Category: Hard Rock Events

Gene Simmons, founding member of the hard rock band, KISS, returned to his roots at the Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel. Sixty one years ago, in 1949, Simmons, named Chaim Witz, was born at the Haifa hospital to a couple from Tirat HaCarmel. When Chaim was eight, he immigrated with his mother to the USA, and there became Gene Simmons. In the 1970’s he created the band KISS, and served primarily as the group’s bass player. During his career, Simmons added the titles ‘singer’, ‘songwriter’, ‘musical producer’, ‘entrepreneur’ and ‘actor’ to his resume. Simmons is the long-time partner of the well-known actress Shannon Tweed, with whom he has two children. He came to Israel with his family in March to film an episode of his reality series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels”. During his visit to Rambam, Simmons toured the hospital in which he was born, accompanied by his entourage. The tour, led by Prof. Rafi Beyar, Chief Executive Officer and Director General of the hospital, began opposite the new emergency room, Israel’s first emergency medical facility fortified against conventional and chemical warfare, where the singer was briefed on events of the Second Lebanon War. The singer asked to visit the site of his birth, and recalled that at the age of three, he returned to Rambam after contracting polio. His only memory of his hospitalization is looking out at the sea and the ancient sea wall. He was visibly excited to take in the very same view, while standing in the …
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