was able to move my left leg.”

Dr. Gustavo Reis, a senior neurosurgeon at Shaare Zedek Medical Center who performed all four surgeries, said:
“Over many years of practice, I have never encountered such a high number of women requiring surgery for spinal meningioma within such a short period of time. It was deeply moving to see patients whose quality of life had been so severely compromised experience real improvement and regain mobility following surgery.”

This type of tumor is treatable, making early diagnosis critically important. Anyone experiencing neurological symptoms is encouraged to consult a specialist and undergo appropriate imaging.

12/20/2025

A true modern-day hero, Yosef Chaim Ohana, who was released after 738 days in captivity in Gaza, was honored to light the Chanukah candles this week in the Pediatric Dialysis Unit at Shaare Zedek.

He was joined by the hospital’s President, Prof. Jonathan Halevy and Director General, Prof. Ofer Merin.

Yosef also toured the Unit and met with children and staff members.

Yosef shared, “We are at time of the holidays of miracles. I am a living proof that my very survival is a miracle. One of the reasons I feel so connected to people being treated in the hospital is because for many of them, like me, life is truly a gift. In this holiday of lights I want to wish every single person that they should be blessed with victory- each in his or her personal way- whether it’s a victory of body of soul.”

Yosef’s visit to Shaare Zedek was made possible by the organization “Tikva U’Marpeh” that supports children on dialysis in hospitals all throughout Israel.

12/18/2025

Shaare Zedek welcomed Bar Mireknsky and her family back to the hospital to light the Chanukah candles more than two years after she was treated for serious injuries sustained while attending the Nova Festival on October 7th.

She was joined at the candle lighting ceremony by Shaare Zedek’s Director General Prof. Ofer Merin, Shaare Zedek’s President Prof. Jonathan Halevy and members of the medical team who treated Bar during her lengthy hospitalization.

In addition to lighting the Chanukah candles, Bar recited the Birkat HaGomel (The Blessing of Gratitude upon being saved from a life-threatening situation.) She addressed the ceremony saying, “Thank you to everyone who saved my life, and thank you for giving me the right and the opportunity to live.”

Prof. Merin added, “This is a deeply moving moment. All those injured in those harrowing days became part of our lives, but there are those whose experiences will forever be etched into our hearts— people like Bar. As doctors, it was a true honor to be able to treat you. I also know that much of the courage you showed through your recovery comes from the spirit of your amazing parents, who are true heroes and have also become part of the Shaare Zedek family.”

Also participating in the candle-lighting ceremony were: Director of the Department of Surgery at the time of Bar’s injury, Prof. Petachia Reissman; the Director of the Trauma Unit, Dr. Alon Schwartz; the Director of the Intensive Care Unit, Prof. Phillip Levin; the Director of the Internal Medicine Division, Prof. Ni**od Maimon; the nurses who cared for Bar; and representatives from the social work and psychological services.

09/26/2025

We are proud to announce that Louise Kirschner Wolinetz has been named the new President of the American Committee for Shaare Zedek.

After many years of dedicated service as our Board Treasurer, Louise now brings her leadership, passion, and commitment to this important new role. We are deeply grateful for her ongoing devotion to Shaare Zedek and excited for the future under her guidance.

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http://www.acsz.org/

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The Hospital With A Heart

The American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem provides financial support to fund services, capital projects, research and the purchase of equipment for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Founded in 1902, Shaare Zedek has been known for more than a century as the Hospital with a Heart. Patients stream to Shaare Zedek seeking top-level treatment in a compassionate, supportive and nurturing environment. Today, with international accreditation, Shaare Zedek provides industry-leading, cutting-edge medical care, and its reputation continues to grow – “Innovative Medicine in the Heart of Jerusalem.”