Alyn Hospital: 80 Years of Pediatric Rehabilitation

Founded as an orthopedic clinic in Jerusalem in 1929 and formally established as a hospital in 1934, ALYN Hospital became Israel’s pioneering center for pediatric rehabilitation. The hospital was created by Dr. Henry Keller, a Jewish-American orthopedic surgeon who believed that preventing lifelong disability required a holistic approach, combining medical care with education, social integration, and community support.
Keller split his life between New York and Jerusalem, using his U.S. earnings to fund free treatment, medical equipment, medications, education, and vocational training for underprivileged children of all faiths. At a time when such practices were uncommon, ALYN treated Jewish, Muslim, and Christian children alike.
The history of ALYN mirrors key chapters in Israel’s own story. During the 1948 War of Independence and again after the 1973 war, wounded soldiers were treated alongside disabled children. In the 1950s, the hospital cared for roughly 75 percent of the children affected by Israel’s polio epidemic.
Drawing on extensive archival research and original interviews, this book explores ALYN’s ongoing challenges, its evolving relationship with Israel’s healthcare system, and the development of pediatric rehabilitation medicine. The volume includes 39 rare, carefully restored photographs, many appearing here for the first time, and was published to commemorate ALYN Hospital’s 80th anniversary.

Itay Bahur is an author and publisher specializing in documentary and creative nonfiction, historical writing, and narrative-based research. His work bridges scholarly research and literary storytelling, with a strong emphasis on human experience and visual documentation. His books include Max (1996), Zero Percent (1998), A Cracked Bell (2005), Autumn in Tbilisi (with Hedva Rokach, 2013), and Schneider’s Children (2016).