Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital: Visit of founding benefactor, Mrs Lily Safra, and special guests

Mrs. Lily Safra, along with special invited guests, today visited the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, where they were able to view the extraordinary work of this leading institution, for which the Edmond J. Safra Foundation has provided millions of dollars of support.

Friends of Mrs. Safra joining her on her visit included former First Lady of France Bernadette Chirac and Father Patrick Desbois, who is also in Israel to receive an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University for his work documenting mass graves of Jews killed in Eastern Europe during the Shoah.

As part of the tour, Mrs. Safra, along with Prof. Zeev Rotstein, director of the combined medical center, and Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, unveiled a plaque in memory of Bissan, Mayar and Aya Abuelaish, the daughters of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a researcher working at the hospital, who were tragically killed during the recent conflict in Gaza.

Prof. Zeev Rotstein- Ceo Sheba Medical Center; Ms. Bernadette Chirac, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, Ms. Lily Safra, Father Patrick Desbois 

The memorial plaque in the playground reads:  ‘In loving memory of Bissan, Mayar and Aya Abuelaish, who will forever be in our hearts.  We will always be thinking of you when we play.'

Mrs. Safra and her husband Edmond J. Safra are the founding benefactors of this hospital, and she and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, of which she is President, have shown unwavering dedication to it over the years.

Since its establishment in 2002, the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital has become known as the leading such facility in Israel, earning a worldwide reputation for its high standards of care and research.

In 2008, the Edmond J. Safra International Congenital Heart Center, established with the support of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, was inaugurated on a newly-built floor of the hospital. The Hospital has 235-beds and receives 8,000 annual inpatient admissions as well as 60,000 annual visits to its emergency room and ambulatory services. It welcomes patients from across the Middle East region.  The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital's corridors, play rooms, "Laughing Room", cinema, and "Garden of the Senses"all help to relieve the emotional pain associated with hospitalization.

*Photos: Ohad Romano