Rivlin Family - Herzog Hospital/Ezrath Nashim Project to Honor the Old Yishuv

Herzog Hospital/Ezrath Nashim was established in 1894 by  Asher Rivlin, with the help of Yosef Yoel Rivlin. They were soon joined by the women of the Ezrath Nashim Association, lead by Haya Zippa Pines and later by her daughters, Ita Yellin and Margalit Meyuhas.  This year, the Hospital is celebrating its 113th anniversary by initiating a project to dedicate a new Psychogeriatric Section of the Hospital in honor of HaYishuv HaYashan (the Old Yishuv - the Jewish presence in Palestine prior to 1948 and the establishment of the state of Israel) and the extended Rivlin Family, in recognition of these founders and their prominent place in Jerusalem’s history.

This project will mobilize the international network of the Rivlin Family and others to raise the funds needed towards the construction of the new Hospital wing.  While seeking to raise funds both through a specially developed website and through parlor meetings and other activities around the world, this project will also serve as an educational tool, through links to websites about the history of the Rivlin Family and the Old Yishuv and the copy of the book written by Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin on the first   75 years of Ezrath Nashim Hospital. This campaign is viewed as a minimum one year campaign to raise $1.5 million towards the construction of the Psychogeriatric Wing, which will be dedicated in the name of the Rivlin Family and HaYishuv HaYashan.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE RIVLIN FAMILY
Lilly Rivlin

Rachel Rivlin was my aunt and my role model.  She had a long and productive life and died at the age of 100 in 2005.  Appropriately, her 4 children had a simple epithet engraved on her gravestone: Bat Yerushalayim, a Daughter of Jerusalem. Though she was born in England, she always thought of herself as a Bat Yerushalayim.  For Rachel (Ray) Rivlin it was a connection to the city that her family committed to generations before her.  It was part of her heritage; she felt a responsibility to the city’s future, and clearly she had a soul connection to Jerusalem.  Her devotion to Ezrath Nashim was the perfect match. It was an institution founded by a Rivlin, Jerusalem required a hospital that would deal with mental problems, and it fitted her natural inclination towards tikuun olam.

When I made my film THE TRIBE I learned that there are certain characteristics that recur among the descendants of Benjamin Rivlin who was the first Rivlin that left Shklov and made his way to Palestine. Rachel was the embodiment of several essential characteristics of this extended Rivlin tribe: a commitment to the community which means taking an active part in the community, often a leadership role which is something our ancestors have done for generations and a belief in assisting those less fortunate than you.  Rivlins in Jerusalem were prominent among shlichim sent out to raise money for Jerusalem institutions in need of funds. Rachel followed Rabbi Hillel’s tenet: if you are only for yourself, what are you.   She created a life of public work on behalf of weaker sectors of society; she sat on the Jerusalem municipality, her home was open to all, family writ large, am yisrael.

It is in her spirit and in her honor that I  support the Herzog Hospital development campaign to build a new wing to the hospital in honor of the Old Yeshuv and within that category; Rachel Rivlin will be honored for her dedication to Ezrath Nashim.

The campaign will reach out to Rivlins all over the world.

You may ask: why should I contribute to this hospital in Jerusalem?  I don’t live there and I never knew Rachel Rivlin.
Because this honor is not only in Rachel’s name but it gives Rivlin’s all over the world an opportunity to be part of a project that will bring to the fore the sometimes forgotten history of the Jewish community in Jerusalem during the 19^th century, before the establishment of the State of Israel.

Why should that matter to me?
Because you are part of a unique phenomenon of an extended family that traces its roots back to 1550 in Eastern Europe and being part of something larger than yourself places you within time and place and roots you in the present.  And there is pride in being part of this unique phenomenon. 

Why should I care about the Old Yishuv?
Because it is a little known story of Jews who made their way back to the land of their ancestors to reconnect with Jerusalem and other holy places, and laid the infrastructure of the Jewish State that was established years later.

You can donate to this campaign now. Donations can be made through the various Herzog Friends groups around the world, as well as directly to Herzog Hospital. All donations are tax deductible, and all the Friends groups are fully-recognized, non-profit charities. For a full list of Herzog’s Friends Groups, click here.

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