The founder of Friends of Yad Sarah, Els Bendheim, passed away in January 2023. Her kindness and generosity blazed a path for the growth of Yad Sarah.

Friends of Yad Sarah mourns the loss of its founder, Els Salomon-Prins Bendheim, a remarkable woman of legendary generosity and kindness, who passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023, in Jerusalem. Her actions blazed a path for the growth of Yad Sarah and helped hundreds of thousands of people in Israel annually. All of us who support Yad Sarah’s services are part of her legacy of compassion and care.

In Israel, Yad Sarah developed the idea of recuperation outside of the hospital, and Mrs. Bendheim, who was intimately familiar with the needs of patients and healthcare systems, was enthusiastic about this innovative approach because she understood that home care was part of the future of medicine.

"She was a woman of great kindness, who always helped everyone with an open heart. She warmly embraced our organization and its goal,” shared Yad Sarah Founder, Uri Lupolianski.

Mrs. Bendheim founded Friends of Yad Sarah in the United States, with her home serving as the organization's first address. She collected money and medical equipment, and her home quickly became a "warehouse for medical equipment" that was sent to Israel, allowing Yad Sarah to give aid to many people in Israel. When she and her family traveled to Israel, they would arrive with huge backpacks full of medical equipment for Yad Sarah. The customs officers were always amazed when they saw the large number of medical devices.

Mrs. Bendheim was a driving force of philanthropy and a role model of giving with warmth, kindness, and compassion for her entire family: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

Two of her children, sons Jack Bendheim and Philip Bendheim, serve on Friends of Yad Sarah’s board, carrying on the family tradition and connection.

We express our heartfelt condolences to the entire family on the loss of their towering matriarch.

May her memory be a blessing.