In a moving gesture by her family, the Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders at Reuth TLV Rehabilitation Hospital will be named after Efrat Tzuk, one of the institute’s veteran staff members, who passed away several months ago. This is made possible thanks to a $100,000 donation from her family to preserve and commemorate her legacy.
Efrat Tzuk was one of the institute’s most veteran professionals and served as its Chief Dietitian.
The hospital’s Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders is among the leading centers in Israel for the treatment of the population over age 18, and specializes in various types of eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, within the framework of intensive day treatment or outpatient care. The institute offers a multidisciplinary umbrella of care that includes, among other things, nutritional monitoring and treatment, close nursing support, psychiatric treatment, psychological treatment, dietitian-led group therapy, and psychotherapy.
The moving unveiling ceremony was attended by representatives of the hospital’s management and the Reuth Association, the institute’s staff, her family, and those who cherish her memory. During the event, remarks in her memory were delivered by her team colleagues, her family, and management representatives.
Erez Tzuk, Efrat’s husband, shared: “There are moments for which it is hard to find words, and one such moment is when a person’s name becomes a sign on a wall — a permanent mark that will remain. I want to thank the Reuth Association, the hospital, and the institute’s staff for seeing fit to honor her and us in this way. I know how much she loved this place and how strongly she believed in its mission. I hope that her name on the wall will remind everyone that there is a history of compassion here that continues on”.
Dr. Orit Stein Reisner, Director of the Hospital, said: “Efrat was a dominant, influential force in shaping both the institute’s professional direction and its family-like character. In our meetings, I was struck by her deep familiarity with every patient and by her rare degree of care. The workplace was a significant part of who she was, and she led groundbreaking therapeutic initiatives”.
Ido Sharir, CEO of the Reuth Association, said: “The hospital is focused on giving and acting for the sake of others at the most critical junctures of their lives. The Tzuk family’s decision to commemorate Efrat in this way is deeply meaningful, and it strengthens our connection as an organization to our employees and their families. Efrat’s memory will continue to accompany us going forward, and we thank her family for this deeply moving choice”.
Amir Zendakovich, Director of the Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders and Head of the Psychological Services Division, spoke about how much Efrat is missed: “We miss Efrat. She was an outstanding professional — sharp, incisive, with a deep sense of belonging and responsibility toward the team, and above all, sound common sense. For her, teamwork and therapeutic work were an extension of parental responsibility, compassion, boundaries, and genuine care. Our patients could not have changed their lives without this. To me, she was a friend and a partner, and everything I learned from her and with her stays with me every day. Our patients feel at home here, and that is exactly what she wanted — and she succeeded”.
Pictured: Erez Tzuk (left) alongside the hospital director and the director of the Eating Disorders Treatment Institute at the unveiling ceremony.
Photo: Ilya Ryabkov
