Written by his widow, Dr. Miriam Gitlin
My husband Dr. Gershon Gitlin of Capetown, having served with the South African Medical Corps and the King’s own Yorkshire Light Infantry in the Middle East and Europe, landed in Israel on August 1, 1948, joining the Israel Medical Corps as a medical officer serving in the Galilee. Gershon was later chosen by Dr. Chaim Sheba to establish the first anatomy course for the Hebrew University Medical School that was officially opened in Jerusalem’s Russian Compound in 1949. He was subsequently appointed a full professor.
I arrived on November 11, landing at Haifa airport with my infant daughter Ruth and son Michael aged 5. On the same flight were physiotherapist Hannah Elion and her infant daughter, Elizabeth. Sad to say, none of the three is still alive. Hannah’s husband, Ted, a chemist, had arrived in June. I
joined the Department of Social and Community Medicine of the Hadassah Medical School headed by the late Professor Sydney Kark, a pioneer in that field. I was engaged in teaching and research particularly in the field of Maternal and Child Health, and I am proud to have played a significant role in the development of the Community Health Centre at Kiryat HaYovel.