MASHAV, celebrating 40 years of activity in 1998, looks back at some of
the individuals whose dedication to development and the community of the
people of the world we cherish.
In 1961, Dr. Dan Hertz, Professor of Psychiatry at the Hebrew
University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, and his wife, Dr.
Judith Hertz, a paediatrician, accompanied by their two small children,
arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, from Israel for a three-year, long-term
mission, sponsored by MASHAV and the World Health Organization.
Dr. Dan Hertz's assignment was to direct Liberia's first psychiatric
hospital, the Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Centre for the Mentally
Ill, later called the Liberian Psychiatric Hospital. He added a
treatment unit for acute emotional disturbances, a new out-patient
clinic, a prison visiting service and a school guidance program. Dan
Hertz introduced group therapy to four West African countries (Liberia,
Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast) and taught his staff
psychotherapeutic techniques. For his work in mental health Liberian
President Tubman awarded him the Star of Africa.
Today Dan Hertz, now Professor Emeritus, continues to teach and practise
psychiatry.
Judith Hertz, who passed away last year after a distinguished career as
Chief Paediatrician for Kupat Holim (Israel's largest sick fund),
established Liberia's first well-baby clinic. We reprint here the
citation she received from William V. S. Tubman, President of the
Republic of Liberia at that time.
Citation Dr. Judith Hertz
For services rendered the people of Liberia in the establishment of the
Well-Baby Clinic sponsored jointly by the National Red Cross Society;
the opening of a Division for examination, diagnosis and treatment of
children from birth to six years of age; and your contribution to
improving the health condition of the children of Liberia by initiating
vaccination against tuberculosis, tetanus, diphtheria, polio and other
communicable diseases among infants;
For your great concern for the welfare of the children of this community
to the extent of accompanying and working with nurses during their
assignments outside the office and clinic especially when distributing
food to underfed babies and mothers;
Because of your diligence and efforts to get more mothers to bring their
children to the Clinic by holding conferences with them and recommending
suitable diets for infants; thus you have been instrumental in reducing
the infant mortality rate in this community.