CHW Daycare Centres
CHW Daycares provide loving care and an educationally enriched environment for hundreds of children, aged four months to four years. Children at CHW Daycares enjoy numerous activities that promote and enhance their social and emotional well-being, physical and motor-skills development, learning readiness, artistic and musical expression, intellectual curiosity, and sense of fun. CHW provides support to six daycares in Israel, which are each associated with a CHW Centre in Canada.
Over 500 children are cared for at the six locations in Israel. The daycares are situated in some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, providing much needed affordable, safe, and nurturing childcare for working parents and single mothers.
CHW is proud to be part of a network of six leading agencies in Israel that have been advancing early childhood education for over four decades and developing curriculum and models for operating daycares that ensure each child can reach their potential.
Here is a list of the six daycare locations:
- The Clara Balinsky (Montreal) Daycare, at Shamir Medical Center, Israel
- The Judy Mandleman (Vancouver) Daycare in Holon, Israel
- The Nina Cohen (Atlantic Provinces) Daycare in Katamon, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Rose Dunkelman (Toronto) Daycare in Neve Sharet, Israel*
- The Sandy Martin (Alberta) Daycare in Ramat Hasharon, Israel
- The Terry Schwarzfeld (Ottawa) Daycare in Nahariya, Israel**
*World WIZO has made the difficult decision to close The Rose Dunkelman (Toronto) Daycare. The demographics of the neighborhood have changed considerably over the last few years, and it was no longer economically viable to continue operating the daycare. All plaques on display at the daycare will be placed in WIZO storage. CHW will continue to honour those who made generous contributions to the daycare by listing the names of contributors on the CHW website. Click here to read those names.
**The Terry Schwarzfeld Daycare Centre is moving locations, from Acco to Nahariya. The Acco location was not properly equipped with a bomb shelter and there was declining enrollment, so the centre was moved. Thanks to a recent gift from Terry Schwarzfeld’s z”l family, the new location has received sensory motor equipment for the children, which is significant for early childhood development.
Social Services
Eunice Mouckley Therapeutic Centre
CHW Hadassim Children and Youth Village
Now in its fourth year of operations, The Eunice Mouckley Therapeutic Centre treats children and families with severe challenges and dysfunction. The families are referred to the Centre once all other community-based programs have been
exhausted and children are at great risk and distress. The professional staff provide comprehensive, in-depth family interventions that rebuild family connections.
The Centre can accommodate up to 40 families, providing around 120 hours of treatment per month. The treatment includes parental coaching, individual, and family group
treatments. Throughout the pandemic, the professional team found creative ways to reinvent the delivery of essential programs and continue significant therapeutic processes that were well underway with families via Zoom and in-person sessions.
Read an article about the Therapeutic Centre in a past issue of ORAH magazine:
Social Services
Calgary Bat-Yam Women's Centre
Established in the mid-1940s, this centre began its activities by giving home classes for the local women.
As the Bat-Yam Centre has developed, different classes were added, such as activities for young mothers and for the elderly, legal support for women, and a support group for single mothers.
Today, the Calgary Bat-Yam Women’s Centre continues to offer many different activities and programs to a broader population in the Bat-Yam area.
Among others, the activities that take place at the centre are:
- Golden Age Group
- Lectures and field trips for the elderly
- Play room for Ethiopian mothers and their children
- After school therapy
Social Services
Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre (JDD)
CHW Toronto Centre collaborated with the JEROME D. DIAMOND ADOLESCENT CENTRE (JDD) 2019-2023. CHW Toronto Centre’s commitment helped to ensure local youth mental healthcare needs were met and supported the Experiential Learning Programs for JDD students.
The JDD is a mental health centre that provides services to youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are experiencing psychological, behavioural, and/or academic challenges. On average, counselling services are provided for approximately 50 family members each academic year. The JDD is staffed by a multi-disciplinary professional team consisting of special education teachers, social workers, child and youth workers, a transition support worker, and a consulting psychiatrist/psychologist.
Social Services
Canadian Young Judaea (CYJ) Manhigim Leadership Program
Each year, CHW provides funding to CANADIAN YOUNG JUDAEA summer camps in Canada, which aim to strengthen young members’ Jewish identity and principles. CHW is honoured to have grown alongside such a wonderful organization, and enjoys serving children and youth in Canada and Israel together.
Manhigim Leadership Program
Prior to 2023, an annual CHW donation of $10,000 was committed to students in Grade 11 who were eager to expand on their knowledge of Jewish values and Israel through this CYJ program.
Healthcare
The Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Unit (PCCCU)
Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem
CHW is proud to support the PCCCU. The new, state-of-the-art Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Unit, located on Level Two of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson (SWD) Hospital Tower, is the only one of its kind in Jerusalem. Pediatric cardiac critical care patients have unique needs, which is why we have a dedicated unit, distinct from the general critical care unit. For these infants, precise diagnoses and immediate, advanced treatments are critical. That’s why our compassionate, dedicated medical professionals at Hadassah are here. We are here to save lives – to help keep the tiniest, most fragile hearts pumping strong.
Congenital heart defects comprise the most common type of birth defect. Currently, the global incidence of congenital heart disease at birth has been estimated at eight to 12 cases per 1,000 live births. These statistics highlight the overwhelming demand for advanced pediatric cardiac critical care.
What makes the PCCCU so special?
- Caring pediatric cardiac specialists are available 24/7 to deal with emergencies, prescribe medications, and monitor patients.
- The location of our unit in the SWD Hospital Tower, adjacent to the PICU and our internationally renowned Heart Institute, positions it within one of the most advanced surgical towers in the world.
- Patient rooms are fully equipped with state-of-the-art cardiac equipment not available in the regular PICU.
- Nursing staff is specially trained to care for young patients with a heart defect.
- Approximately 200 catheterization procedures performed annually, making our team highly experienced.
- Four single-patient isolation rooms, with four additional rooms were recently opened. There are now eight fully equipped rooms.
Read a story about the PCCCU in a recent issue of our ORAH magazine:
Healthcare
The Institute of Pulmonary Functions and Diseases
The Institute of Pulmonary Functions and Diseases at Shamir Medical Center treats 4,600 respiratory, lung, and lung function disease patients each year. The Institute provides counseling – both for the inpatient and surgical wards, and also performs assessments of high-risk patients before surgery.
The Institute conducts advanced research in the field of lung physiology, sleep medicine, and clinical studies of pharmaceutical companies and non-invasive respiratory best practices among hospitalized patients.
SMC urgently needed our support to rebuild the Institute for three primary reasons:
- In recent years, the hospital has seen a steady increase in lung disease and lung cancer. In addition, recent data indicates a significant increase in reported damages in lung function due to COVID-19. A 50% increase has been predicted in the number of patients we treat every year, which will require a much larger designated area, fully equipped with devices and highly trained medical personnel to meet the
needs of the population. - The previous site of the Pulmonary Institute was a small and outdated facility that dates back to the early-mid 1900s. Despite repeated attempts to maintain the facility, the patchwork over the years resulted in a substandard facility and poor overall experience for patients.
- The Institute needed to be evacuated in order to allow for the building of a New Emergency Medicine Department and Surgical Tower. The first step to become the largest hospital in Israel was rebuilding and expanding the gateway and heart of the medical centre. This meant establishing a new emergency medicine department and a hospitalization tower on the site of the oldest buildings. The New Pulmonary Institute was rebuilt and moved to a new location, situated at the top of the existing Laboratory building. This is a prime location as it is situated next to the new Emergency Medicine Department and Surgical Tower.
The New Pulmonary Institute is now open, offering patients and medical staff a more respectful and high standard facility that meets modern standards. The expansion provides additional doctor’s rooms, hospitalization stations, and medical treatment rooms for patients.
Read a story about Shamir Medical Center’s Pulmonary Institute in a recent issue of ORAH magazine:
Healthcare
CHW Debbie Eisenberg and Gary Levene Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
The CHW Debbie Eisenberg and Gary Levene Pediatric
Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Shamir Medical Center (SMC) treats approximately 300 patients annually, from infants as young as two-day-old to children and adolescents up to the age of 18. The newly upgraded PICU, with its cutting-edge facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, has been a gamechanger for SMC, ensuring that critically ill children receive the most advanced patient care and life-saving treatments.
The PICU receives children after serious accidents or at acute, life-threatening stages of illness. Patients treated at the multidisciplinary PICU usually suffer from vital body system failures, and require respiratory support, close monitoring, and surveillance of all vital signs and organs.
The newly opened PICU is a game changer that follows 20 years of patchwork renovations in the outdated and overcrowded unit, which contained beds separated by curtains alone and only one treatment cart. Thanks to the generous support of CHW, the entire PICU was expanded and redesigned to meet the highest international standards. With six fully self-contained private rooms, including a negative pressure isolation room,
every patient has the privacy and space to receive treatment with dignity. Each room can now comfortably accommodate family members during such challenging times when young children need the most support. In addition, each room is equipped with state-of-the-art medical and diagnostic equipment as well as its own treatment cart, so staff can effectively tend to each patient, while preventing avoidable cross infections.
Read a story about the CHW PICU in a past issue of ORAH magazine:
Healthcare
The Esther Matlow z"l Ophthalmology Department
Shamir Medical Center (SMC)
The Esther Matlowz”l Ophthalmology Department at Shamir Medical Centre (SMC) is a state-of-the-art eye care department providing clinical and surgical expertise for all related eye disorders and diseases. The Department is headed by Dr. Eran Pras and includes a team of 30 physicians working in three main areas: Inpatient and Surgical Department; Outpatient Clinics; and Scientific Research.
The Department is the “go-to” place for eye treatment in the Tel Aviv area of Israel. Here, patients receive glaucoma treatment, plastic surgery, and excision of tumours from the eyelid or eye orbit, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the outer eye and the anterior section, cataract surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, and more.
The Esther Matlow Ophthalmology Department comprises three divisions: the outpatient clinic, hospital wards, and operating theatres.
The Department is renowned for being an active and productive centre of scientific innovation. It is ranked as one of the top ophthalmology departments in Israel and a leader in the field of medical research and publications. Thanks to the generous support of the Matlow family, the Department continues to attract leading physicians and students from Tel Aviv University, who are interested in participating in cutting edge
research projects.
Healthcare
CHW Marla Dan Stroke and Invasive Neuroradiology Institute
Shamir Medical Center
The Marla Dan Stroke and Invasive Neuroradiology Department specializes in treating complex stoke patients with the most advanced medical technologies and equipment in the world. The Department provides solutions to all pathologies, such as stroke and aneurysms, and offers unique treatment for the detection and prevention of stroke by inserting stents into the carotid arteries in the neck that prevent the development of a significant stroke and the need for surgery.
Beginning in January 2014, CHW provided $1 million over four years for the CHW Marla Dan Stroke and Invasive Neuroradiology Institute.
Approximately 15,000 Israeli men and women suffer a stroke. Of these 15,000, the risk of another stroke is nine times higher than the general population. While gender distribution amongst those that have suffered a stroke is nearly equal, women are affected in more extreme ways: more women than men die from stroke, and the severity of disability among those who survive is greater in women than men. As of 2010, none of Israel’s hospitals offered special units to effectively treat stroke patients.
The Shamir Medical Centre (Assaf Harofeh), the third-largest governmental hospital in Israel, is an 832-bed academic medical facility. Renowned for its compassionate approach, the hospital provides all the major services of a state-of-the-art modern medical centre, offering on-site comprehensive care in nearly all branches of modern medicine.
Invasive neurovascular surgery is a relatively new advance in medicine, and has had a tremendous impact on the outcome for stroke patients. There is a very small window of opportunity, only 5-6 hours, in which aggressive surgical intervention can result in recovery. This is an amazing feat given that even the mildest stroke can result in severe paralysis and life-long handicap in surviving patients.
Healthcare
M. Fanny Comprehensive Breast Care Unit
Shamir Medical Center
A woman spends an average of three working days per year on routine breast examinations; however, statistics show that only 20 percent of all suspected breast cancer cases turn out to be cancerous. At the CHW M. Fanny Comprehensive Breast Care Unit at the Shamir Medical Centre (Assaf Harofeh) – a unit founded by Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW) – women receive same-day test results for breast examinations, providing peace of mind for the patient as well as faster treatment in cases of a positive diagnosis.
The M. Fanny Comprehensive Breast Institute at Shamir Medical Centre (SMC) is the first of its kind in Israel, providing comprehensive and compassionate medical
care for women, all under one roof.
The experienced multidisciplinary team conductsna full range of diagnostics and therapies, including breast examinations, mammograms, and ultrasounds conducted by top surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, reconstructive surgeons, nurses, X-ray technicians, and social workers.
Individualized treatment programs are tailored to meet the needs of every patient, particularly women with a high-risk for developing cancer, in a warm and supportive environment. The Institute conducts year-round public health campaigns highlighting the importance of early detection.
Healthcare
Sylvia and Lorne Cristall Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit
Shamir Medical Center
At the Sylvia and Lorne Cristall Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, cardiac care is offered to patients with coronary artery disease through a customized medical program of exercise and education. The Sylvia and Lorne Cristall Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit provides care to patients who have experienced a heart attack or have had heart surgery, as well as those with cardiovascular disease. During the rehabilitation process, both patient and family members learn how to prevent the progression of heart disease and minimize its consequences.
Healthcare
The Marla Dan Interventional Radiology Institute
Shamir Medical Center
Healthcare
Lower-Level Operating Rooms
Hadassah Hospital
Thanks to the Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation, the Center for Emergency Medicine received state-of-the-art observation bays as well as surgical rooms in the lower level of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower. It ensures every life that can be saved is saved; every patient that can be reached, is reached. Funding also helped to secure underground facilities to protect patients and doctors from biological, chemical or conventional weapons in case of attack.
The Tower houses 20 lower-level operating rooms, pre- and post-op recovery units and specially designated sections for children. These operating rooms boast many unique features, including intra-operative mobile CT scanners, portable MRI machines, tri-colour combination lights that improve a surgeon’s aptitude during surgery, and steel paneled walls for optimal hygiene and safety.
The Lower-Level Operating Rooms allow Hadassah Hospital to treat more of the patients who urgently need help while also advancing the types of procedures physicians can perform. The operating rooms now can carry out complex trauma surgeries, oncology procedures, organ transplants, laparoscopic, and robotic surgeries.
Healthcare
Nursing Control Centre
Hadassah Hospital
There are 1,800 nurses working at Hadassah Hospital. Many of the nurses have advanced clinical training in various fields such as oncology, intensive care, obstetrics, surgery, and psychiatry. This specialized training is extremely beneficial for clinical and administrative work as well as for the implementation of new treatments.
In the new, state-of-the-art Surgical Centre in The Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower, the Lower Level IV Nursing Control Centres, nurses can fully utilize their skills and expertise. From the Centres, nurses are able to monitor each procedure, patient, and physician with the latest equipment to improve care and establish the facility as a beacon of progress to the entire world.
Each patient’s status from pre-op through to surgery and recovery, is relayed through the Nursing Control Centres. The deep appreciation nurses have for patient needs is not only found in these crucial hubs of life-saving information, but throughout the entire Surgical Centre, as nurses were consulted on the construction of the integrated structure.
In the Nursing Control Centres, the patients and their families are the focal point. The nurses are informed and involved throughout every step of a patient’s medical treatment plan, continuing the high level of quality caregiving provided by Hadassah Hospital.
Healthcare
CHW Fertility Unit
Hadassah Hospital
Groundbreaking research at Hadassah Hospital – in-vitro fertilization (IVF), egg donation, freezing cells for preservation in cancer patients, stem cell therapies and the treatment of infertile women over the age of 40 – have resulted in enhanced treatment for Hadassah patients and for women throughout the world.
Hadassah’s Fertility Unit is a leader in sophisticated procedures and scientific discoveries to give women new hope for bringing children into the world. This state-of-the-art division of Hadassah’s Gynaecology Department was inaugurated in 2012 as the Canadian Hadassah-WIZO Fertility Unit, and is housed in the new Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower. It is the first building of its kind to unite advanced medical technologies with a profound spirit of healing. The 14-story structure holds 500 beds, 20 operating rooms, and a 50-bed intensive care unit. Beyond the numbers, the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower provides a therapeutic and empowering environment for patients and their families, with beautiful healing gardens, and rooms designed to meet patient needs.
The CHW Fertility Unit is uniquely designed to empower women, placing them and their needs at the centre of its services. Specialists provide women with comprehensive care for IVF treatments in high-tech operating rooms and laboratories. The tower’s 19-story structure also provides a comfortable setting for in-patient care, with healing gardens, private and semi-private rooms for patients and pleasant facilities for family and staff.
Healthcare
Rady Mother and Child Center
Hadassah Hospital, Mount Scopus
The Rady Mother and Child Center focuses on what is best for the mother and baby from the moment a women arrives in the delivery room. Mothers are encouraged to be as active as possible throughout the process, and special emphasis is put on the first hour after delivery to encourage immediate bonding and nursing. Understanding the great significance on the mother-child relationship, the skilled staff do as much as possible to make labour and delivery a positive and empowering experience for each and every woman.
Since 2018, a senior physician is present in the building 24/7, which dramatically improved the standard of care for the delivery rooms. This arrangement contributed to the decreased rate of c-sections done at the hospital yearly, since 2019.
A total of 18 residents, 17 senior staff doctors, and 40 midwives keep the division running efficiently, in addition to many more nurses in all the surrounding departments. The expansion and upgrades in both the facilities and medical equipment have been a game changer, giving staff the much needed space and conditions to offer optimal medical care for routine deliveries as well as rare complications.
The new department also offers individualized, culturally sensitive care, treating each woman with a developed understanding of her culture. Due to the unique location of
Mount Scopus, the staff are privileged to care for women of many backgrounds and ethnicities, and they tailor the medical care accordingly. For example, the hospital prioritizes vaginal deliveries, even with risk factors, such as giving birth to twins (or multiple babies).
We are very proud to have new and modern facilities that offer two delivery rooms with personal bathtubs. Immersion in warm water has a very calming and soothing affect and also provides significant pain relief during labour. From the experience that
we have gained over recent months, we see how just having the option of entering the bath allows a unique ambience and atmosphere throughout the entire labor and delivery process. Water deliveries at Mount Scopus are offered with continuous monitoring with no compromise to maternal and fetal health, even in the most natural settings.
Read an article about this department in a past issue of ORAH magazine:
Education
The Aubrey and Marla Dan Auditorium
The Aubrey and Marla Dan Auditorium at CHW Nahalal Children and Youth Village provides practical and adaptive teaching for advanced learning by allowing remote students to participate in classes. The facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art sound and AV system, hosts music and theatrical performances, as well as classes and lectures.
Education
CHW Centre for Clinical Training & Community
Hadassah Academic College (HAC)
The CHW Centre for Clinical Training & Community Care will advance the training of speech and language pathologists and audiologists, and the delivery of quality medical care to Jerusalem’s most at-risk children and adults, serving both Jews and Arabs.
The CHW Centre at HAC represents a significant and tangible contribution to the advancement of medical education and clinical service in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem.
Read more about the CHW Centre in a recent edition of ORAH magazine below:
Education
Music Program
CHW Hadassim Children & Youth Village
The Music Program at CHW Hadassim was created to provide youth with a wide range of opportunities for them to develop their musical talents in a warm and supportive environment. Seventy-five students (with an annual average of 20 new students annually) participate in the various music enrichment classes offered in the boarding school. Hof Sela, the Music Coordinator, is responsible for developing and supervising the music program, which includes musical bands and choirs, singing/vocal instruction, piano, guitar, violin, Bayan (Russian Accordion), and drums. Roei Zoaretz, a musician and a musical producer who graduated from Julliard, coordinates the school choir. He assists the students in reaching their full singing potential.
Read more about graduate and music teacher Yonatan Doron in a previous issue of ORAH magazine:
Social Services