Moshe Rachmilevitz ( he, משה רחמילביץ; 1898–1985) was an Israeli
doctor and was one of the fathers of professional medicine in Israel.
Biography
Rachmilewitz was born to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in 1898 in
Mstislavl
Mstislaw or Mstislavl ( be, Мсціслаў, [], russian: Мстиславль [msʲtʲɪˈslavlʲ], pl, Mścisław, lt, Mstislavlis) is a town in the Mogilev Region, Eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mstsislaw District ...
(now in
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
), then part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, and grew up in the city of
Babruysk. His parents were Eliezer Lipman Rachmilewitz and Dvosha Zack. After completing high school, he studied medicine in Germany.
In 1926, he
immigrated to
Mandate Palestine and began working at
Bikur Holim Hospital in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. In 1927, he was chosen to go to the United States for further training, and specialized at the
Mount Sinai Hospital in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. Following his return from the United States, he worked at Jerusalem's
Hadassah Hospital
Hadassah Medical Center ( he, הָמֶרְכָּז הָרְפוּאִי הֲדַסָּה) is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem – one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus –, ...
on
Mount Scopus. In 1949, following the evacuation of the Mount Scopus facility as a result of it being cut off by Arab forces, he moved with the hospital to temporary facilities before moving in 1961 to the new Hadassah Hospital in
Ein Kerem
ar, عين كارم
, settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem
, image_skyline = Ein Karem IMG 0624.JPG
, imagesize = 300px
, image_caption = View of Ein Karem
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_ ...
, in southwest Jerusalem.
Rachmilewitz was the personal physician to many of Israel's leaders. He was among the first heads of medical school at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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 ...
, serving as dean of the faculty from 1958 to 1961.
Rachmilewitz's principal area of research and specialization was blood diseases.
He was married to Chava (née Pomerantz) and had two sons, Daniel and Eliezer, both of whom are professors of medicine. He died in 1985 of
colon cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...
.
Upon his death, a street in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
was named “Rachmilewitz Street”.
Awards and honours
* In 1964, Rachmilewitz was awarded the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
, in medicine.
* In 1970, he received the award of
Yakir Yerushalayim Yakir Yerushalayim ( he, יַקִּיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; en, Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, inaugurated in 1967.
The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to o ...
(Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) from the city of Jerusalem.
[ City of Jerusalem official website]
* Rachmilewitz Street in
Pisgat Ze'ev
Pisgat Ze'ev ( he, פסגת זאב, lit. ''Ze'ev's Peak'') is an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and the largest residential neighborhood in Jerusalem with a population of over 50,000. Pisgat Ze'ev was established by Israel as one of the ci ...
, in northeast Jerusalem, is named after him.
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rachmilewitz, Moshe
1898 births
1985 deaths
Israeli hematologists
Belarusian Jews
Jews in Mandatory Palestine
Israeli Jews
Soviet emigrants to Israel
Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Israel Prize in medicine recipients
People from Mstsislaw