Yaros, Dr. Aryeh
Dr. Aryeh Yaros was the youngest of the generation of psychiatrists that lay the ground for the modern psychiatry in Israel. With this generation he worked to build a professional bridge between the tradition of psychiatry in Europe and this developed in the West and in israel.
He was elected first Chair of the Israel psychiatric society when it was reorganized in 1966.
Aryeh Yaros was born in the rural Har-Tuv. His father was among the first physicians that came to Palestine.
Aryeh Yaros studied in Tel Aviv, graduated from Herzelia gymnasium and started his medical education in the American University in Beirut in 1944. He continued in Lausanne Switzerland and graduated with the first class of the medical school, Hebrew University and Hadassa hospital.
Following two years of army service during the Independence war, he worked in Haddassa hospital and started his psychiatric internship in Talbiha psychiatric hospital in Jerusalem.
In 1962 Yaros joined Dr. Yehosua Baumatz, the Jerusalem district psychiatrist, and helped him establish and develop community services. They worked also ons legislation, supervising and liasing psychiatric hospitals and community institutes.
In 1964 Yaros was appointed district psychiatrist for Jerusalem and the South, added several community roles so as to establish in the district a pioneering model of mental health centers in the country.
This model included the first day care center for autistic children and rural sub-district services that developed as comprehensive mental health centers.
The various services, under his leadership, guidance and vision, were adapted to answer crisis situations. His infrastructure enabled “Eran” – first aid telephone service. During the Yom Kipur war the various services were available for the civil defense.
Dedication, humanity and courage characterized Dr. Yaros public life. He dealt relentlessly with establishing standards and ways of implementation of psychiatric change. Among other areas he was active with psychoanalytic
He was member of the scientific board of the medical association and it’s Ethic committee. He devoted a lot of time and energy to guide and supervise of social workers, pediatrics, psychologist and other professional that treat people. He cared foremost for the rights of the patients especially in the interface with courts and probation officers.
Dr. Yaros wrote a lot on subjects having to do with community services, and was among the editors of a book on children and families in Israel. He represented Israel in the UN Word Federation for Mental Health W.F.M.H. and in conference in Israel and abroad.
After his death his family and colleagues edited a first book on the topics of social, community and legal psychiatry in Israel, which includes a collection of his article, representing his wide perspective, his experience, as well as the depth of his thinking and the originality his contributions to psychiatry in Israel.
The topics of community treatment and human right were of outmost importance to Dr. Yaros . The family established in light of his legacy a grant foundation, on his name, with the aim to encourage community work, research and social involvement.
The Governmental community Mental health outpatient clinic in South Jerusalem was named after him.