Moshe Prywes (משה פריבס; January 3, 1914 - March 1998) was a Polish-Israeli physician and educator. He was the first President of

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...

(1973-1975).

Biography

Prywes was born in Warsaw, Poland. He studied medicine for two years at the

University of Tours The University of Tours (french: Université de Tours), formerly François Rabelais University of Tours (french: Université François Rabelais), is a public university in Tours, France. Founded in 1969, the university was formerly named after th ...

in France, and graduated from the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields o ...

in 1939. After the outbreak of World War II and the

German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

, Prywes was drafted into the

Polish army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

as a physician-officer in 1939. He was taken captive by the Russians and sent to a labor camp in

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

where he was kept from 1940 to 1945. From 1945–46, he was head of surgery in the Kherson hospital in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Next, he became a chief assistant in the department of surgery, University Hospital, Gdańsk, Poland. He emigrated to France and from 1947-51 was director of the

Œuvre de secours aux enfants Œuvre de secours aux enfants (, Children's Aid Society), abbreviated OSE is a French Jewish humanitarian organization which was founded in Russia in 1912 to help Russian Jewish children. Later it moved to France. OSE's most important activitie ...

(OSE) Jewish Health Organization in Paris. In 1962 he was awarded a Knight of the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. In 1951 Prywes immigrated to Israel, joined the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

faculty in Jerusalem, and was one of the founders of the medical school, where he served as a Dean of secondary education and Head of the Department of Medical Education. When

Ben-Gurion University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...

was founded in the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...

, he served as its first president from 1973 to 1975, succeeded by

Yosef Tekoah Yosef Tekoah ( he, יוסף תקוע, 4 March 1925 – 14 April 1991) was a senior Israeli diplomat and the President of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (1975–1981). He was instrumental in the Israeli settlement in disputed DMZ territorie ...

. In 1973 he established a medical school, the Center of Health Services of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, where medical studies were combined with the treatment of community clinics at all stages of the study. He was the first Dean of the school. In 1990 he was awarded the Israel Prize in Life Sciences. After retiring from work in

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

, Prywes returned to Jerusalem and served until his death as editor of the English medical journal ''

Israel Journal of Medical Sciences The ''Israel Medical Association Journal'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Israel Medical Association. It was established in 1999, replacing the ''Israel Journal of Medical Sciences''. The editor-in-chief is Yehuda Sh ...

''. He was a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO). In 1995, he was awarded the Ben-Gurion Foundation's Ben Gurion Prize. Prywes published his autobiography ''Prisoner of Hope'' in English in 1996. He was married to dentist Isabelle Priwes who died in 1965 and later to nurse Raquela Levy Brzezinski Prywes who died in 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prywes, Moshe Ben-Gurion University of the Negev faculty University of Tours alumni University of Warsaw alumni Polish emigrants to Israel 1914 births 1998 deaths Hebrew University of Jerusalem faculty Polish Army officers Physicians from Warsaw Recipients of the Legion of Honour Israel Prize in life sciences recipients Israeli surgeons Presidents of universities in Israel 20th-century Polish physicians Members of the National Academy of Medicine