Prof Avi Rivkind, the founding head of Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem’s Shock Trauma Unit, was chosen to light a torch in Israel’s main Independence Day ceremony, held last week at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem.
Prof Avi Rivkind, the founding head of Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem’s Shock Trauma Unit, was chosen to light a torch in Israel’s main Independence Day ceremony, held last week at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem.
The annual torch-lighting ceremony marks the close of Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Terror and the beginning of Israel’s 75th Independence Day.
The torch lighting, considered a great honour in Israel, is the central attraction of the evening and honours Israelis who have made a meaningful contribution to the development of the country and its society.
Hadassah Medical Organization Director General Prof Yoram Weiss said “Avi Rivkind is a worthy and appropriate choice. Professor Rivkind is a compassionate and professional surgeon, closely linked with the development and glorious name of Hadassah in Israel and around the world. I want to underscore Avi’s contribution to the treatment of trauma victims, a field he led in the State of Israel. I congratulate him on behalf of the Hadassah Medical Organization and the thousands of patients who owe him a debt of gratitude for saving their lives.”
The name Avi Rivkind is synonymous with trauma medicine in Israel. In the early 90s, the first trauma unit in the country was established at Hadassah Ein Kerem. Prof Rivkind served as the director of the Department of Surgery and managed the Department of Emergency Medicine. During the second intifada, Hadassah treated half the terror victims in Israel.
Since its inception, the Trauma Unit has saved countless lives and is a model for other trauma units in Israel. Recognised as a global leader in the field of trauma, Prof Rifkin has received many requests from around the world to treat seriously injured victims of terror events or major disasters. He aided victims of the attack on the Jewish Community Center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires in 1994, people injured in the 2002 attacks in Kenya, Sri Lankan tsunami victims in 2004 and survivors of the Annapurna snowstorm in Nepal in 2014.
During the height of the intifada, Boston doctors came to Israel to show solidarity and learn from Prof Rivkind and his trauma doctors. The lessons learned from Prof Rivkind and his team during that time were publicly credited by the heads of Boston hospitals as helping to save many lives during the tragic Boston Marathon bombing 10 years ago. Prof Rivkind is truly a living legend in the field of trauma medicine.
Prof Rivkind graduated from the Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Medicine in 1973. He began his specialisation in general surgery seven years later, followed by a shock-trauma fellowship at the University of Maryland.
In addition to his renown in trauma, Prof Rivkind is also an expert in general surgery. Some 15 years ago he established Young People Driving Differently, a national flagship project in which high school students learn about the devastating consequences of road
accidents. In coordination with Hadassah management and the Jerusalem City Hall Department of Safety, the program teaches new drivers about the treatment of trauma victims and the consequences of accidents for family members; it includes a meeting with a wheelchair-bound victim of a road traffic accident. Thousands of youngsters have participated in this ongoing program at both Hadassah hospital campuses.
On being chosen for this honour, Prof Rivkind stated, “The honour of being chosen to light a torch surprised and thrilled me. This is the closing of a circle for my family and me. As the son of Holocaust survivors who underwent terrible suffering until they arrived in Israel, I dedicate this great honour to them. I thank the selection committee and Minister Miri Regev for recognizing my work and my contribution to the State of Israel.”
