We headed downtown in search of Dr Chaim Kobrin’s clinic which was located on Hagalil street. We kept walking back and forth along this busy street but we could not find the exact location since the entire area has been renovated. We were about to give up, but we decided to try and see if someone in one of the stores along the street might remember the clinic.

By intuition, we entered a random clothes store. Sitting inside was an elderly man, half asleep holding a newspaper. He opened his eyes when we entered the store, got up from his chair and said: “Kobrin?”

My father was totally surprised and asked him “Yes, how do you know”? The store owner said that he immediately recognised him. Apparently he was the brother of Chaim Kobrin’s hairdresser and his store was just next door to the clinic. He remembered Dr Chaim Kobrin and even knew where he lived. He pointed us towards where the clinic used to be.

“Over there, next to the hairdresser, it used to be just over there”.

The store owner who recognised Isaac Kobrin.

The moment we stood outside the place where we were directed to, we realised it was the right entrance. How amazing it felt and how stunned we still were, that of all the stores we entered, the one person we came to knew who Dr. Kobrin was!

The place was completely different and unrecognisable. No wonder we passed by it as we walked along the street earlier. We walked up a set of narrow stairs towards two closed doors. The clinic owned by Dr Chaim Kobrin now looked like a neglected storage room and something that looked like an abandoned office.

My father could still remember the entrance to the large waiting room inside the clinic, which lead to Chaim Kobrin’s examining room. He was very proud of this clinic – it was his kingdom. He used to step out of the clinic feeling proud as everyone greeted him in the street, talked to him and showed their respect. As a child, my father frequently visited the clinic after school hours, enjoying talking to the patients in the waiting room and to the nurse Avigail. Sometimes he was allowed to enter the examining room where his father showed him what he was doing.

The clinic at Hagalil street was visited by people of all religions, from secular to ultra religious Jews, tourists, Arab people from the villages around the city, and people from all over the country and abroad who came to the famous Tiberias hot springs near the Kineret lake.

Dr Chaim Kobrin always dressed up for work with a suit, a tie and a hat - European style, even during the heat of the Tveria summer, which could reach above 40 degrees Celsius. He always carried a wide heavy black leather bag with him, which contained his medical instruments.

On Friday afternoons Dr Kobrin closed the clinic earlier and would walk together with my father to the local down town market to buy fish for the weekend, while everyone wished him a happy weekend “Shabat Shalom”.

Some days patients used to come over to their home in Kiryat Shmuel for urgent visits. He always greeted them at the entrance of the house with a smile and a warm handshake, and sometimes with a hug. Among the patients who came after the clinic hours were many local Arab residents who used to come with their whole family, as it was part of their tradition. They had a lot of respect for the doctor from Tveria who also spoke Arabic; they trusted him completely.

Many times Dr Kobrin had to go for urgent cases to see patients at home, in hotels or in the surrounding villages, even at night. Sometimes my father would join him on these house visits, as he was curious to see what he was doing. Every time they were welcomed with respect and friendly hospitality. Dr Kobrin was completely dedicated to his job, no matter at what time or day. The patients were always his top priority as he loved his job dearly.

The name “Dr Kobrin” was well known from near and far. Not only was he the family doctor of many people in Tveria, he was also the doctor of the adored local soccer team “Hapoel Tveria”.

Avigail, the clinic nurse of Dr Kobrin, worked with him in the clinic for 36 years, since he came to Tveria in 1947. She was hired by him when she was quite young, about 18 year old. He taught her how to become a nurse and care for the patients by showing her how to take care of wounds, connect the ECGs, give injections, etc. She grew up under his supervision, care and guidance and was totally dedicated to her work and to him. She accepted the patients when they came to the clinic and accompanied them when they entered the examining room. She taught Chaim Kobrin how to speak Arabic, in addition to the lessons he received.

After Dr Chaim Kobrin’s death in 1983 the family lost touch with Avigail. My father decided to search for her and see if she remembered stories about her time working for Dr Kobrin in Tiberias (Tveria). He searched for Avigail in the telephone book and found her name and address. He called the listed number several times, but there was no response. At a certain stage the line was disconnected. These days she should be around 90 year old. Where could she be? Was she still alive?

The search continues…

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