An emotional ceremony was recently held to inaugurate a gym at the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center of the Clalit Health Services. The ceremony took place in the presence of the family of soldier Dan Widenbaum, of blessed memory, who contributed to the renovation and upgrading of the gym, and was attended by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Ra’anana Mayor Haim Broyde, Prof. Keren Avraham, Dean of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University, Prof. Tzvia Bar Noy, Head of the School of Health Professions at Tel Aviv University, friends, guests, medical staff, and the management of the Loewenstein Friends Association.
Dan was born in Belgium, immigrated with his parents to Israel, and grew up in Ra’anana. Dan served as a combat soldier in the Egoz Reconnaissance Unit during his regular service and fell as a reservist soldier in the Yiftach Brigade, in a battle in Gaza on January 12, 2024, while protecting his comrades and the country he loved with his own body.
The gym, inaugurated in memory of Dan Widenbaum z”l and operated by the physiotherapy team, serves as a central therapeutic space in the rehabilitation processes of the center’s patients and is used daily for intensive physical, functional, and mental rehabilitation activities.
During the emotional ceremony, Dr. Hagay Amir, Director of the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, and Eitana Tabakaru, Head of Physiotherapy, expressed their gratitude to the family for their significant contribution, which enables the provision of an advanced, high-quality, and respectful rehabilitation environment for patients. Family members noted that commemorating Dan through a contribution to life, health, and hope is a way to continue his spirit and values, his love of sports and physiotherapy which he had planned to study, and his path imbued with resilience and a positive spirit.
Hily Harel, CEO of the Friends of Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center Association, thanked the Widenbaum family and relatives from Israel and abroad, as well as additional donors who made the renovation possible, including TelFed – South African Zionist Federation (Israel), Friends of Loewenstein in Sweden, the Mutual Aid Fund Ra’anana, Haim Halbfinger, and the France-Israel Foundation, for their generosity and their choice to contribute to the welfare of Loewenstein’s patients.
Since the beginning of Israel-Hamas War the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Medical Center has been supporting IDF and civilian casualties from across the country, and the renovated gym is expected to serve thousands of patients in the coming years as an integral part of their rehabilitation journey.