Israel Medical Association Journal

In this review, I described the development of the healthcare system in Theresienstadt during the Holocaust, from the establishment of the camp in late 1941 through 1945. Despite the horrific conditions, the Jews established a highly organized and relatively efficient system that was able to deliver excellent medical care to those eligible to receive care. The major factors that enabled development of the system included the heroic efforts of the high-level providers, the trust of patients, a public health approach to prevent epidemics and the perceived propaganda value of a good healthcare system to the Nazi oppressor. There were many challenges, particularly an informal triage policy that largely excluded medical care from the elderly (above age 60 years), mentally ill, and disabled. There were often difficult relations between caregivers related to ageism, gender, and national origin of the providers. Despite these adversities and the eventual futility due to the murder of the vast majority of the inhabitants, the Jews in Theresienstadt clung to life and tried their best to conduct a civilized society, in a large part through the delivery of excellent medical care.

The biblical story of Samson may be understood at various levels and from different perspectives. Since the story of Samson in the Bible is sketchily drawn, the interpretations of the narrative are numerous. One version, according to David Grossman, a contemporary writer and liberal Israeli political activist, regards Samson critically, viewing him as a tormented individual who opts to end his life in order to end his suffering. Another version is that of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a twentieth century author and nationalistic Jewish political activist, who regards Samson as a heroic figure exemplifying the ultimate Jewish hero who killed himself to help his people. While suicide is considered a tragic event, viewed as the outcome of an unstable state of mind from a psychopathological point of view, and a controversial issue in Judaism (as in other religions), there is value in examining how each of these authors explains the act. Since the personal and political opinions of the authors influenced their interpretations, the discussion will briefly expound on their biographies. A comparison between their two versions of the narrative will be made. A word of caution is introduced regarding the merits and demerits of artistic and creative analysis of the biblical narrative.