Zvi Bentwich

The history of the fight against AIDS is deeply intertwined with the life of Prof. Zvi Bentwich—physician, researcher, and social activist. In 1982, he treated the first AIDS patient in Israel and later became one of the founders of AIDS treatment and research in the country.
He established an AIDS research institute and treatment center at Kaplan Medical Center, where he also served as head of an internal medicine department. He played a central role in founding Israel’s AIDS Task Force, shaping prevention and public education strategies, and developing treatments that enabled people living with HIV to have healthy children.
Prof. Bentwich is Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a specialist in internal medicine and immunology, and head of a Center for Tropical Diseases and AIDS at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In 2011, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to medical research and to Israel’s healthcare system, particularly in the fields of AIDS and cancer.
Beyond his clinical and academic work, he is widely recognized for his commitment to human rights, having served as Chair of Physicians for Human Rights and led medical–humanitarian projects in Africa.