Ziv Hospital Safed
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| − | + | {{Infobox | |
| + | |title = Tzfat English Library | ||
| + | |image = [[File:Space holder.jpg|215px|alt=Tzfat English Library]] | ||
| + | |header1 = Hebrew: | ||
| + | |data2 = ספריה האמרקית בצפת | ||
| + | |header7 = Description: | ||
| + | |data8 = Privately-run library which offers English-speaking residents of Safed a volunteer-operated, professional library.}} | ||
| − | The | + | The Safed English Library is a central fixture in the Tzfat landscape for the city's growing [[English Speaking Community Safed|English-speaking population]]. The library serves the entire population of [[Safed|Tzfat]], providing English language reading material to native English speakers as well as to Israeli students who want to improve their English skills. |
| − | == | + | == English Library Mission == |
| − | + | The English Library of Safed believes that its mission is to serve the people of Tzfat who want to access English-language reading material. People of all ages, backgrounds and religious sensibilities use the library which creates an atmosphere of open acceptance of all beliefs and practices among Tzfat’s diverse resident population. The English library does not charge any membership fees or library payments (though it welcomes donations), making it a user-friendly institution which everyone can use, irregardless of ability to pay. | |
| − | === | + | === Beginnings === |
| − | + | When Edyth Geiger “made aliyah” (came to live in Israel) in the early ‘70s she asked her friends in the States to send her books so that she would have plenty of reading material. At that time there were few English-speaking residents of Tzfat but many of these residents craved the opportunity to read old favorites and new releases in their native language. | |
| − | === | + | === Library Development === |
| − | + | As time went on and Edyth’s collection of reading material increased, a need arose to keep track of who was borrowing books. Together with volunteers Edyth Geiger card-catalogued all of her books and added more and more shelves to her tiny Safed apartment. | |
| − | == | + | === Early Organization === |
| − | + | By the early ‘80s Edyth Geiger had organized her apartment. Library Days and hours were posted for the Tzfat English-speakers -- Sundays and Friday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. Her living room shelves were three rows deep in science fiction, drama and mysteries. Romance books were on her bedroom bookshelves and the humor books were kept in boxes under her bed which she would pull out on library days. Magazines were stashed in boxes under her couches and they too would be put out when the library was open. Patrons could find Readers Digests in the bathroom and cookbooks in the kitchen. | |
| − | == | + | === Expansion === |
| − | + | By the late ‘90s Edyth Geiger decided to reclaim her apartment and the library moved to a nearby apartment. The books were still three rows deep in many sections but the patrons no longer spilled Edyth’s coffee while she was having her breakfast. | |
| − | == | + | == Today’s Library == |
| − | The | + | The library is located at 37 [[Jerusalem Street Safed|Jerusalem Street]], near the municipality. The days and hours remain the same as when the library was housed in Edyth’s house with an additional Monday evening option. The library’s books are all donations, sent by well-wishes from around the world. Visitors will find all the sections that patrons have in libraries anywhere in the world, including large mystery and chick-lit sections which are the most popular. The library also has a significant Jewish section and an attractive children’s area. |
| − | === | + | === Volunteer-Based Service === |
| − | The | + | The library functions completely through donations of books and funds. [[Volunteering in Safed|Volunteers]] come three mornings every week to catalog books, cull shelves for doubles, check in returns and call delinquent borrowers. A paid staff librarian (under Edyth’s watchful eye) manages the volunteers and the work while volunteer librarians staff the library during “off” hours. |
| − | === | + | === Users === |
| − | + | English-speakers come from miles around to use the English Library in Tzfat. Many people come to volunteer or simply to borrow books from nearby kibbutzim and settlements. The library boxes up book doubles and sends them to English libraries in small communities throughout Israel, ensuring that the concept of free access to reading is enjoyed by as many people as possible. | |
| + | |||
| + | === Range of Materials === | ||
| + | In addition to the large selection of books, the English library has a section of large print books, audio books and DVDs. Donors provide the library with subscriptions to popular magazines and the library offers a selection of dozens of magazines ranging from Time and Newsweek to Ladies Home Journal and Women’s Weekly to Racing Cars, Sports Illustrated and People. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Edyth Geiger === | ||
| + | As of 2011 Edyth was 92 years old. She rarely comes to the library any more because of difficulty walking but from her bedroom, a few yards from the library, she continues to organize all aspects of the functioning of the library. She arranges the volunteers’ schedules and work, reviews new entries, sets policy, calls delinquents and takes care of the library fundraising. She also plans for the future as the library continues to expand and develop. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{Safed Institutions}} | ||
| + | {{Claim Page}} | ||
[[Category:Safed]] | [[Category:Safed]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Israeli Organizations]] |
Latest revision as of 20:02, 11 February 2013
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| Hebrew: | |
|---|---|
| בית חולים רבקה זיו | |
| Pronunciation: | |
| Riv-ka-ah Ze-ev | |
| Other Names: | |
| Ziv Hospital, Rebecca Seiff Hospital, Tzfat Hospital | |
| Description: | |
| ospital serving residents of Tzfat and the surrounding communities. |
The Rebecca Sieff (Ziv) Hospital of Tzfat, located on David Elazar Street in southern Tzfat, serves Jewish, Arab and Druze residents of the upper Galilee and the Golan Heights.
Contents |
[edit] History
Up until 1910 the Jewish residents of Tzfat could only receive advanced medical treatment in Tzfat at the Scottish Hospital, built by Scottish missionaries to augment their missionary activities. Staff at the Scottish Hospital preached Christianity to sick and injured Jews during their most vulnerable moments and this angered the Jewish leadership of Tzfat.
[edit] Rothschild Hospital
In 1910 the Rothschild family donated funds to open a Jewish hospital in Tzfat. The hospital was located in the center of the city on Jerusalem Street and provided basic medical care to Tzfat residents. It was eventually incorporated under the auspices of the Hadassah Medical community. A separate maternity hospital served the needs of new mothers and their babies.
[edit] New Facilities
In 1973, thanks to the donation of the Seiff family of Manchester England in memory of Rebecca Seiff, the hospital relocated to new facilities in Tzfat’s southern neighborhood. The new hospital facilities opened several months before the 1973 Yom Kippur War broke out and almost immediately it became known for its efficienty, professional and caring staff and high quality medical care.
[edit] Community Hospital
The Ziv hospital serves a multi-cultural population which resides in Tzfat and the surrounding towns, villages and “moshavs and kibbutzim” -- farming villages and collectives. Hospital staff and the clients include both native-born and immigrant Israelis including Jews, Arabs, Druze and other ethnicities who live in the area. The staff of the hospital reflects this diversity and the hospital employs individuals who are, in addition to native-born Israeli Jews and Arabs, native Russian, Amharic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English speakers.
[edit] Services
The Ziv hospital operates the regional trauma unit of the area and treats wounded soldiers during times of conflict. In addition to its well-equipped emergency room, the Ziv hospital operates an emergency room in the nearby town of Kiryat Shmoneh, 45 minutes northeast of Tzfat.
[edit] Departments
The hospital offers almost all of the services that a patient would find in any larger hospital. There is a busy obstetrics unit that oversees the births of almost 3000 babies yearly, as well as a large pediatrics unit which cares for close to 3000 children every year. Other departments at the hospital include oncology, dialysis, cardiac, gynecology, nuclear medicine, orthopedic, optometry and internal medicine. There is a surgery unit which oversees thousands of surgical procedures every year.
[edit] Preventative Care
The hospital also receives referrals for preventative care analysis and tests such as CT scans, MRIs, mammographies and tissue analysis. These tests are then reviewed by each patient’s primary care doctor at his or her own health fund.
[edit] Special Units
The hospital operates a state-of-the-art neonatal ICU, a child development center and a school of nursing. As of October 2011, Israel opened a medical school in Safed in conjunction with the Ziv Medical Center and the Technion’s Rappaport School of Medicine.
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