THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, June 24, 1977 19
Shaare Zedek Hospital A 75-Year Jerusalem Tradition
On Jan. 27, 1902, Shaare
Zedek Hospital opened its
doors to the people of Je-
rusalem. Those doors have
never closed in 75 years.
Through wars and epidem-
ics, under Ottoman rule and
the British Mandate govern-
ment, the rebirth of the
state of Israel and its grow-
th to three million citi-
zens—Shaare Zedek Hospi-
tal has become an in-
stutition inseparable from
the history of Jerusalem, in-
separable from the care ad-
ministered to Jews, Chris-
tians and Moslems.
Conditions in Jerusalem
were very primitive in the
1870's and medical services
were particularly limited.
There was no electricity, no
indoor plumbing, no sewer-
age, the city was filthy and
epidemics rampant—in-
fluenza, cholera, malaria
were commonplace.
The Jewish population of
some 8,000 were mainly old
people who had come to
live, study and die in the
Holy City. Most of them sub-
sisted on charity from Jews
abroad. There was an acute
need for a Jewish hospital
and representatives were
Sent to Europe to solicit sup-
port for this project.
In 1873, the Jews of
Frankfurt founded a com-
mittee of 15 people "for the
construction of a Jewish
hospital in Jerusalem...in
line with modern medical
knowledge" — to be known
as the General Jewish Hos-
pital Shaare Zedek.
The committee opened a
free clinic and pharmacy in
the Old City and as support
for the idea of a new Jew-
ish hospital spread through-
out the Jewish communities
of Germany and Holland, a
young doctor was sent from
Cologne to supervise the
project.
In 1889, Dr. Moshe Wal-
lach arrived in Jerusalem.
He remained the driving
force behind Shaare Zedek
until his death in 1957.
In 1894, a tract of land on
Jaffa Road was purchased
for a 60-bed, two-story hospi-
tal with two isolation
wards. Construction began
two years later and 120 Jew-
ish stonemasons labored to
complete the modern struc-
ture in 1901. The Shaare
Zedek Hospital was for-
mally opened on Jan. 27,
1902.
The
London
Jewish
Chronicle of Feb. 11, 1902,
described the hospital's
opening as an event of
great significance. The cere-
mony was attended by the
Turkish governor of Jerusa-
lem, the German consul,
the architect Sandel, the
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Sa-
lant, and the Sephardi Chief
Rabbi the Haham Bashi I.S.
Elishar, members of the
supporting committee, and
over half the population <of
Jerusalem.
As the Sephardi Chief
Rabbi intoned prayers for
the Sultan and for the Ger-
man Kaiser—as Palestine
was under Ottoman rule
and the German consular of-
ficials in Jerusalem had
been helpful in helping the
Jews wade through the
mass of Ottoman red
tape—the crowds marvelled
at the great hospital built
by the Jews to serve all the
people of Jerusalem.
What was "modern" and
"new" in 1902 is now old
and overcrowded. What
was once sufficient for the
Help Us To Open the Gates of the New Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem
the dedication of the 500 bed hospital is scheduled for November 1978
The Detroit Friends of Shaare Zedek Hospital extend a
cordial invitation to all supporters of this vital institution to their
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29th -6:30 P.M. SHERATION SOUTHFIELD HOTEL
The Honorable Zvi Caspi
Mr. Irving Nusbaum
President
Consul General of Israel in
Montreal, Canada
Dinner Chairman
The Herman K. Cohen and Ethel B.
Cohen Chief Nurse Office Physical
Medicin and Rehabilitation Depart-
ment —Ethel. B. Cohen
Admission Office and Archives in
Pulmanary Functions Laboratory —
Max & May Nosanchuk
We gratefully acknowledge the fol-
lowing 1977 major endowments in the
New Shaare Zedek Medical Center:
Research Project in Geriatric Ser-
vices —Mr. andl Mrs. Norman Allan -
The Morman and Ronald Barcus
Class and Playroom Pediatric Depart-
ment —Betty Barcus
Workshop, Nuclear Medicine and
Biology —Mr. and Mrs. Irving Nus-
baum
Jack and Miriam Shenkman Library
and Editing Room Audio and Visual
Services —Mr. and Mrs. Jack
Shenkaman
Furnishing of Four Bed Patient
Room Medical Department —United
Social Club of Detroit Ann Eisenberg,
President
Detroit Friends of Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem
Rabbi Joshua': Sperka
President
Alex Roberg
Chairman
Mrs. Julius Feigelman
Vice President
Sam Platt
Chairman
Special Gifts Committee
Rabbi Eric Greenbaum
Chairman
Spoonser Committee
Rabbi Joseph Hirsch
Chairman
Ticket Committee
1977 Dinner Committee
Cantor Hyman Adler
Norman Allan
Rose Amber
Leonard Antel
Hugo Apt
Dr. Henry Baum
Gustav Berenholz
Marvin Berlin
Mrs. Herman K. Cohen
Irwin Cohn
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Eisenberg
Mrs. Julius Feigelman
Morris Flatt
Rabbi James Gordon
Rabbi Eric Greenbaum
Rabbi Israel Halpern
Dr. Leon Herschfus
Kurt Hertz
Hugo Apt
Treasurer
Irving Nusbaum, Chairman
Rabbi Joseph Hirsch
Michael KArbal
Leslie Krakovitz
Sol Lessman
Mrs. Pearl Nosan
Jacob Nosanchuck
Joseph Nusbaum
Harold Platt
Sam Platt
David Pollack
Rabbi Samuel Prero
Alex Roberg
Cantor and Mrs. A.A. Rosenfeld
Felix Rosenzveig
Mr. and Mrs. Abe Rosenberg
Nathan P. Rossen
Robert Ruch
Dr. Sabotta
For Reservations Call 544-8412
As Jerusalem is expand-
ing, so is Shaare Zedek.
The new Shaare Zedek Med-
ical Center, slated for com-
pletion in 1978, is now under
construction on a 60-dunam
site in Jerusalem opposite
Mount Herzl.
, Social Club
to Be Cited
for Donation
Last year, Mrs. Eugene
Eisenberg, president of the
United Jewish Social Club
of Detroit, visited Israel.
During a tour of Jerusalem,
she came upon the Shaare
Zedek Hospital on Yaffa St.
and was shocked by the
overcrowded conditions.
On the other hand, she
was deeply impressed by
the friendliness of the per-
sonnel and the efficient, lov-
ing care given to all
patients by physicians and
nurses. She understood why
Shaare Zedek is called the
"Hos s ital with a Heart".
Visiting
the sight of
75TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER
Rabbi Joshua Sperka
medical needs of the popu-
lation is now sorely in-
adequate. Though its equip-
ment and, care are the most
modern that medical sci-
ence has to offer, Shaare
Zedek can no longer cope
with a Jerusalem that is
three times the size it was
a decade ago—and is ex-
pected to grow by another
50 percent in the next 10
years.
Marcel Sandel
Mrs. Morris Schaver
Jack Shenkman
Rabbi Joshua Sperka
Max S tollman
Phillip Stollman
Rabbi Samuel Stollman
Rabbi Feivel Wagner
Irving Weiss
Dr. Arnold Zuroff
the New
Shaare
Zedek Medi-
cal Center,
she saw a
beautiful,
MRS.
spacious
EISENBERG structure
which by next year will re-
place the old hospital. Un-
fortunately, she saw no
building activity and in re-
sponse to her questions, she
was told that work had to
be stopped, temporarily, for,
lack of funds.
Returning to Detroit she
reported her experience to
her fellow members and in
a spontaneous response, the
up decided to raise
unds to furnish a four-bed
patient room.
The members of the
United Jewish Social Club
are all survivors of the
Holocaust.
Bar Mitzva
Is Honored
The Detroit Fiiends of
Shaare Zedek Hospital in Je-
rusalem extend warmest
c o n -
_gratulations.
to Dr. and
Mrs. Alvin ,
Ring on the
Bar Mitzva of
their son, Jef-
frey.
The grand-
JEFF RING parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Julius Ring, have
participated in the endow-
ment of the Rehabilitation
Workshop in the New
Shaare Zedek Medical Cen-
ter in honor of their grand-
son.