Page 296 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Foreword

“Israel’s physicians are worthy of particular respect. Physicians are indeed worthy of special
esteem, since every one of us is likely to fall ill and require a doctor. Our sages of blessed
memory therefore said, ‘It is forbidden to live in a city without a physician’.” (S.Y. Agnon,
from a homily in honor of Prof. Hermann Zondek, 1948)

The permanent exhibition at the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem
recounts the story of the city through the major events of the past three millennia and
stresses the importance and sanctity of Jerusalem for the Jewish people and the Christian
and Muslim worlds.

The exhibition “Jerusalem: A Medical Diagnosis” is part of a welcome tradition of temporary
exhibitions at the Tower of David Museum. Such exhibitions constantly seek to shed light on
unknown chapters in the city’s history, providing a refreshing new perspective and adding
innovative layers of knowledge and insight for the many admirers of Jerusalem.

The current exhibition examines the three-way relationship between the city of Jerusalem , its
inhabitants – be they citizens, kings, pilgrims or visitors – and the basic and most important
concern for every human being at all times: the eternal pursuit of a healthy body and mind.
Jerusalem, a meeting place for cultures, beliefs and religion and aspired to by believers from
the entire world, emerged as an important center for healing traditions and treatments that
were developed and handed down from generation to generation. These traditions originated
with the natural gifts with which Jerusalem is blessed: medicinal herbs, spices, and minerals
from the desert and the mountains. They led to medical knowledge, books, and hospitals,
culminating in the field of modern medicine and research.

Visitors to the exhibition gradually discover a city waging a constant battle against epidemic
and war yet overcoming every adversity. Time and again, Jerusalem has recovered due to
wondrous miracles, and especially, due to acts of faith, humanity, compassion, and mutual aid
and assistance among all those in Jerusalem, whether residents of the city or visitors from all
corners of the globe. If only such cooperation, understanding and compassion could extend
beyond the world of medicine to the streets and daily life of the city.

The exhibition offers a broad perspective of an unusual size and scope and contains hundreds
of exhibits and archaeological artifacts, most of which are revealed for the first time. Through

■ 7e