(Courtesy of Shaare Zedek Medical Center) The American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem is pleased to announce that the National Board has elected Dr. Howard Zvi Goldschmidt to serve as its new president. Dr. Goldschmidt will be taking over for Debbie Kestenbaum, who served as president with tremendous acuity and vision for the last three years.
Shaare Zedek has been an important cause in Dr. Goldschmidt’s family for decades. His maternal grandfather, Herman Warisch, z”l, was a classmate and lifelong friend of Dr. Falk Schlesinger, z”l, the hospital’s second director-general. His paternal grandfather, Carl Goldschmidt, z”l, served as a board member of The American Committee in the 1960s and 1970s and was honored posthumously in the early 80s. His parents Helen and Eric Goldschmidt, attended many Shaare Zedek dinners and concerts. Dr. Goldschmidt himself was honored by the American Committee in 2016 for his outstanding volunteer service in providing world-class cardiac care to the people of Jerusalem and beyond.
“I feel honored to be stepping into the role of president of this amazing institution,” Dr. Goldschmidt said. “It has been my privilege since 2016 to spend a month at Shaare Zedek each year, working with senior physicians and residents in the cardiology and emergency medicine departments. During my visits, I have had the opportunity to fully understand the ethos of this unique beacon for hope and healing. I believe that Shaare Zedek is one of the greatest providers of high-level medicine in a compassionate and supportive environment, making critical advancements in clinical care and research each day. I see it as my mission to get as many people as possible to visit the hospital so that together, we can help make Shaare Zedek even greater than it is today. After all, what better place is there for a cardiologist than the hospital with a heart!?”
Dr. Goldschmidt attended the Yeshiva of Central Queens and Yeshiva University High School in Manhattan and received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Columbia University. He trained in internal medicine and cardiology at Mount Sinai and is currently a senior cardiologist at The Cleveland Clinic Valley Heart & Vascular Institute in Ridgewood, New Jersey, sub-specializing in interventional echocardiography for diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of valvular heart disease. He is listed in the guide to “Top Doctors in the NY Metro Area,” and previously served as co-chair of the UJA-Federation Physicians Cabinet of Northern New Jersey.
Dr. Goldschmidt’s wife Debbie is an immigration lawyer in Manhattan. The Goldschmidts are the proud parents of Ari, Noah and Alyssa and Eli and grandparents of Eitan, Ezra, Lior and Ami.
