While we celebrate Israel’s independence, we must recognize that it was by no means an easy birth. We invite the Jewish community to read an essay by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler of the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, “Reclaiming a Lost Piece of Israeli History: Dr. Israel Jacob Kligler and the Eradication of Malaria in British Mandate Palestine”. It is about the work of his grandfather, Dr. Israel Jacob Kligler, whose contributions as a doctor and early Zionist helped lay the foundation for what would become the State of Israel. It is both timely and moving.

Reclaiming a Lost Piece of Israeli History:
Dr. Israel Jacob Kligler and the Eradication of Malaria in British Mandate Palestine
Rabbi Jonathan Kligler, Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israeli Independence Day 5780/2020

On this, the 72nd anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence, I would like to share with you a mostly forgotten yet critical story about the eradication of malaria in the decades leading up to the founding of the state. I share it with a very personal motive, for this is the story about the work of my grandfather, Dr. Israel Jacob Kligler z”l. But I also share this story now during the COVID-19 epidemic because of the crucial lessons my grandfather’s accomplishments can remind us of during our own moment of epidemic disease. read more...

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