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Misgav Ladach

Misgav Ladach
Kupat Holim Meuhedet
Misgav Ladach hospital, Jerusalem
Map
Geography
LocationJerusalem
Organisation
TypeGeneral
Religious affiliation
Jewish
History
Opened1854

Misgav Ladach (Hebrew: מִשְׂגָּב לַדָּךְ) is a Jewish hospital in Katamon, Jerusalem that belongs to Kupat Holim Meuhedet, Israel's third largest health insurance organisation.

Etymology

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The name of the hospital, literally "refuge for the suffering," derives from Psalms 9:10.[1]

History

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Misgav Ladach's original premises, 1915

Misgav Ladach hospital (originally known as Mayer Rothschild Hospital) was established in 1854 (or according to some sources 1855[2]) in the Old City of Jerusalem, funded by the French Rothschild family.[3] When the Rothschild hospital moved outside of the Old City, the Misgav Ladach society took over the hospital and renamed it.[4] The hospital, founded to enable the Jews to be independent of Christian missionary hospitals,[1] served the city's Jewish population in this location until the Israeli 1948 Arab–Israeli War in 1948, when the Jordanian army conquered the Jewish Quarter.[5] The hospital reopened in Katamon in western Jerusalem, where it operated for 40 years as a maternity hospital.[1] After moving into new premises, a 6,700-sq.m., three-story building on Hizkiyahu Hamelech Street, the non-profit Sephardi organization that owned it went bankrupt.[6] The building was purchased by Kupat Holim Meuhedet, renovated and reopened in 2005.[7] In 2022, Meuhedet announced the hospital will be renovated and turned over to its subsidiary management company Medica.[8] The hospital has four operating rooms, an image lab with ultrasound, mammography, MRI, X-ray and bone density testing, a sleep laboratory and phototherapy.[8]

Medical innovations

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Misgav Ladach method

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The Misgav Ladach method for Cesarean section was developed by Michael Stark based on the Joel-Cohen incision originally introduced for hysterectomy.[9] The technique was first introduced at Misgav Ladach and is now being used in medical centers around the world. The Misgav Ladach method eliminates many conventional steps, resulting in a quicker birth, less trauma for the mother and more rapid recovery. There is less need for painkillers and antibiotics, less scarring, less bleeding and less need for anaesthesia. Risk of exposure to HIV is minimized and the speed of the operation saves operating room and staff time.[10]

Natural childbirth

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In the 1980s and early 1990s, Misgav Ladach was known for its personalized approach to childbirth. The hospital was an early supporter of natural childbirth techniques and the presence of fathers in the delivery room.[11]

Medical directors

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  • Maccabi Salzberger[12]
  • Michael Stark[13]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Ronald L. Eisenberg (October 2006). The streets of Jerusalem: who, what, why. Devora Publishing. pp. 259–. ISBN 978-1-932687-54-5.
  2. ↑ "The Family ‹ Family philanthropy  :: The Rothschild Archive". www.rothschildarchive.org. Archived from the original on 2026-06-11. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  3. ↑ "Our History". Herzog Medical Center. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  4. ↑ Seidelman, Rhona; Shvarts, Shifra (2012-05-17). "Yaron Perry and Efraim Lev, Modern medicine in the Holy Land: pioneering British medical services in late Ottoman Palestine, International Library of Colonial History, No. 8, London and New York, Tauris Academic Studies, 2007, pp. xi, 243, illus., £52.50 (hardback 978-1-84511-489-3)". Medical History. 53: 623–624. doi:10.1017/S0025727300000831.
  5. ↑ James Finn; Elizabeth Anne McCaul Finn; Arnold Blumberg (January 1980). A view from Jerusalem, 1849–1858: the consular diary of James and Elizabeth Anne Finn. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. pp. 180–. ISBN 978-0-8386-2271-1.
  6. ↑ Shapira family, partners offer $10 mln for Misgav Ladach
  7. ↑ "Misgav Ladach operating rooms shut down 'until further notice' | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  8. 1 2 "בעשרות מיליוני שקלים: מתיחת הפנים בבית חולים הותיק בירושלים | כל העיר". כל העיר ירושלים (in Hebrew). 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  9. ↑ Holmgren G, Sjöholm L, Stark M (August 1999). "The Misgav Ladach method for cesarean section: method description". Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 78 (7): 615–21. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0412.1999.780709.x. PMID 10422908. S2CID 25845500.
  10. ↑ Misgav Ladach Birthing Method: A Working Visit to Vietnam and Laos
  11. ↑ Susan Starr Sered (2000). What makes women sick?: maternity, modesty, and militarism in Israeli society. UPNE. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-1-58465-050-8.
  12. ↑ "Maccabi Salzberger Memorial Lecture Fund -". Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  13. ↑ Michael Stark's C-section method

31°45′40.44″N 35°12′37.94″E / 31.7612333°N 35.2105389°E / 31.7612333; 35.2105389