American Friends of Rabin Medical Center

11/21/2025

An International Chain of Life at Israel’s Rabin Medical Center

This week, a remarkable cross-border kidney exchange between Israel and Cyprus began in the operating room at Rabin Medical Center, a lifesaving chain linking three patients, three hospitals, and two countries.

It started with an altruistic donor who gave a kidney to a stranger. The kidney was transported to Jerusalem to save a patient whose wife could not donate due to incompatibility.

At the same time, a compatible kidney from Cyprus arrived at Rabin Medical Center and was successfully transplanted into another Israeli patient, all within hours.

This extraordinary collaboration was made possible by Rabin Medical Center’s transplant surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, laboratory teams, coordinators, and medical transporters working seamlessly together.

As Dr. Eviatar Nesher shared: “This international collaboration is proof that saving lives knows no borders.”

On behalf of American Friends of Rabin Medical Center, we are proud to support the hospital at the forefront of global, compassionate, and innovative medicine.

Help us continue supporting lifesaving breakthroughs at Rabin Medical Center. Learn more or donate at AFRMC.org/donate.

11/18/2025

Historic Surgery Performed on Pregnant Woman: A Medical First at Israel’s Rabin Medical Center

For the first time in the world, doctors at Rabin Medical Center performed a life-saving bowel surgery on a pregnant woman without opening her abdomen — saving both mother and baby.

At 32 weeks pregnant, 23-year-old medical student Tzofia Libovitz arrived with severe abdominal pain and was diagnosed with a dangerous bowel perforation caused by Crohn’s disease. Normally, this requires open surgery and an emergency premature delivery.

But the Rabin Medical Center team, led by Dr. Ian White, made an extraordinary decision: Perform the surgery laparoscopically, preserving Tzofia’s pregnancy.

After several tense hours, the team succeeded. Tzofia recovered — and later delivered a healthy baby girl at 38 weeks.

On behalf of American Friends of Rabin Medical Center, we salute the hospital’s innovation, courage, and unwavering commitment to saving lives in Israel.

You can help support more medical breakthroughs like this. Learn more or donate at AFRMC.org/donate.

11/13/2025

Released Hostage Returns to Israel's Rabin Medical Center for Complex Surgeries

Rabin Medical Center continues to care for released hostages, including Alon Ohel, who returned this week for intricate eye and shoulder surgeries following severe injuries sustained during his kidnapping in Gaza.

Dr. Irit Bahar, Head of Ophthalmology, and Dr. Assaf Dotan, Head of the Retina Unit, performed the delicate eye operation.

Dr. Bahar shared, “When we realized there might still be a chance to save his eye, it was a very emotional and hopeful moment.”

The hospital remains deeply committed to the long-term treatment and rehabilitation of all returning hostages, offering both expert medical care and compassionate support for their recovery.

You can help Rabin Medical Center continue this lifesaving work. Donate today at www.afrmc.org/donate.

10/14/2025

Rabin Medical Center by the Numbers: Healing Israel’s Wounded & Restoring Hope

Since the start of the war, Rabin Medical Center has been at the heart of Israel’s recovery, saving lives, restoring hope, and caring for the wounded.

- 2,000 war-wounded treated

- 661 surgeries performed

- 500 staff served in reserve duty

- 200+ helicopters landed at the special airstrip

- 167 soldiers in rehabilitation (Average stay is 41 days)

Every number represents resilience, dedication, and the power of hope.

Join American Friends of Rabin Medical Center in supporting Israel’s healing. Visit afrmc.org/donate.

10/13/2025

Hope Returns Home: Israel's Rabin Medical Center Welcomes Released Hostages After 738 Days of Captivity

After 738 days in captivity, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa Dalal, and Eitam Mor have finally returned home, and into the care of Israel’s Rabin Medical Center.

Profound emotion and humanity unfold as helicopters land and dedicated medical teams stand ready, prepared to provide safety, dignity, and healing.

At the Returning Hostages Ward, Rabin Medical Center provides holistic physical and emotional care for those emerging from the trauma of captivity.

“There is no such field as captivity medicine — we are inventing it,” says Dr. Michal Steinman, Director of Nursing. “Every person carries a story in their body and soul, and our mission is to help them rediscover strength, safety, and hope.”

Since the start of the war, Rabin Medical Center has been on the front lines of Israel’s recovery, treating wounded soldiers, civilians, and returning hostages with compassion, innovation, and humanity.

American Friends of Rabin Medical Center is proud to support this life-saving work through funding for the Returning Hostages Ward. You can support our efforts by visiting www.afrmc.org/donate.

10/13/2025

As Israel Welcomes the Final Hostages Home, Rabin Medical Center Stands Ready to Heal a Nation

As the final hostages return home, Israel's Rabin Medical Center stands at the forefront of Israel’s healing. Having already treated nine hostages freed earlier this year, the hospital’s dedicated teams have spent months preparing to provide comprehensive medical and emotional care for those returning from captivity.

“Our teams have updated and rehearsed protocols to ensure readiness on every level,” said Keren Karina Schwartz, Chief Social Worker at Rabin Medical Center. “Each person is an individual with unique needs. We must give them—and their families—the space to return to themselves.”

Every returning hostage will receive multidisciplinary care, from trauma counseling and physiotherapy to nutrition and rehabilitation, ensuring recovery that addresses both body and soul.

Help us continue to provide healing and support for the returning hostages and their families. Join us in this vital mission. Visit www.afrmc.org/donate.

10/01/2025

✨ G’mar Chatima Tovah ✨

American Friends of Rabin Medical Center wishes you a meaningful and reflective Day of Atonement.

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life and Good Deeds in the year ahead.

We are deeply grateful for your continued acts of kindness that help Israel’s Rabin Medical Center thrive and save lives.

Join us in supporting Rabin Medical Center’s lifesaving mission: afrmc.org/donate

09/22/2025

✨ Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year! ✨

Thank you to our wonderful friends and community of supporters. Your generosity makes it possible for Israel's Rabin Medical Center to save lives every day — providing world-class care for all, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or nationality.

We appreciate your friendship and generosity. Together, we bring hope and healing to Israel.

Start the year with a meaningful gift: www.afrmc.org/donate

09/18/2025

Israel's Rabin Medical Center Welcomes Argentine Delegation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A delegation from Argentina — including physicians, journalists, and health influencers — visited to gain first-hand insight into the Israeli healthcare system and Rabin Medical Center's world-class operations.

The visit, initiated by the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and led by Dr. Ahuva Grubstein, Director of the Breast Imaging Unit at Beilinson, marked the upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness Month and fostered international collaboration.

The program included meetings with Dr. Alon Navot, Deputy Director of Beilinson, along with tours of the Davidoff Cancer Center, Breast Imaging Unit, and Radiology Department, where the delegation learned about Beilinson’s vision and pioneering innovations.

Such collaborations enable healthcare professionals worldwide to learn from Israel’s advanced medical system, share expertise, and establish international partnerships. Beilinson has become a global hub for innovation — attracting delegations from hospitals around the world, strengthening research, and shaping the future of clinical excellence.

At American Friends of Rabin Medical Center (AFRMC), we are proud to support this innovation and global collaboration. Join us in advancing world-class medicine and lifesaving care by supporting our mission: https://afrmc.org/donate.

09/09/2025

Israel’s First Breakthrough in Advanced Liver Cancer Treatment

The Liver, Pancreas & Bile Duct Surgery Unit at Israel's Rabin Medical Center has published Israel’s first scientific paper on Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) chemotherapy in the Annals of Surgical Oncology.

HAI delivers chemotherapy directly into the liver’s main artery—offering new hope for patients with advanced liver cancer. Rabin Medical Center is the first in Israel to bring this cutting-edge treatment to patients.

This achievement, led by Prof. Eran Sadot and his team, is part of a bold vision: building a national center of excellence for liver, pancreas & bile duct diseases.

Read more here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1245/s10434-025-17910-9

At American Friends of Rabin Medical Center (AFRMC), we’re proud to support this groundbreaking work. Donate today to fuel more medical innovation. Visit www.afrmc/donate.org.

Background Over the last three decades, hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy combined with systemic therapy has been established as a treatment strategy for patients with unresectable liver metastases. Facilitating a HAI program outside the USA and Europe remains underutilized in regions, in...

09/04/2025

On Humanity and Nobility: A Surgeon Becomes a Donor

Dr. Eli Bechor, a senior surgeon at Israel's Rabin Medical Center, has spent his career giving life back through dozens of kidney transplants. He has seen firsthand the small and big miracles that follow each surgery.

Now, he has chosen to take the ultimate step: donating one of his own kidneys to a complete stranger.

After serving on the front lines as a physician in an elite military unit, Dr. Bechor shared how the war sharpened his understanding that “there is no time to wait.” Inspired by soldiers, patients, and neighbors whose lives were transformed by transplants, he decided to cross from doctor to donor.

Through the Matnat Chaim (Gift of Life) association, he will soon undergo surgery — this time not as a physician, but as a patient.

“I’ve met many people on dialysis,” says Dr. Bechor. “That’s not life. Knowing I’m about to save a young man from that cycle, and give him a full life, fills me with strength and immense satisfaction.”

The medical community has called this an unprecedented act of professionalism, humanity, and nobility.

Dr. Bechor, we salute your courage, compassion, and extraordinary example.

Learn more about how you can make a difference by supporting the work of Rabin Medical Center. Donate at www.afrmc.org/donate.

08/28/2025

The Largest Donation Ever Made to the Israeli Healthcare System

American Friends of Rabin Medical Center (AFRMC) is proud to share a historic milestone:

Anat and Dr. Shmuel Harlap have donated $180 million to Rabin Medical Center, marking the largest gift in the history of Israel’s healthcare system.

This visionary contribution will fund the construction of the Heart and Brain Center, "The Tower of Hope", a groundbreaking 15-story, 70,000 sq. meter facility set to open in early 2027.

The Tower of Hope at a glance:

- 300 inpatient and intensive care beds

- 8 leading clinical departments in cardiology, neurosurgery, neurology, thoracic & cardiac surgery

- 3 fully protected floors with operating rooms, catheterization labs, and ICUs

- Advanced technologies: intraoperative MRI, laser system for minimally invasive neurosurgery, MEG for epilepsy diagnostics, BERA brainstem response system

The Heart Center will deliver comprehensive cardiovascular care, expanded ICUs, transplant services, and AI-powered technologies.

The Brain Center will include a Stroke Command Center, advanced stroke unit, innovative operating rooms, and a dedicated brain research institute.

The Harlap family shared: “There is no place more fitting than a central public hospital to symbolize the healing of divisions within Israeli society. The Tower of Hope will serve all sectors of the Israeli public – secular, religious, ultra-Orthodox, Muslim, Christian, Druze, and Circassian. It will be a lighthouse of hope for all.”

This transformative project represents a new benchmark for integrated, next-generation medical care in Israel that serves all communities, united in health and healing.

Be part of AFRMC’s mission to advance world-class medicine and hope. Visit www.afrmc.org for more information and ways you can support our mission.