Lydia Luxner, Head Nurse of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), has worked at Laniado Hospital since 1988.

When she first arrived in the 80’s she was very impressed that a Hassidic rabbi would build a hospital.

She heard the story of the Klausenberger Rebbe zt’l, and how he had survived the concentration camps. He had made a vow to save lives and alleviate suffering.

Lydia describes the Rebbe as a very kind, good hearted and open person and believes that she was very lucky to have known him in person, when he was still alive.

He had very specific views and guidelines for the hospital and for all staff to follow which is maintained to this day.

He believed in excellence and professionalism, both in the medical and nursing sectors. He believed at all costs one should respect life and maintain life. Because of this respect, the patient had a say and should be involved in his own care.

Lydia says that there is a special presence and aura at Laniado Hospital which is connected to a love of life and a love of the quality of life. This compassion through giving patients a quality of life and treating each patient as if they were your own child was an expectation that is still being met today.

All of The Klausenberger Rebbe’s expectations were very much connected to the Rebbes past experiences as a survivor of the Holocaust.

In 1944, during a death march and he was shot through the hand. He dropped to the floor and pretended to be dead and when all the soldiers and prisoners had passed him by, he found a tree and fashioned a tourniquet from leaves and branches to stop his hand from bleeding. He stopped the bleeding and saved his own life.

And in that very moment that he made a vow:

“Holy G-d if I ever get out of this live hell, I promise I will create an institution to heal the sick,
And to alleviate the suffering of all, no matter who they are or where they come from”.

Through great adversity, he made a promise to fight the darkness and to save lives.

This hospital is like no other hospital. It is a hospital with heart.

He instilled in every person in the hospital a love for humanity

You must save and heal every human being no matter who that human being is or where they come from and we have committed to that vision and mission until this day.