Who we are

In April 1997, Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Fried launched Bikur Vezras Cholim, an organization dedicated to assisting patients and families throughout the recovery process.

Hospitalization can be scary and overwhelming. Many patients (and their caretakers) arrive frightened at hospitals, and are unfamiliar with ensuing hospital procedures. Patients are unsure about how they will function after hospital discharge, and concerned about how they will find transporation to medical assessment centers, healthcare clinics and agencies.

And so, Bikur Vezras Cholim has built a network of volunteers, to transport, escort and support patients throughout the hospitalization and recovery process. Our team of dedicated individuals meets patients at hospitals, escorts them through the treatment process, visits them, provides cheerful entertainment and prayers, helping patients get well. See our 7-minute video.

Our team of medical experts advises patients on treatment options, support resources, and avenues for assistance. We offer free blood banks, medical equipment, cell phones for families, and medications on loan.

In addition, we attend to the toll that the hospitalization process plays not just on patients, but on their loved one at homes. Mothers, fathers, and spouses spend countless sleepless nights by the bedside of their family members. Hospitals focus on treating patients. We go one step further and provide support and assistance to loved ones at home. We provide volunteer babysitters and meals.

Using our own mass-scale kitchen, we prepare and deliver thousands of nutritious and delicious meals to hospital visitors, families, and anyone else in need. See how we helped Israel's residents of the North. We prepare holiday food packages too, and give strength to worn-out families with members undergoing medical treatment. Our extra support goes a long way in keeping families fit and able to care for their loved ones. Our meal distribution centers serve Israelis all over the country, including Jerusalem, Haifa, Tiberias, Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod.

We leverage our base of hundreds of dedicated volunteers to provide services to help people get well. For example, we utilize over one hundred and forty cars to provide free transportation to thousands of patients going to and from medical care facilities. Our ambulance and motorcycles provide Emergency Response units, delivering on-the-scene trauma relief. We are recognized by Israel’s Ministry of Health, and endorsed by major medical centers and world leaders. Our successful formula of care, dedication and hard work, enables us to address the needs of nearly every one in six Israelis. Our material costs are substantial, but our results are priceless. We rely on generous support from folks like you to enable us to function. Please take this opportunity to help someone in Israel get well today, by donating now.

HelpGetWell Founder & Malcolm Hoenlein