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At age 36, Liba Ofer, a mother of eight who had already studied law, decided to become a nurse. It was an unfulfilled childhood dream, and despite the challenges of going back to school with a house full of youngsters, she decided to go for it. Today, at 43, she is a nurse in the Vascular Surgery Department at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
Ofer was accepted to a special track at the Henrietta Szold Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Nursing. The program was created by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, in the 1990s for immigrants from the former Soviet Union who needed to change professions after beginning new lives in Israel.
She lives in Hebron, about an hour from Jerusalem, but the commute did not deter her.
Ofer’s first practical nursing experience came during the COVID-19 pandemic. While still a student, she worked in HMO’s innovative COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, the first coronavirus department to allow volunteers and family visits.
Currently, Ofer is completing an advanced course in diabetes.
“Many patients in our department suffer from diabetes, so it gives me the knowledge and ability to advise them and understand them better,” she said.
Ofer made aliyah with her family from Leningrad, Russia, when she was seven. Because of her nursing skills and knowledge of Russian, she volunteered to take part in the Hadassah Medical Organization’s 2022 medical relief delegation for Ukrainian refugees. Working with the HMO team on the Polish border, she cared for refugees by dressing injuries, administering medication and performing ultrasound examinations.
One memory remains especially emotional for her.
“A woman who was gravely ill with cancer was lying on a mattress unable to function, with her two young children by her side,” Ofer recalled. “We found a place that would care for her.”
Her care for others extends well beyond the hospital. During the war, while her husband and oldest son were serving on active reserve duty, Ofer supported two hostage families: the Mor family, whose son Eitan was released from Gaza captivity in October 2025, and the Libman family, whose son Elyakim was murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7.
Recently, Ofer received a scholarship provided by Hadassah’s dedicated endowment funds at a ceremony at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem. The scholarship was awarded in memory of Master Sgt. Eyal Meir Berkowitz, who was killed in the Gaza Strip during a mission to recover hostages in December 2023. His widow, Michal Berkowitz, is a nurse in the Hematology Department at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
Receiving a scholarship in memory of a soldier was deeply moving, Ofer said.
“I always wanted to be a nurse. I’m so fortunate that I’ve achieved this,” she said. “I love what I do, and Hadassah is really like a family. I feel at home whenever I step in the doors.”
