German friends for Hadassah

 

Health and peace – Israel’s Hadassah Medical Center is devoted to these goals. Four questions for Gady Gronich, Managing Director of Hadassah Deutschland.

 

Mr Gronich, the Hadassah Medical Center in Israel comprises a whole host of health institutions, including two university hospitals in Jerusalem. What makes Hadassah so special?

Obviously we are very proud of our innovative treatment therapies and achievements in medical research, both of which have led to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem becoming one of the world’s leading healthcare centres. And yet, what sets this clinic apart is how we engage with one another on a daily basis – it is one of the few places in which Israelis and Palestinians come together peacefully. A place of peace amidst terror and conflicts. Both doctors and patients are keen in their efforts to promote international understanding and peace. This concept is unique in Israel and has made Hadassah Medical Center a key economic hub as well as the most important peace project in the Middle East.

 

What are the goals of Hadassah Deutschland and when was the association founded?

Medicine knows no bounds. That was the aspiration of Henrietta Szold and today is the firm philosophy of the association of German Friends of Hadassah, which has been busy building up a German network since 1985 in order to be able to provide long-term funding for projects. To this day the association acts according to Szold’s ideology – using medicine to build bridges to the nations. For this we are deeply indebted to Henrietta Szold.

 

How does the association work? Who is part of it?

Dedicated people from the Frankfurt/Main and Düsseldorf regions joined forces some 30 years ago and established Hadassah Deutschland. The association is independent and its mission is to provide funding for the clinic. In the last eight years in particular Hadassah Deutschland has gained increasing recognition and our circle of friends is expanding steadily. Benefactors have long since come from circles outside of the Jewish community, with more and more figures from society, business and the media joining. Including, for example, entrepreneurs Regine Sixt and Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and actors Veronica Ferres and Axel Milberg. Thanks to their support Hadassah has become one of the leading Israeli charities in Germany. The association only funds appropriated projects of the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The necessary funds are raised through various charity activities such as galas, receptions, private dinners and special campaigns. Thanks to the outstanding personal commitment of the honorary committee and the Association of Friends we are well on the way to taking the clinic’s mission – contributing to improving international understanding and peace in the Middle East – out into the world.

 

In recent years Hadassah has been accused of mismanagement, the Medical Center accumulated debt of more than 300 million dollars and was placed under the care of an officially appointed financial controller. What is Hadassah Deutschland’s stance on this?

The accusations are wrong and they greatly affect us. The situation arose on the back of the repercussions of the financial crisis in the United States. Major donations were cut and Hadassah USA was forced to send less money to Jerusalem as a result. At the same time, the clinic and its staff are having to deal with ever greater challenges and patient numbers are permanently on the rise. More than one million treatments are carried out each year. The clinic has to meet these challenges and continue as before despite the shortages in the funds. Another important factor to bear in mind is that since the clinic’s foundation there has been no financial support from the State of Israel. Now for the first time Hadassah and the Israeli government have worked hand in hand and drawn up a ten-year agenda: On the one hand, it will help curb costs, on the other it will improve the clinic’s income, among other things through medical tourism. That way the debt will be repaid and the clinic consolidated.