Dr. Joseph Krimsky interview, member of first American Zionist Medical Unit in 1918

Dr. Joseph Krimsky interviewed by Phillip Gillon, head of Public Relations at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel. Dr. Krimsky talks about the journey of the 44 health professionals in the American Zionist ("Hadassah") Medical Unit to Palestine in 1918. On the way to Palestine, the Unit spent a few weeks in London. He was part of the group who went to see Lord Balfour, accompanied by Nahum Sokolov. The Unit spent a week in Paris, visiting Rothschild and others, and to Rome, to foot of Italian peninsula where they lodged at the British Army camp at Cimino for about a week. Then, the Unit arrived in Jaffa. He was sent to Tel Aviv, where members of the Unit established a clinic and a hospital. Chaim Weizmann was head of the Jewish Agency and Dr. Krimsky met Mayor Dizengoff of Tel Aviv. Health conditions were "deplorable" throughout Palestine. There was very little food, no employment, malaria, dysentery, and eye diseases were "rampant". Dr. Krimsky stayed from 1918 to 1919, about 15 months. Conditions improved markedly during this time. "If you lay the foundations for improvement, you've already accomplished something." He was an ophthalmologist and his work was continued by Dr. Ticho after Krimsky and other Unit members left Palestine at the end of their contracts. He mentions the 40th anniversary of the Hebrew University a few days earlier, which dates the recording to 1965.Digital recordingdigitizedDigital finding aid