Dr. Leo (Yehuda) Wolff was born in 1899 in Prussian Germany. In 1933, immediately after Hitler rose to power, he immigrated to Palestine with his wife and was sent by the Kupat Holim central office to Be’er Tuvia. For twenty full years, he served Be’er Tuvia and the surrounding area. In 1953, he moved to Kfar Hess and became the doctor for the Tel Mond bloc, a role he held until May 10, 1960ת the day he died of a heart attack in Tel Aviv, where he had gone to arrange a trip to Europe to visit his son, a renowned surgeon at a hospital in Switzerland. While walking down the street, he suddenly felt unwell and collapsed, passing away on the spot. He was buried in the cemetery of the Tel Mond bloc.
Dr. Wolff endeared himself to the members and residents of the village from the very first day he arrived. His dedication to seriously ill patients was beyond words. He would visit them without being called, on his own initiative, feeling deeply responsible for those under his care. He was especially strict with patients who failed to follow his orders to rest or stay in bed, knowing all too well that a moshav member might endanger his health out of necessity to care for animals or tend the orchard.
I recall a case where he ordered a member to remain in bed for three full weeks. Each day, he came to the man’s home to check if he was truly resting.
Once, during a visit to a sick member, he saw that the man needed to be washed. Dr. Wolff asked the man’s wife for a bowl of warm water and soap, removed his coat, undressed the patient, and washed him from head to toe.
On one occasion, a member asked him whether he was at risk of heart disease. Dr. Wolff replied, “I wish I had a heart as healthy as yours.” As a doctor, he knew full well the fragility of his own health—yet he continued to sacrifice himself for the sake of his patients.
When the bitter news of Dr. Wolff’s sudden passing reached our village, sorrow and mourning enveloped the entire community. We knew that in his death, we had lost a true friendת a physician who cared for the health of an entire village, who knew the medical condition of each and every member, and who was willing to give his life for the sake of others.
—Y. Ben-Zioni.