Jonathan Halevy (; born in Tel-Aviv, 22 June 1948) is an Israeli public healthcare expert and physician. He served as the

Director General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of Jerusalem's

Shaare Zedek Medical Center The Shaare Zedek Medical Center () is a large teaching hospital in Jerusalem. It was established in 1902 and is affiliated with Hebrew University of Jerusalem. History Shaare Zedek was the first large district general hospital to be located ...

from 1988 until 2019 and currently serves as the hospital's president.

Biography

Jonathan Halevy was born in 1948 in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

and is the oldest of four siblings. His father managed a steel materials factory in

Kiryat Gat Kiryat Gat () also spelled Qiryat Gat, is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It lies south of Tel Aviv, north of Beersheba, and west southwest of Jerusalem. In it had a population of . The city hosts one of the most advanced semicondu ...

. He attended Zeitlin High School in Tel Aviv. At age 18, Halevy was accepted into the

Atuda Atuda, or Academic Atuda (, literally: Academic Reserve), is a program of the Israeli Defense Forces which enables high school graduates to defer the draft and attend university prior to their military service. After they complete their studies, t ...

program as a

medical student A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

. For this program he took part in the first class of the Tel Aviv University's medical school. In 1973 he graduated medical school and started his residency at

Rabin Medical Center Rabin Medical Center () is a large general hospital located in Petah Tikva, Israel. It is owned and operated by Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health maintenance organization. In January 1996, Beilinson Hospital and Hasharon Hospital were ...

, in

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of the Old Y ...

. He served as a Medical Officer in the Israeli Military between 1973 and 1977, assuming the rank of Deputy Medical Commander of the Central Command. Between 1983 and 1985, he was a research and clinical fellow at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

where he was dedicated to research of diseases of the

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

and

intestinal tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

. In May 2021 he received the Yakir Yerushalayim Award (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem), presented by the City of Jerusalem and regarded as the city's most prestigious civilian award. In 1988, he was appointed as Director-General of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, a role he held until 2019 when he assumed the position of President of the medical center. During his tenure as Director General, the hospital increased in inpatient activity from 16,000 patients per year to 100,000. In 1994, he oversaw the creation of an integrated cardiac health center within the hospital. The Department of Emergency Medicine he opened in 2004 now sees over 155,000 cases per year. The department is regularly called upon to treat victims of terror attacks and he has been involved in consulting with other hospitals around the world on mass casualty response. In 2017, the hospital was the first in Jerusalem to be granted accreditation by the JCI- Joint Commission International for quality of care and patient safety. Between 2013–2015 and 2017 Halevy served as Chairman of the National Committee updating the National Basket of Health Services. Following the earthquake which devastated Kathmandu,

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

in April 2015, Halevy participated in the IDF medical mission to the region. In 2008, he was awarded an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

and in 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Touro University Over the course of the Corona outbreak, Halevy has served as a regular commentator on local and international media. In that capacity he serves as a member of the Israel Ministry of Health's public information team. In October 2021 he was again appointed to serve as the Chair of the National Committee overseeing the National Basket of Health Services. Halevy lectures extensively both in Israel and internationally and has published numerous articles and papers in the field of medicine and two books in Hebrew relating to positive bedside manner and complementary medicine.

Public positions

• The Israel Medical Association • The Israel Association of Internal Medicine • The Israel Association of Gastroenterology • The Israel Association for the Study of Liver Diseases • The Israel Association for Quality in Medicine • The Israel Health Policy Forum • The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management • Board of Directors, Bar-Ilan University • Member of the Health Council, Ministry of Health

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halevy, Jonathan Living people 1948 births Israeli academics Israeli medical researchers Hospital administrators Yale University alumni Shaare Zedek Medical Center