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Coordinates: 31°47′11.31″N 35°10′40.92″E / 31.7864750°N 35.1780333°E / 31.7864750; 35.1780333
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{{see|Deir Yassin|Deir Yassin massacre}}
{{see|Deir Yassin|Deir Yassin massacre}}
[[File:Remains of Deir Yassin (1).jpg|left|thumb|200px|Part of the village of [[Deir Yassin]] within the hospital grounds]]
[[File:Remains of Deir Yassin (1).jpg|left|thumb|200px|Part of the village of [[Deir Yassin]] within the hospital grounds]]
The hospital stands on the site of the former [[Palestine|Palestinian]]-Arab village of Deir Yassin, where 107 villagers were killed on April 9, 1948 by fighters from two militant [[Zionism|Zionist]] groups, the [[Irgun]] and the [[Lehi (group)|Lehi]].<ref name=Ettinger>Ettinger, Yair. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=282499&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y Deir Yassin massacre, 55 years on], April 10, 2003.</ref>
The hospital stands on the site of the former [[Palestine|Palestinian]]-Arab village of Deir Yassin, where an unknown number of villagers were killed on April 9, 1948 by fighters from two militant [[Zionism|Zionist]] groups, the [[Irgun]] and the [[Lehi (group)|Lehi]].<ref name=Ettinger>Ettinger, Yair. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=282499&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y Deir Yassin massacre, 55 years on], April 10, 2003.</ref>


Construction of the mental health facility began in 1951, using the villagers' houses and the village school. It housed a [[therapeutic community]] of around 300 patients<ref>''Progress in Psychotherapy'', American Psychiatric Association, Grune & Stratton, 1949.</ref> who spent almost all their time outdoors, and was called the Kfar Shaul Government Work Village for Mental Patients.<ref>Khalidi 1992, p. 292.</ref><ref>The Israel Annals of Psychiatry and Related Disciplines], Jerusalem Academic Press, Israel Psychiatric Association, 1972.</ref><ref>[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=341600202419569830&hl=en Deir Yassin Remembered], video showing scenes of the village's houses inside the hospital, and the village's cemetery, produced by ''Deir Yassin Remembered''.</ref><ref>Hodgkins 1998, p. 109.</ref>
Construction of the mental health facility began in 1951, using the villagers' houses and the village school. It housed a [[therapeutic community]] of around 300 patients<ref>''Progress in Psychotherapy'', American Psychiatric Association, Grune & Stratton, 1949.</ref> who spent almost all their time outdoors, and was called the Kfar Shaul Government Work Village for Mental Patients.<ref>Khalidi 1992, p. 292.</ref><ref>The Israel Annals of Psychiatry and Related Disciplines], Jerusalem Academic Press, Israel Psychiatric Association, 1972.</ref><ref>[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=341600202419569830&hl=en Deir Yassin Remembered], video showing scenes of the village's houses inside the hospital, and the village's cemetery, produced by ''Deir Yassin Remembered''.</ref><ref>Hodgkins 1998, p. 109.</ref>

Revision as of 23:18, 18 June 2009

The Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center, Jerusalem

The Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center, built in 1951, is a public psychiatric hospital in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, Israel. It is affiliated with the Hadassah Medical Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[1] The hospital is Jerusalem's designated psychiatric hospital for tourists who display mental health disturbances, and is widely known for its research on Jerusalem Syndrome.[2]

The hospital is also known for being built around the intact Palestinian village of Deir Yassin, which was depopulated by Jewish forces in April 1948, one month before the creation of the state of Israel.[3]

History

Part of the village of Deir Yassin within the hospital grounds

The hospital stands on the site of the former Palestinian-Arab village of Deir Yassin, where an unknown number of villagers were killed on April 9, 1948 by fighters from two militant Zionist groups, the Irgun and the Lehi.[3]

Construction of the mental health facility began in 1951, using the villagers' houses and the village school. It housed a therapeutic community of around 300 patients[4] who spent almost all their time outdoors, and was called the Kfar Shaul Government Work Village for Mental Patients.[5][6][7][8]

Every year since 2003, the Israeli organization Zochrot has arranged a memorial service on April 9 outside the hospital fence. The hospital grounds are closed to the public, including to the refugees and their families.[9]

Jerusalem Syndrome

The hospital is also known for its association with Jerusalem Syndrome, a condition in which the sufferer is gripped by religious delusions, thinking himself Jesus or that he holds the key to world peace. The syndrome was first diagnosed in 1993 by Dr Yair Bar-El, a former director of the hospital, which has become a kind of "holding pen" for sufferers, according to Time.[10][11] The New York Times reports that 50-200 tourists are overwhelmed every year by the religious significance of the city, and are driven mad by it. "For many it is a short trip," the Times notes.[12]

Around half the sufferers are from North America, and usually the U.S., with the rest from Western Europe; half are Jews and half Christians.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ For example, as a source for the location, G. Katz 2002.
  2. ^ The Jerusalem Syndrome
  3. ^ a b Ettinger, Yair. Deir Yassin massacre, 55 years on, April 10, 2003.
  4. ^ Progress in Psychotherapy, American Psychiatric Association, Grune & Stratton, 1949.
  5. ^ Khalidi 1992, p. 292.
  6. ^ The Israel Annals of Psychiatry and Related Disciplines], Jerusalem Academic Press, Israel Psychiatric Association, 1972.
  7. ^ Deir Yassin Remembered, video showing scenes of the village's houses inside the hospital, and the village's cemetery, produced by Deir Yassin Remembered.
  8. ^ Hodgkins 1998, p. 109.
  9. ^ List of Zochrot visits, Zochrot, accessed June 14, 2009.
  10. ^ Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2003.
  11. ^ a b Beyer 1995
  12. ^ Haberman 1992.

References

Further reading

  • McGowan, Daniel and Ellis, Marc. (eds) (1998). Remembering Deir Yassin: The Future of Israel and Palestine. Interlink Publishing Group.
  • Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press.
  • Zochrot. Remembering Deir Yassin, 2006.

31°47′11.31″N 35°10′40.92″E / 31.7864750°N 35.1780333°E / 31.7864750; 35.1780333