As Israel continues to face a shortage of medical professionals, Nefesh B'Nefesh is expanding its efforts to encourage Jewish physicians from around the world to make aliyah and join the country's healthcare system.
Speaking at the MedEx event in New Jersey, Nefesh B'Nefesh Co-Founder and Executive Director Rabbi Yehoshua Fass said the initiative is a direct response to a government request to increase the number of doctors immigrating to Israel.
"We've always held MedEx events in New Jersey, bringing approximately 80 to 90 doctors a year to Israel," Rabbi Fass explained. "The government came to us and said, 'We have a medical shortage. We need 2,000 physicians brought to Israel from around the world.'"
MedEx, a joint initiative that helps physicians navigate the aliyah and licensing process while connecting them with potential employers, has since expanded beyond New Jersey to locations across the globe.
"We duplicated the New Jersey MedEx model throughout the world," Rabbi Fass said. "Whether in Argentina, Paris, London, or back here in New Jersey, we're seeing tremendous excitement, enthusiasm, and interest from medical professionals considering aliyah."
According to Rabbi Fass, the goal is to ensure that physicians arrive in Israel prepared to begin working as quickly as possible.
"The dream is that they know they have a job prospect, that their license is taken care of, and that they can hit the ground running," he said. "The moment they receive their Israeli ID number, their license can go into effect."
The initiative also seeks to address challenges that have historically discouraged medical professionals from making aliyah. In the past, lengthy licensing procedures often forced new immigrants to wait many months before being able to practice medicine in Israel.
"You would land, want to contribute, and then spend close to a year waiting to complete the process," Rabbi Fass noted. "Today, within four or five days, physicians can have a license in hand and begin working."
Rabbi Fass acknowledged that some physicians may continue to travel abroad periodically for temporary positions, but emphasized that the primary objective is to establish their professional careers in Israel.
"Israel needs that bolstering of medical professionals from the US," he said. "The goal is to build the anchor of their medical professional life and career in Israel."
To encourage doctors to work in areas where the need is greatest, significant financial incentives are being offered to physicians who relocate to Israel's northern and southern regions.
Rabbi Fass noted that grants worth hundreds of thousands of shekels are available to help physicians repay medical school loans while strengthening healthcare services in the country's periphery.
Describing the effort as a modern-day pioneering endeavor, he expressed hope that the incentives and streamlined licensing process would attract many additional physicians in the coming years.
Concluding with a message to medical professionals considering aliyah, Rabbi Fass said: "It is possible. You're wanted. You're needed."
MedEx is part of a broader national program led by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Negev, the Galilee and National Resilience and the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization in cooperation with the Jewish Agency.