Over the past year and a half, one of the concrete buildings on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem has become a symbol of recovery. What began as an emergency response during the “Iron Swords” war has grown into one of Israel’s leading rehabilitation centers. This week, Hadassah officially dedicated the Gandel Rehabilitation Center – an event rooted in faith, technology and human resilience.
Technology, Medicine and Solidarity
Funded through the generous contribution of John and Pauline Gandel from Melbourne, the center includes a modular hydrotherapy pool, advanced lifting systems, computerized motion-range devices and a robotic walking lab.
The inauguration was attended by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hadassah Chair Dalia Itzik, Hadassah Women’s Organization President Carol Ann Schwartz, Hadassah Director General Prof. Yoram Weiss and medical teams.
The ceremony was deeply emotional, as rehabilitated soldiers shared their personal stories – from severe injury to physical and emotional recovery.
“A Structure of Hope and New Life”
President Herzog said: “The Gandel Rehabilitation Center gives every human being the vital gift – hope: hope for healing, for independence and for dreaming again.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu added: “This is not just a building – it is a structure of hope and of tomorrow’s new world. The best people are the doctors here.”
Hadassah Women’s President Carol Ann Schwartz noted that opening the center ahead of schedule came “from a sense of national duty to help the wounded.”
Chair Dalia Itzik added: “Right after October 7 we all understood the magnitude of the moment and advanced the opening by a year and a half.”
Hadassah Director Prof. Yoram Weiss concluded: “The center impresses not only by its appearance but by its essence and its soul – here, lives are being rebuilt.”
A National Symbol of Renewal
The event also unveiled the “Boulevard of Resilience” – a walkway featuring footprints of former IDF chiefs of staff and defense officials alongside those of wounded soldiers, symbolizing a shared journey toward recovery and life.
The project was designed to honor the long path of rehabilitation and to connect generations of Israel’s defenders. Each IDF chief selected a soldier whose story moved him, and together they imprinted their steps – a tangible symbol of walking from darkness into light.
Hadassah leaders say the boulevard represents mutual responsibility and national resilience, serving as an inspiration for visitors and patients alike.
