About

History

Laniado Hospital was built as a life-affirming response to the devastation of the Holocaust. It is a testimony to the determination of one remarkable survivor, Rabbi Yekutiel Halberstam z’tl (also known as the ‘Klausenberger Rebbe’). The Klausenberger Rebbe lost his wife, 11 children, and most of his devoted followers in the Holocaust. With superhuman effort, he remained true to his faith and principles throughout the horrors of Auschwitz and the labour camps. He was admired by the prisoners around him, both the religious and irreligious, and served as an inspiration in their darkest hours. But it was during the death march when faced with what might have been his final moment, that he made this promise: If he survived the war, he would build a hospital.

Why a Hospital?

Because a hospital is a place committed to preserving and life. The Rebbe’s vision was to rebuild that which he had seen destroyed. From the darkest depths, the Klausenberger Rebbe envisioned Laniado Hospital; a place where people matter, a place where life is celebrated and a place where suffering is eased. 30 years later the Rebbe was able to celebrate the first birth of a baby in ‘his’ hospital. Today 8,000 babies are born in Laniado Hospital each year. They are each a testament to the sanctity of life, and to the spirit of a man whose vision founded Laniado Hospital.