Hadassah Medical Center

09/04/2026

Prof. Dina Ben-Yehuda, Head of Hadassah’s Hematology Division, Selected to Light Torch for Israel’s Independence Day Ceremony! 🇮🇱

The Hadassah Medical Center, including our Board of Directors, Management, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA), and our entire staff, are proud and honored by the selection of Prof. Dina Ben-Yehuda to light a torch at the state ceremony on Mount Herzl, marking Israel’s 78th Independence Day.

Alongside her leadership as the Head of the Hematology Division at Hadassah, Prof. Ben-Yehuda has held a series of significant roles within the Israeli healthcare system. These include serving as the Chairperson of the National Health Basket Committee, Dean of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Medicine, and Head of the Department for Medical Research Education at the Weizmann Institute. Her lifelong commitment to the nation was also recognized with the IDF Chief of Staff's Citation for her heroic actions during the Yom Kippur War.

Mrs. Dalia Itzik, Chair of the Hadassah Medical Organization Board of Directors:
"Prof. Ben-Yehuda is a symbol and a beacon of the resilient Israeli spirit. Through her immense contribution to patients and the advancement of the healthcare system, she embodies the values of Zionism and the love of humanity, leading Israel toward global medical excellence. We take immense pride in her”.

Prof. Yoram Weiss, Director General of the Hadassah Medical Organization:
"Prof. Ben-Yehuda is an inspiration to everyone engaged in the sacred work of healing, science, and the training of Israel’s next generation of physicians. Her decades of service have led to scientific breakthroughs and saved countless lives. We are proud of Prof. Ben-Yehuda, stand firmly behind her, and join Minister Miri Regev and the selection committee in recognizing her as the most fitting choice to represent Israel’s healthcare system on the national ceremony stage on Independence Day”.

06/04/2026

Passover Miracle: 70-Year-Old Woman Undergoes Complex Robotic Surgery While Awake, to the Sound of Hasidic Music 🎶

The procedure was successfully completed, allowing the patient to celebrate the Passover Seder night while recovering from a severe injury.

The patient, who suffered a fracture of the sacrum (pelvic bone), underwent urgent surgery on the eve of the holiday at Hadassah Ein Kerem. The life-saving procedure was performed by an orthopedic surgical team using robotic technology.

“This is a patient who had been in severe pain and bedridden for an entire month after falling and fracturing her sacrum,” explains Prof. Josh Schroeder, Head of the Spine Surgery Unit at Hadassah. “Any movement or bending was impossible, leading to a significant decline in her quality of life and intense pain. She also developed a serious case of pneumonia, which worsened due to prolonged immobility, including aspiration (inhalation into the airways) of food or liquids, a major risk factor for long-term lung damage and a life-threatening condition.”

The patient’s family approached Prof. Schroeder to perform the surgery urgently ahead of the holiday.
“I understood the concern of her son, who simply wanted his mother to be able to get out of bed after a month of complete immobility and deteriorating health, and to experience the holiday differently,” says Prof. Schroeder. “When we arrived on Wednesday afternoon, just before the holiday, and consulted with our anesthesiologist, Dr. Hashem Ruhi, it became clear that she could not undergo general anesthesia, as it would have put her life at risk due to her severe pneumonia.”

After careful deliberation, the team decided to perform sacral fixation surgery under local (spinal) anesthesia.
“This is a highly unusual decision for this type of procedure,” emphasizes Prof. Schroeder. “Spinal anesthesia is a regional technique in which anesthetic medication is injected into the spinal fluid in the lower back. It temporarily numbs the lower half of the body while allowing the patient to remain fully awake. It is rarely used in major pelvic surgeries, but any other form of anesthesia would have endangered her life.”

The surgery was performed by a multidisciplinary team including anesthesiologist Dr. Hashem Ruhi, Dr. Ahmed Shawan, and operating room nurses Mohammad Karain and Lili Osipov, using the “Mazor” robotic system, an Israeli-developed technology routinely used in Hadassah’s orthopedic operating rooms.

“Thanks to this approach, the entire procedure was completed in just 20 minutes, whereas a standard non-robotic surgery would typically take several hours,” explains Prof. Schroeder.
“That very evening, the patient was already showing improvement in her pneumonia, was able to sit up in bed for the first time in the intensive care unit, and experienced the Passover Seder in a way she never believed possible,” he concludes. “Her family thanked us for what they called a true miracle, arriving just in time for Passover.”

Photo: The surgical team in the operating room.

30/03/2026

Prof. Arie Ben Yehuda, Head of Hadassah’s Residency Center “Hadassah Elite” and former Director of the Department of Internal Medicine at Hadassah, has been appointed Public Complaints Commissioner for the Medical Professions at the Ministry of Health.

Prof. Ben Yehuda is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a specialist in Internal Medicine. He completed a fellowship in Geriatrics at Cornell University, New York, and for over a decade led Hadassah’s Department of Internal Medicine.
Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Director General of the Ministry of Health, stated:
“I congratulate Prof. Arie Ben Yehuda on his appointment as Public Complaints Commissioner for the Medical Professions- a role of great public importance, requiring a combination of professional expertise, responsibility, and sensitivity. Prof. Ben Yehuda brings with him exceptional experience, including extensive clinical work, excellence in medical education, research, and more.

Above all, he brings a spirit of compassion and humanity, which are fundamental to this important role. These qualities will guide his work for the benefit of patients and the healthcare system.”
Prof. Arie Ben Yehuda said:“I assume the role of Public Complaints Commissioner with a deep sense of responsibility.
I intend to act with accountability, attentiveness, and transparency, and to examine every inquiry with professionalism and sensitivity- out of a commitment to strengthening the trust of patients, caregivers, and the wider public in the healthcare system.”

24/03/2026

Hadassah Medical Center proudly celebrates Prof. Avi Rivkind’s selection as the recipient of the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement – honoring his extraordinary contributions to society and the State of Israel

Prof. Rivkind is one of Israel's leading surgeons, a specialist in trauma medicine, and the founder of the country’s first trauma center at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
Throughout his distinguished career, he has saved the lives of thousands of sick and wounded and, among other things, led the surgical division and trauma unit at Hadassah, where he continues to serve today.
Hadassah Medical Center management, board of directors, Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, and the entire Hadassah staff extend heartfelt congratulations and are moved by this worthy and honorable choice.

In the photo, Prof. Avi Rivkind.
Photo: Avi Hayoun

22/03/2026

Today, the 4th of Nisan, we commemorate the fallen of the Hadassah convoy.
On this date in 1948, an armored convoy on its way to Mount Scopus was brutally attacked.
Among those traveling in the convoy were members of the hospital’s medical staff. 78 people were murdered in this horrific assault.
This year, in light of the security situation, we held a modest ceremony at Hadassah Mount Scopus in honor of the fallen and their families.

Prof. Avi Israeli, Interim Director of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital:
“The Hadassah armored convoy to Mount Scopus was on its way to provide medical care to all the residents of the area and to provide help to those in need. Today, we are still here, protecting ourselves and continuing to do good.”
We share in your sorrow and honor the memory of those who fell that day.
Blessed be their memory.

19/03/2026

Since Operation Roaring Lion began, Hadassah’s life-saving work has continued below the surface.
This moving photo series by Ariel Jerozolimski, captures the strength, compassion, and resilience of the teams and patients navigating a wartime reality underground.
Read the full article>>

From the blog of Ariel Jerozolimski at The Times of Israel

16/03/2026

As war unfolded above ground, life continued beneath Hadassah Hospital.
In the underground wards, strangers became a community- supporting one another through fear, exhaustion and hope.
Read the moving words of Yolande Bloomstein Weiss to “Jewish Standard”.

Kindness and healing flourish in the below-ground hospital

12/03/2026

Watch Danny Bassan, lead singer of the Israeli rock band Tislam, and Eyal Atsmon, a music therapist, singing for the tiny premature babies in the underground NICU at Hadassah Mount Scopus >>

Eyal Atsmon

10/03/2026

As sirens sounded across Jerusalem, ENT surgeon Dr. Nir Hirshoren, emergency physician Dr. Marwan and Dr. Ziv Talmi cared for a 91 year old patient through a long night that began in Hadassah Ein Kerem’s emergency room and continued at Hadassah Mount Scopus- a powerful reminder of the dedication of Hadassah’s medical teams. As journalist and Tel Aviv University Professor of Public Policy Alon Tal writes: “Hadassassah Hospital doesn’t just cure the sick who seek its services. Those who accompany them leave a little more hopeful about the world and our country’s future.”

Read the full story>>

From the blog of Alon Tal at The Times of Israel

09/03/2026

In a new episode of Israel Healthcare Highlights,
Prof. Shani Paluch-Shimon shares the story behind the care, compassion, and groundbreaking research shaping breast cancer treatment at Hadassah.
Watch the video >

Diverse populations, language barriers, and cultural nuances are often overlooked in healthcare—until now. Discover how one oncology leader in Jerusalemת, Pr...

08/03/2026

Ilana came to us from New Jersey to volunteer for National Service in the Emergency Department at Hadassah Ein Kerem.
Hadassah’s emergency rooms are open, safe, and operating around the clock.
Thank you, Ilana, and to the incredible emergency teams 💙

As Ilana told us:
“Am Israel Hai” 🇮🇱

05/03/2026

Emergency surgery on a baby girl, to repair an incarcerated hernia, took place at Hadassah Ein Kerem under sirens and was fully completed, 4 floors underground.
Dr. Lisandro Lucas, director of the Pediatric Oncology Surgery Unit at Hadassah, together with Dr. Tzlil Mordechai Chen, a pediatric surgeon, operating room nurse Vasim Masaroa, and anesthesiologist Dr. Miriam Rauschenbach, found themselves at the height of the alarm, in the middle of emergency surgery on a four-month-old baby.
"This is a condition known as an 'incarcerated hernia' and requires immediate surgery because there is a real danger to life," explains Dr. Lucas. "The situation occurred when a hernia, a narrow opening, formed in the baby's body. A section of the small intestine pushed through the opening located in the abdominal wall near the groin and could not go back inside. It was trapped in the area, exerting pressure and cutting off its blood supply. This is a very dangerous condition that results in tissue necrosis, causing irreversible damage and multi-system infection, which in some cases can even end in death."
When the alarm sounded, the team remained in place in the operating room located four floors underground and continued its work with composure and full cooperation.
"We heard the siren, but we were operating in a safe environment, so we continued the procedure that saved the baby's life. This is the only thing we saw before our eyes," says Dr. Mordechai Chen.
"Fortunately, the operation was successfully completed, and the baby recovered quickly. The tense parents, who were reluctant to be out of the house with her too much, felt safe here as well and will now take her home after recovery."

Photo: Hadassah Spokesperson