Major rehab centre dedicated in Jerusalem
The 20,000 square metres Gandel Rehabilitation Centre at Mount Scopus in Jerusalem has been dedicated in the presence of the Israeli Minister of Health, Nitzan Horowitz and John Gandel, Pauline Gandel, their daughter Lisa Thurin.
Pauline and John Gandel and their daughter Lisa Thurin
The event was attended by dignitaries from Israel, Australia and the USA, including Australian Ambassador to Israel, Paul Griffiths.
The Gandel Rehabilitation Centre, which is being built with significant support from the State of Israel and generous additional funding from the Gandel Family and the Gandel Foundation, will address a clear and evident gap in health delivery in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
The 132-bed state-of-the-art facility will arguably be the largest dedicated rehabilitation facility in the Middle East, and will provide the people of Jerusalem with a comprehensive solution to decades of lack of acute rehabilitation care in their city.
John Gandel said: “We are here to celebrate the construction and development of a very important and badly needed piece of medical care infrastructure. It will be a facility that will help countless people needing rehabilitation”. He added: “Jerusalem today is a city of some 1.2 million people, and it definitely deserves to have a first-class dedicated rehabilitation centre. Also, we are confident that the centre will benefit not only the people of Jerusalem but the whole country and that this will materially improve the quality of life for many people and their families.”
The dedication plaque underscored the Gandel family’s passion, commitment, and dedication to the people of Israel.
The ceremony concluded with a spontaneous rendition of “Me’al Pisgat Har Hatzofim” (From the summit of Mount Scopus), followed by a heart-warming chorus of “Jerusalem of Gold”.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon warmly thanked the Gandel family, stressing the importance of their support: “I am here on behalf of all the residents, the people of Jerusalem, to thank you for your tremendous contribution. Jerusalem is the heart of all the Jewish people around the world. You are helping to keep this heart beating strongly. The Gandel Rehabilitation Centre is a milestone for medical care in Jerusalem.”
Speaking from Melbourne after the dedication event, Hadassah Australia President Ron Finkel commented: “With this transformative and legacy gift to Israel, the Gandel family is delivering on its vision and commitment to the people of Israel. Their gift, the largest single gift from the Australian Jewish community to Israel, is providing a 21st century expression of the spirit and values of Henrietta Szold, the Founder of the Hadassah movement and of her famous words: “Dream, and when you dream – dream big”. We are incredibly proud to be actively helping to deliver Australia’s Gift to Jerusalem – the Gandel Rehabilitation Centre”.
Currently at an advanced stage of construction, the Gandel Rehabilitation Centre is an iconic, 21st-century building located adjacent to the historic Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in the very heart of Israel – a magnificent eight-story, 20,000 square-meter modern world-class rehabilitation facility.
The Gandel Centre will provide 132 inpatient beds and specialised cutting-edge rehabilitation and research facilities, including occupational therapy, physical therapy and hydrotherapy departments, advanced robotics, technological incubators, Medical Centres of Excellence, conference rooms, laboratories, clinics and outpatient areas, a synagogue and a magnificent rooftop healing garden.
The outstanding donation to Jerusalem from the Gandel Family will enable those recovering from serious accidents, illnesses and diseases to rebuild physically and mentally and live productive, independent lives. Those whom the centre will serve includes some of the most vulnerable people in Jerusalem – the elderly, sick, injured, wounded, and victims of terror.
