Thanks to a grant from The Fellowship, Nazareth Hospital has expanded its facilities with a new trauma room—a much-needed upgrade to meet the medical center’s growing number of patients and the increasing complexity of the treatments they require. Last week, Fellowship staff, along with President and Global CEO Yael Eckstein, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Trauma and Emergency Medicine Department. The hospital’s leadership team was also present.
Yael said, “Someone said before that the essence of being Christian is giving with a smile, and from the moment I walked into the doors of this hospital, without even anybody who knew who I was, I felt this love, the smiles, the care. As I was driving through Nazareth on the way here, I was thinking about the words of the New Testament which says that Christians are grafted onto the rich olive tree of Israel, and how incredible it is that 2,000 years later, after those words were spoken, we’re sitting in Israel, in Nazareth – Jews, Christians, together.”
Nazareth Hospital CEO Professor Fahid Hakim said that the medical center treats approximately 100,000 patients each year. The hospital provides a wide range of services, including general surgery, maternity, pediatrics, psychiatry, and intensive care. Its main emergency department operates around the clock and has seen an increase in patients since the October 7, 2023, attacks and the ensuing Iron Swords War.
He said at the ceremony, “The Fellowship reminded us that with passion to help others, a strong partnership, and when people of faith come together and share the human dignity, we can save lives and care for a better future. Your support stands as a powerful testimony that humanity and solidarity are stronger than any division. As a Christian institution, serving all people and religions, we deeply appreciate this partnership.”
Nazareth Hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in Israel, having been founded in 1861 by Christian physician Dr. Kaloost Vartan as a modest four-bed treatment center. Over the past 165 years, it has grown into a major general hospital serving tens of thousands of patients annually. The Fellowship is proud to support initiatives like this one, helping ensure that the hospital can continue providing the highest level of care to the community.
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3).