Michael and Kathy Dowling	Richard and Candice Goldstein
Judy and William Hiltz
Jean and Ralph Baruch
Iris and Saul Katz	Jon Corzine and Sharon Elghanayan
Karl Wellner and Deborah Norville

LENOX HILL HOSPITAL
Marking Historic Merger
With Long Island Jewish

Story and Photos by Tim Boxer

T

HREE years ago Lenox Hill Hospital was celebrating its 150 years of medical service on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In November some 900 well-heeled Lenox Hill Hospital supporters gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria to salute another milestone — their merger with North Shore Long Island Jewish Health Systems.

"We are looking forward to a new day!" exclaimed William O. Hiltz, executive committee chairman of Lenox Hill. "We are opening a medical school at Hofstra University, and we will be hiring 250 people."

Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO of North Shore LIJ, said this will be the first medical school in New York State in 35 years. He expects to open in summer 2011.

Richard Goldstein, chairman of North Shore LIJ, welcomed the partnership enthusiastically: "My athletic prowess has never been better since I had my surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital."

"With Lenox Hill as our Manhattan flagship, North Shore LIJ is now the largest integrated health care provider in New York State and second largest in the country."

The 652-bed Lenox Hill Hospital was founded as the German Dispensary in 1857 by Abraham Jacobi, often referred to as "the father of American pediatrics," and Ernst Krackowizer.

The Jewish Encyclopedia credits Jacobi with the invention of the laryngoscope and as one of the first Americans to use the diphtheria anti-toxin. Krackowizer is noted for being the first in Vienna to experiment on himself to get the effect of chloroform.

It was "Play ball!" as baseball rivalries were put aside in support of the hospital merger. For among the Lenox Hill Hospital dinner co-chairs were Daniel M. Crown, president of Crown Theaters and minority owner of the New York Yankees, and benefit committee member Saul B. Katz, president of the New York Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones.

The Brooklyn-born Katz, head of Sterling Equities, has proudly owned the Mets baseball team for 31 years.

Katz is a Brooklyn native. His family, he related, came from Zlotchev, outside Lvov in Poland. He said that when his mother was asked whether she came from Poland or Russia, she’d say, "Depends on whether the Cossacks were coming or going." The name of the town changed with the whims of history. It was called Zloczow in Poland, Zolochev in Russia and Zolochiev in Ukraine.

Jon Corzine, former governor of New Jersey and now chairman/CEO of MF Global, was also in a celebratory mood at the dinner. He introduced his fiancée, Sharon Elghanayan. They married at the Corzine home in Hoboken later that month.

The bride is a psychotherapist. I asked if Corzine is a patient. She said no but he said, "She keeps me out of trouble."