Shaare Zedek Medical Center

The Shaare Zedek Medical Center (Hebrew: מרכז רפואי שערי צדק‎, Merkaz Refu'i Sha'arei Tzedek) (lit. "Gates of Justice") is a major hospital in Jerusalem, Israel.

History

Shaare Zedek was the first large hospital to be located in the Western portion of Jerusalem and is today the city's fastest growing hospital and the only major medical facility in the city's center. After the Ottoman Turks gave permission in the 1890s, and with funding from European donors, the hospital was built on Jaffa Road, two miles (3 km) outside the Old City. Its opening ceremony took place on January 27, 1902. Dr. Moshe Wallach was the director from then until 1947. Schwester Selma lived in the hospital and cared for abandoned children. The building in Bayit Vegan was inaugurated in 1980.

In December of 2012, Shaare Zedek assumed operational control over Bikur Cholim Hospital and merged many of its activities. The hospital treats over 600,000 patients per year in more than 30 inpatient departments and over 70 outpatient units and maintains a very active academic service as a leading research and teaching institution. Shaare Zedek is classified as a public/private hospital, serving as a non-profit institution and dependent on donor support for capital development, while committed to offering advanced medical care for the wider Jerusalem-area community.