Posted on 09/25/25
In the early 1950s, when David Ben-Gurion encouraged the Hadassah Women’s Organization to build their new hospital in Ein Kerem, many thought the idea was detached from reality. The site was a quiet hillside on the outskirts of Jerusalem – remote, difficult to reach, and far from the city’s population. Building a major medical facility there felt impractical, even risky.
But Ben-Gurion, then Israel’s first Prime Minister, urged them to think beyond the present. “One day, this hospital will be in the middle of town,” he predicted. At the time, that seemed farfetched. Today, it sounds remarkably prescient.
Jerusalem in those early years was a divided city, cut off at its eastern edge by the Jordanian border. Expansion felt like a distant dream. Yet Ben-Gurion believed that the future of the city – and the country – required bold steps. His resolve and long-range thinking proved pivotal.
A well-known anecdote from Ben Gurion’s encounter with Hadassah’s leadership underscores his bold vision for the nation’s capital. When one exasperated board member protested, “It’s simply too far. No one will come!” Ben-Gurion calmly replied, “Then we will bring the people to it.” He reportedly took a napkin and began sketching a vision: roads, schools, homes – an entire neighborhood rising around the hospital.
Those sketches were the first draft of a grand plan that, over time, came to life.
Today, Hadassah Ein Kerem is not only a world-class hospital, but also part of a vibrant network of neighborhoods, which includes Kiryat HaYovel, Kiryat Menachem, and Bayit Vegan. Once an isolated hilltop, it now lies within Jerusalem’s expanding footprint.
Ben-Gurion had many ambitious visions for the country, and not all were met with agreement. But in this case, his insistence on building for the future was on target and helped shape a city that needed to grow.
Jerusalem continues to evolve – and once again, transportation is playing a critical role. The Light Rail system, which began as a modest city-center project, is now reaching new neighborhoods and reshaping daily life. The extended lines are bringing communities like Pisgat Ze’ev, the new Givat Hamatos - and yes, also Ein Kerem - closer to the city’s core.
Neighborhoods once considered “too far” are now well within reach – encouraging housing development, retail expansion, and renewed investment. Just as Hadassah Ein Kerem once drove growth beyond the city’s edge, the Light Rail is now guiding the next chapter of expansion.
But this trend isn’t limited to Jerusalem. As Israel’s population is projected to double in the coming decades, the country faces enormous pressure to create new housing and employment hubs. The Negev and southern coastal plain – long overlooked – are emerging as strategic growth zones. And once again, the train is at the heart of the solution.
High-speed rail lines are connecting Be’er Sheva, Ashkelon, Kiryat Gat, and beyond to central Israel. Around these stations, new residential neighborhoods, university campuses, and tech parks are taking shape – poised to propel Israel’s next wave of expansion. The same principle that guided Ein Kerem is playing out on a national scale: build the infrastructure first, and the people will follow.
The story of Hadassah Ein Kerem is an early example of how long-term planning and a willingness to take risks can pay off – not only from a medical standpoint, but from a city-building perspective. As Jerusalem and the country continue to expand, the hospital on the hill stands as testimony to what can happen when we build not only for today, but for generations to come.
As my business partner Eliezer Goldberg – whose expertise in Jerusalem zoning and development is unmatched – recently noted, the classic mantra ‘location, location, location’ may well be giving way to a new one: ‘transportation, transportation, transportation.’
In the spirit of Ben-Gurion and Hadassah, we wish you a Shana Tova – a year filled with vision, progress, and blessing.
Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@gmail.com.