The Jerusalem Municipality is expected to hold its annual "Yakir Yerushalayim" (also known as Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award ceremony on Wednesday, honoring 14 outstanding Jerusalem residents.
Among those honored will be Dr. Mahmoud Huleihel, a senior physician in the field of ophthalmology. He will be the fifth Arab Jerusalem resident to receive the award in the last 20 years. Walla reported that only 1.8% of all past recipients of this prestigious award have been Arab, even though approximately 40% of Jerusalem's residents are Arab.
In the last five years, according to Walla, only 4.5% of recipients were Arab, and only one was a resident of east Jerusalem.
To qualify for the award, a person must have made a significant contribution to the welfare of the city of Jerusalem, and be at least 65 years of age. According to the municipality's website, an award recipient is someone who has made a long-lasting positive impact on the city in the realm of education, culture, public life, community building, volunteerism, research and academia, or religion.
The accomplishments of Dr. Mahmoud Huleihel
Dr. Huleihel was born and raised in the village of Akbara in northern Israel. He studied biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and went on to study medicine at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. After working as a nurse and eventually becoming a certified medical doctor, Dr. Huleihel spent time serving Bedouin communities that did not have access to medical clinics or even electricity and running water.
When he came to Jerusalem, he began specializing in ophthalmology and optical surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. He continued his specialization qualifications at the Montefiore Hospital in New York, bringing his newfound knowledge back to Israel and establishing new methods for treating eye diseases that he had learned in the United States.
Returning to Israel, Dr. Huleihel worked first at Hadassah-University Medical Center and then at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he spent 34 years. He also worked in clinics and operating rooms across the country and became a top-tier, well-known ophthalmological consultant and medical practitioner. He opened a private clinic in Jerusalem where he has continued his practice after retirement.
Throughout his decades practicing medicine, he has frequently provided free treatment to those unable to pay.