(Haipo) – Carmel Medical Center celebrated its 50th anniversary at a festive jubilee event held at the Shoni Amphitheater on the evening of Thursday, September 3, 2026, with the participation of medical professionals, public figures, senior managers of Clalit Health Services, employees, retirees and guests. The event, held under the slogan "Mosaic of Life", opened with a gathering on the lawn, with food, drinks and beer, and later moved to the amphitheater for the main show. During the evening, moving stories, medical achievements, special videos and moments from the hospital's history were presented.
The event was hosted by Lior Ashkenazi, and concluded with performances by Yehuda Poliker and Miri Mesika. The event was produced by Mentabar Productions and the hospital management. In the article below, you can watch selected moments and hear the Carmel people tell their own stories.
Lior Ashkenazi opened Carmel's jubilee celebrations
The main event was hosted by actor Lior Ashkenazi, who welcomed the audience in a festive atmosphere and introduced the participants to the hospital's 50th birthday celebrations. Ashkenazi humorously addressed Carmel's age and presented 50 as an age of wisdom, insight, and great life experience, but also as a point at which there is still room to develop and progress. His words fit into the spirit of the evening, which asked on the one hand to stop and look at five decades of activity, and on the other hand to look to the years to come. He invited Carmel staff and guests to celebrate together the path the hospital has taken and the people who have led it over the years.
President Yitzhak Herzog: "A model of medical excellence"
President Yitzhak Herzog sent his greetings to the event from the President's Office in Jerusalem and defined the 50th anniversary of the Carmel Medical Center as an important milestone for the entire healthcare system. Herzog said that this is an opportunity to look with satisfaction at the impressive path the hospital has taken and the place it has occupied in the lives of the residents of Haifa and the north. According to him, the tens of thousands of people who arrive at Carmel's gates each year are a testament to the public's trust in the hospital and its medical teams. Herzog defined Carmel as a model of medical excellence, which also promotes research and teaching, and emphasized that alongside the achievements there is a commitment to continue promoting innovation and progress in all areas of activity, while maintaining a humane attitude towards patients and their families.
Technologist Ihab: "The hospital continues to develop"
In an interview conducted in the audience, technologist Ihab was asked what he wished for Carmel for the next 50 years. He pointed to the hospital's ongoing development and its ability to promote medical and technological activity even under physical limitations. According to him, Carmel is an advanced hospital in many areas, which has developed over the years and continues to develop without stopping. He emphasized that despite the relatively small area in which the medical center operates, many activities take place there, including capabilities that, according to him, do not exist in some of the larger hospitals. His look to the future was a direct continuation of the spirit of the evening: to continue to develop, promote activities, and maintain the attitude towards every person.
Prof. Eitan Wertheim, CEO of Clalit: Carmel is a breeding ground for the next generation of medicine
The CEO of Clalit Health Services, Prof. Eitan Wertheim, described 50 years of medical work in which there were moments of concern and hope, world-class achievements, complex decisions and, above all, human spirit. According to him, the definition of Carmel as one of the leading hospitals in Clalit does not tell the whole story. He emphasized the collaborative work of the hospital staff, the professionalism and the warm atmosphere, and referred to Carmel's role in training the next generation of Israeli medicine. In his remarks, he noted the hospital's achievements in the field of service and the fact that Carmel has won the title of Clalit Health Services' Outstanding Hospital three times over the course of ten years. He thanked the generations of employees and retirees and the teams that continue the path today.
The numbers behind Carmel's medical activities
During the event, a video was shown that presented the extensive activities of the medical teams at the hospital through data and numbers. The video sought to illustrate the scope of work carried out at Carmel every day and over the years, through the number of children born at the hospital, the number of hospitalizations, the number of surgeries, and the budget that enables medical activity. In an evening that focused largely on people and personal stories, the video provided another look at Carmel through the scope of actual work. The data presented connected five decades of activity with the ongoing work of the teams, and illustrated the large medical system operating behind every patient, birth, hospitalization, and surgery.
Bruria Moschitz: Seeing where Carmel has come in 50 years
Bruria Moshits, a hospital retiree, looked at the event from the perspective of someone who has known Carmel over the years and the changes it has undergone. In an interview conducted with her in the audience, she spoke with excitement about the development of the hospital and the additions that have been made to it over the course of five decades. For her, the anniversary celebrations were an opportunity to see in a concentrated way the long journey the medical center has taken and where it has come to. Moshits chose to direct most of her gratitude to the teams themselves, saying that they are the ones who brought the hospital to its achievements. Her remarks also gave space at the event to the older generation, who were part of Carmel's development over the years and who watched the results of that work in the evening.
Clalit Chairman of the Board of Directors, Yohanan Loker: A model of treatment continuity between the community and the hospital
Clalit's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Maj. Gen. (res.) and combat navigator Yohanan Loker, described the 50th anniversary as a point where one can stop for a moment and examine an entire chapter of life. According to him, Carmel marks 50 years of medicine, people, community, excellence and innovation, and is much more than a hospital: it is an inseparable part of Haifa and the region. Loker focused particularly on the model of connection between the hospital and the community. He said that he saw senior doctors working simultaneously at the hospital and in community clinics, and cooperation between the district and the hospital, which aims to create a continuum of care for the benefit of the patient. According to him, this is a unique model and a winning combination between Clalit's two cornerstones: the community and the hospitals.
Locker also addressed the Carmel teams' handling of the crisis periods of recent years, including the coronavirus and the wars. He said that during his visits to the hospital, he met medical teams, nursing staff, and various professionals who are engaged in building the future while managing ongoing activities. He said that, alongside professionalism, he heard human stories of hope and compassion at Carmel, which illustrate how human relations are expressed in practice. Locker positioned Carmel as part of a general family spread across the country, where workers from a variety of professions get up every day with the goal of providing accessible, high-quality medical service. He said that 50 years are a reason to stop and look with pride at the path taken by the people of Carmel.
The children of the employees tell what Carmel Hospital looks like from home
One of the most notable and original videos screened during the anniversary celebrations gave the stage to the children of the employees. The children were asked to tell in their own words what their parents do at the hospital, where they work, when they go to work and when they return home. Through the family perspective, another side of working at Carmel was revealed: not only the medical and professional roles, but also the long hours and the presence of the hospital in the lives of families. The video connected the current generation of Carmel employees with the younger generation growing up alongside them, adding to the festive evening a personal look at the people behind the system and the families who accompany them along the way.
Irena Brave: From the children's caramel to the grandchildren's generation
Irena Braev, a nurse and chairwoman of the Carmel Employees' Committee, brought to the anniversary celebrations the personal perspective of a veteran employee and someone who represents the hospital's employees. In an interview conducted with her in the audience, she referred to the many years she has worked at Carmel and the connection between her personal life and her work at the hospital. Braev said that she gave birth to her children at Carmel and is now welcoming her grandchildren. Following the video in which the employees' children participated, she also referred with a smile to the next generation and the feeling that Carmel is already beginning to "train" it. Her words expressed the connection that is created when the workplace accompanies employees throughout entire lifetimes and becomes part of their family story.
Prosper Ben Hamo: Workers continued even during Corona and the war
The chairman of the Clalit workers' committee, Prosper Ben Hamo, dedicated a significant portion of his remarks to the veteran employees and previous managements of Carmel, who were partners in building the hospital over the years. He mentioned the limitations of the location in which Carmel operated and the difficulty of physically developing in the existing area, but emphasized that despite this, a hospital with a wide range of activities was built on the site, relying on the professionalism of its staff. Ben Hamo referred in particular to the work of the teams during the Corona period and during the war, when employees enlisted for work, left their families at home, and continued to come to care for insureds and patients.
According to him, Carmel employees stood up even during difficult times and acted with pride, compassion and professionalism to give the patient in need the best care. Ben-Chemo also praised Carmel CEO Prof. Avi Goldberg and his managerial work, and referred to the importance of cooperation between the hospital management and the employee representatives headed by Irena Breyer. From his perspective, the ability of the employees and management to work together is a significant component of the institution's success. He concluded his remarks with wishes for a good year, a year of peace and years in which there will be, as he said, "only happiness."
Prof. Avi Goldberg: "The differences between us do not separate us"
The director of Carmel Medical Center, Prof. Avi Goldberg, returned to the foundations on which the hospital was built. According to him, an examination of the past revealed three central components that accompany Carmel to this day: the people, the medical work and the deep connection to the community. Goldberg emphasized that a hospital is not just a structure, equipment and achievements, as people come to it at moments when their lives change. He described Carmel as a place where men and women of different ethnicities and communities work shoulder to shoulder, at the patient's bedside, in the operating room, in the laboratory and in the warehouse, leaning on each other and acting out of mutual trust.
Goldberg referred to the shared life within the hospital and said that the differences between the employees do not disappear, but they do not separate them. According to him, a partnership is created around the patient based on mission, trust and friendship, and it expresses Israeli society at its best. He placed the sanctity of life, compassion and equality as the values that connect the people of Carmel. After more than ten years at the hospital, Goldberg said that he has seen medical achievements, innovation and development, but what particularly moves him is the way things are done: at eye level, with a sense of responsibility and by putting the patient's needs at the center.
Carmel's CEO also pointed to a significant achievement in the area of patient experience and noted that Carmel has been leading in patient satisfaction for 11 consecutive years. According to him, this is a testament to the organizational culture created at the hospital. The jubilee year, from his perspective, allows us to look back with pride but also forward with hope. Thousands of employees have built Carmel over the years, and now the responsibility lies with the current generation to continue developing it and handing down to future generations a solid and advanced hospital. He emphasized Carmel's affiliation with the general public and its commitment to continued renewal and development in the years to come.
At the end of his remarks, Goldberg thanked the team members who produced the jubilee evening and everyone who worked for weeks on the event. He mentioned Dori Bejarno, Ahuva Tal, Ina Amsalem, Galit Ratner, Irena Brave, Dr. Aryeh Bitterman and other people who were partners in the preparations, and also thanked the production company team for their partnership and investment. Goldberg said that he was proud to be part of the Carmel family and that the years alongside the hospital staff had a personal impact on him. He then invited Carmel's local talents to the stage to perform the new jubilee song, as part of the musical moments that marked the medical center's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Orit, a nurse in the maternity ward: "For us, this is a real home"
Orit, a nurse in the maternity ward, summed up her personal feelings on the anniversary in an interview with the audience. She spoke about the employees, friends, and connections made during her life there, and described the people of Carmel as people with smiles, kind eyes, and a heart and soul. When asked what she took away from the moving evening, she chose the people around her rather than the production or the celebrations. According to her, for the employees, Carmel is a "real home" and not just a workplace. She described it as a place of life, where connections are formed that accompany the staff throughout the years. Her words concluded the series of personal interviews with the same message that was at the center of the anniversary celebrations: It is the people who give the hospital its character and meaning.
Yehuda Poliker and Miri Mesika closed the 50th anniversary celebrations with a performance at the Shoni Amphitheater
After the speeches, videos, interviews, and segments that reviewed the medical center's history and achievements, the anniversary evening moved on to its musical portion. On the Shoni Amphitheater stage, Yehuda Poliker and Miri Mesika performed in a unique performance, the first time in Israel that both of them were on the same stage, in front of Carmel employees, retirees, Clalit employees, and guests who came to celebrate the 50th anniversary. The performance capped an evening that was built as a mosaic of personal stories, medicine, community, employees, achievements, and memories from five decades. The choice to end the event with a musical performance complemented the festive nature of the evening, which began with a gathering on the Shoni lawns and continued in the Amphitheater with a presentation of the path the hospital has taken and with the look its employees turned to the years to come.
And on my personal note – in conclusion:
Our three children were born at Carmel Hospital and when needed, we are there. This is a central hospital for Carmel residents. Excellent staff, always. This evening, we came to honor the medical staff at an evening of appreciation to mark 50 years of activity and towards the next 100 years. In light of various disturbing plans by the Ministry of Health to remove this important hospital from Haifa, we commit to joining forces and harness the means at our disposal to keep this wonderful medical institution in Haifa. There has never been an event in Israel where a hospital has been removed from any city, and we will work to ensure that this does not happen in Haifa. Carmel since then and forever. With commitment.
Noga Carmi
The hospital serves the residents of the Galilee to the Lebanese border.
That we won't need it, but it's good that it exists.
Personally, this is my favorite hospital.