Dr. Victor Dishy
EDWARD KONIGSBERG MEMORIAL AWARD
Victor Dishy was born in Beirut, Lebanon, where a small but ancient Jewish community once existed. After the Six-Day War, his family made Aliyah and Victor grew up in Israel, where he graduated from the Sackler School of Medicine of Tel Aviv University. After five years of service in the IDF as a medical officer, he completed his residency and fellowship in internal medicine and nephrology at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, near Rishon LeZion, and married his wife Gila.
Victor’s first extended stay in the United States took him to Nashville, for a three-year fellowship in clinical pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. While in Nashville, Victor and his young family were adopted by the Kaplans, the parents and siblings of longtime CIS member Debbie Rosenwein. The Kaplans’ kindness, warmth and friendship made an indelible impression; so, it came as no surprise that after resuming his clinical and academic career in Israel, Victor elected to move his family to Springfield when he was offered a position in pharmaceutical development at Merck 17 years ago. He went on to a similar position with Daiichi Sankyo, a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Presently, Victor serves as the Senior Director of Translational & Experimental Medicine, and clinical leader in the cardiovascular and metabolic disease area, at Janssen, the pharmaceutical division of Johnson & Johnson. He also maintains his connection to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center by returning periodically as a guest clinician and instructor, most recently in December.
In addition to science, the study of Tanach is also one of Victor’s primary passions, thanks to the influence and insights of his grandfather Eliyahu Levi z”l and two amazing Tanach teachers with whom he learned during middle school and high school. Victor is now an active participant in CIS’s Semichat Chaver Program, or SCP, and he regularly attends and is a frequent contributor to Rabbi Marcus’ Shabbat afternoon Navi shiur. A constant, amiable presence at the daily 7AM Minyan and the Main Minyanim on Shabbat, Victor also serves as a member of the Shul’s health committee, providing invaluable expertise and advice; and for several years he co-edited the CIS Yizkor book with fellow member Dr. Paul Weissman.
Victor also enjoys a L’Chaim with the CIS Kiddush Club on Shabbat, where he has introduced the group to the Japanese whiskeys, he encountered on his travels to Daiichi Sankyo headquarters.
Victor and Gila, a life coach, are the proud parents of Danielle, an artist; Raphael, who specializes in audio systems installation; and Liam, a college student. Both Raphael and Liam became B’nei Mitzvah at CIS, and the family views our Shul as their spiritual home.