Right on schedule, at 7:30am Sunday morning, February 28th, the new operating room lights were turned on by Hadassah National President Ellen Hershkin, and the first patients were wheeled into the new underground operating theaters of the Hadassah Medical Organization’s Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower.

“I was involved in the many years of planning,” relates Senior Urologist Prof. Ofer Gofrit, “but I didn’t know just how excited I’d feel to be working in this new facility.”

“We need to thank the women and men of Hadassah around the world who have always supported us for making this dream come true,” said Senior Surgeon Prof. Alon Pikarksy, who heads the Center for Colorectal Surgery.

“You have so much to be proud of,” noted Zeev Markowitz, a retired builder from Brooklyn, father of seven and grandfather of 37, who was scheduled for one of the first operations in the new complex. 

Standing by her husband, Eli, who had undergone many past surgeries at Hadassah and now was having a hernia repair, Oshrit Bohbot commented: “You have saved my husband’s life and saved our family.”

When the patients emerged from surgery, they were greeted by red, white, and blue balloons that festooned the recovery room. After being brought to his room in the urology unit, Mr. Markowitz noted: “I feel wonderful. The room here is like a five-star hotel and so was the operating room.”

Reflecting on this watershed day, Ellen commented: “We have been fortunate that our past leadership encouraged us to keep our eyes focused on the future. We have been blessed with the energy, financial resources, and vision to have been part of this endeavor, which makes us partners in the future too. What a sense of accomplishment!”