Laniado Hospital - Sanz Medical Center

Alex and Rosa Dembitzer support the Laniado Hospital – Sanz Medical Center, a non-profit hospital in Netanya, Israel. The hospital’s history is as incredible as its current operations.

Laniado was founded in 1976 by Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam of blessed memory, also known as the Klausenberger Rebbe. The Rebbe was a Holocaust survivor whose wife and 11 children were killed by the Nazis. Despite the devastating tragedy, the Rebbe vowed that if he survived, he would open up a hospital in Israel where every single person would be treated with dignity.

The Klausenberger Rebbe spent at least 15 years personally fundraising to create the hospital of his vision. The first major donation he received was from two Swiss brothers with the family name of Laniado, and the Rebbe named the hospital after them. Sanz Medical Center is named for the neighborhood in which the hospital is located: Kiryat Sanz, Netanya.

Today, Laniado is a modern, advanced medical center that serves hundreds of thousands of people in the city and surrounding areas. The hospital currently boasts an expansive ambulatory care program, several medical and surgical departments, a Geriatric Rehabilitation Center, Children’s Hospital, Diabetes Center, and School of Nursing.

Laniado accepts anyone in need and uses advanced medical technology to treat them, regardless of race, religion, personal status, etc. Jews and Arabs are treated as equals, in line with the Rebbe’s principles.

Also following the directive of the Rebbe, Laniado places patient dignity at the top of its priority list, with a staff that embodies the rare combination of kindness and medical expertise. In fact, Laniado’s medical and nursing staff are the only ones in the country who do not participate in health worker strikes. They remain with their patients, where they are needed.

From the ashes of the Holocaust, one of the most respected medical centers in Israel arose.