Hadassah Hospital Hid Illegal $370M Deficit From Public — Report
Image by Getty Images
The Hadassah Medical Organization hid its illegal 2014 deficit from the public, government agencies and its creditors, an investigation has found.
Separately, Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has been asked to look at irregularities dating back decades.
On the deficit front, Army Radio in an investigative report put the shortfall at $370 million — an amount that violated its corporate guidelines and broke Israeli law for nongovernmental organizations.
Hadassah accountants said in a letter to Israel’s NGO registar’s office in September that the economic situation at Hadassah “raises serious doubts as to whether the hospital can continue to operate.” But Hadassah delayed turning the letter over to the office.
The chair of the Hadassah board of directors, Erez Meltzer, told Army Radio that it had “inaccurate information” and that the hospital did turn over the letter, but the registar’s office delayed making it public. He also told Army Radio that the hospital is in no danger of closing.
Meanwhile, the Calcalist business newspaper reported Tuesday that Israel’s state comptroller has recommended that Weinstein launch an investigation into the withdrawal of funds by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, from the Hadassah Medical Association in the 1990s.
The women’s organization denied the charges, according to Calcalist, and pointed out that the comptroller, Joseph Shapira, never contacted the organization to gather information before making his recommendation.
The organization also pointed out that in the 25 years since the alleged withdrawals, it has given “hundreds of millions of dollars beyond that to the hospital.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
