Lemaanam

Lemaanam (Hebrew: למענם, meaning "For Their Sake") is an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in April 2020 by Dr. Tamara Kolitz. Its full name is "Lemaanam – Physicians for Holocaust Survivors" (רופאות ורופאים למען שורדי שואה). The organization was established during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Holocaust survivors in Israel faced heightened isolation, difficulty leaving home, and barriers to accessing medical care. Dr. Kolitz, then a resident in internal medicine who had already been conducting free home visits for Holocaust survivors, reached out to colleagues in a physicians' network and proposed creating a dedicated medical framework. Within days, hundreds of doctors from all medical fields volunteered. The organization operates a telephone hotline (3191*) staffed by clinical-year medical students, available Sunday through Thursday from 9:00 to 19:00 in Hebrew and Russian. Services include telephone medical consultations, assistance with navigating medical bureaucracy, visits to specialist clinics, home visits for the homebound, and mobile therapeutic clinics. All services are provided free of charge, with minimal waiting times and minimal bureaucratic procedures. The volunteer network includes over 1,000 volunteers, among them approximately 800 physicians—many of them senior doctors and department heads—as well as hundreds of volunteers from other health professions. Between April 2020 and August 2021, the organization handled approximately 5,000 requests from Holocaust survivors and their families. Lemaanam's mission is to provide quality, available, personal, and free medicine to all Holocaust survivors living in Israel. The organization views this as both a human and moral debt and a national obligation. Its board members include Moti Sonnenfeld, founder of the Danieli Fund; Moshe Svir, vice president of the Adi network; Moshe Teitelbaum, chairman of United Hatzalah; and Dr. Boaz Tadmor, former director of Beilinson Hospital. In 2021, Lemaanam received the President's Award for Volunteerism from Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. The organization continues to operate nationwide, serving Holocaust survivors throughout Israel.

Lemaanam was founded in April 2020 by Dr. Tamara Kolitz, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Kolitz, then a resident in internal medicine, had already been conducting free home visits for Holocaust survivors who needed medical care. With the pandemic increasing the isolation and difficulty of leaving home for survivors, requests for help multiplied. She approached her colleagues in a physicians' group and proposed establishing a dedicated medical framework. Within days, hundreds of doctors from all fields of medicine volunteered, with the shared goal of providing quality, accessible, and free medical care to Holocaust survivors. A series of partners joined the founding mission, and in November 2020 the organization opened its telephone hotline. Moti Sonnenfeld, founder of the Danieli Fund and a board member, helped transform the medical initiative into a registered nonprofit organization. The board also included Moshe Svir, Moshe Teitelbaum, and Dr. Boaz Tadmor. Between April 2020 and August 2021, Lemaanam handled approximately 5,000 requests from Holocaust survivors and their families. The volunteer network grew to include about 1,200 volunteers, of whom approximately 800 were physicians, many of them senior doctors and department heads, along with hundreds of volunteers from other health professions. In 2021, the organization received the President's Award for Volunteerism from Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. The organization continues to operate nationwide, offering telephone consultations, clinic visits, home visits, and mobile therapeutic clinics, all free of charge.

• 2021

  Received the President's Award for Volunteerism from President Reuven Rivlin.

• 2021

  Between April 2020 and August 2021, handled approximately 5,000 requests from Holocaust survivors and their families.

• 2020

  Founded in April 2020 by Dr. Tamara Kolitz during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2020

  Telephone hotline opened in November 2020.

Free, high-quality, accessible, and personal medical care for Holocaust survivors in Israel, provided by volunteer physicians.

1. 1למענם - רופאים ורופאות למען שורדי שואהlemaanam.org.il
2. 2אודות - למענם - רופאות ורופאים למען שורדי שואהlemaanam.org.il
3. 3למענם - ויקיפדיהhe.wikipedia.org
4. 4lemaanam - Wikidatawikidata.org