Throughout his professional career, Dr. Bernard Kabakow has influenced and touched the lives of thousands of people from all walks of life. His patients have included Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, artists such as Bob Dylan, followers of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and thousands of men and women from all kinds of backgrounds. He is noted for his personal concern, kindness and interest in all of his patients.
Recently, Phyllis Gil-Ad, a tour guide whom he had treated for cancer 34 years ago came to pay him a visit in Protea Hills in Shoresh where he resides. Phyllis discovered him through a Zoom session he spoke at in memory of a colleague. She came to visit Kabakow, who was a good friend back then, and to say thank you for giving her 34 years of life. She gave him 34 Hershey’s kisses (that I’m sure he shared with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren), one for each of those years. It is only one example of the gift of life that Dr. Kabakow has given so many of his patients throughout his years of practice as an oncologist and internal medicine specialist.
Raised in New York City, Kabakow completed his graduate studies at Harvard University and then did his medical training at the University of Vermont Medical School. In addition to his private medical practice, he served as the chief of Oncology at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City as well as professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In an interview he granted several years ago to Jewbalation, he was asked why he chose the field of oncology as his specialty, and he replied that he was greatly influenced in his career choice by a renowned oncologist when he was doing his fellowship in 1957.
“Back then,” Kabakow explained, “there were only about five or six treatments for cancer. In contrast, today there are over 250 different ones.” And when asked what gave him the most pleasure in treating his patients he said: “it was the ability to grant my patients a better quality of life, and in many cases even a cure for their illness.”
On one occasion, the great Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (of blessed memory) came to his office in New York for an examination, accompanied by one of his students. After being informed that Reb Moshe was waiting along with all of the other patients, Kabakow came out of his room and wanted to treat him before the others. According to the story, Reb Moshe absolutely refused any special treatment, preferring to “wait his turn while learning Torah.”
In the 1960s, Kabakow was treating the wife of one of the followers of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He treated men and women alike from all walks of life, always giving his professional best and personal care to all. After hearing about the special way Kabakow had treated her, he received a personal and incredibly beautiful letter from the Rebbe. Shlomo, one of Bernard’s six children (four live here in Israel and two in the States) sent me a copy of the letter. It is a reflection of the greatness of a truly caring doctor:
Greetings and Blessings,
I was pleased to receive regards from you through Rabbi K. Romanoff, and I was particularly gratified to hear from him about the kind personal interest which you have taken in the condition of his wife. It is surely unnecessary to emphasize to you the very important effect of a doctor’s personal attitude towards a patient, especially where the patient happens to be a woman in advanced years.
May God, who is the “Healer of all flesh, who works wondrously,” grant you abiding success in your vocation as physician whose function it is to heal, until such time when sickness and disease will be no more. Then physicians will be able to concentrate their efforts on preventive medicine. This is, indeed, the ideal function of medical science…”
With blessings, M. Schneerson
In addition to being an eminent oncologist, Kabakow and his late wife Ceil were extremely active in working on behalf of freeing Soviet Jews. He and his wife made several trips to Russia, both bringing ritual items (tefillin and siddurim), and educating Russian oncologists. The first fundraiser for the Shvut Ami (which assists Israeli immigrants from the Soviet Union) organization was held in their home!
When Kabakow retired from practice about 15 years ago, he dedicated all of his time to visiting family here in Israel and in the States. He officially became an oleh 10 years ago, spending time traveling between Modi’in and Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion). Recently, he had an important part in a shiduch between his granddaughter Binah Bracha and her husband. During the corona epidemic, Zeidi (as the grandchildren lovingly call him) was living in Shoresh and Binah decided that she would go and take care of him there. But she had to be in isolation for two weeks and then be tested, and she did exactly that! When she went to Shoresh to take care of her beloved grandfather, she happened to meet a young man and as things turned out they fell in love and got married last year. ■
After this article was submitted, Dr. Kabakow sadly passed away May 27. He is mourned by his beloved family and all who knew him.
DR. BERNARD KABAKOW, 94
FROM NEW YORK TO SHORESH, 2011