Job fair for medics attracts more than 100 doctors
Those seeking to make aliyah in next two years helped by dedicated employment and absorption programme
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
More than 100 doctors from all over the UK attended the first medical job fair in the country for those intending to make aliyah — MedEx.
The event took place in London under the auspices of the aliyah support group, Nefesh b’Nefesh, which works primarily in north America, in co-ordination with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, and Ministry of Health. The plan is the umbrella International Medical Aliyah Programme (IMAP), aiming to streamline the immigration process for medical professionals, and ensuring their ability to integrate into Israel’s medical workforce on arrival in Israel. MedEx is a key component in this broader national effort, launched last March, to address the growing manpower crisis in Israel’s healthcare system.
IMAP seeks to bring 2,000 Jewish doctors to Israel over the next five years, supported by key partners including the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Ministry of the Negev, the Galilee and National Resilience, the Marcus Foundation, the Gottesman Foundation, and the Jewish Federations of North America.
At the London event, doctors had the opportunity to meet representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Health and Medical Directorate to discuss licensing requirements, explore employment options, and gain insights into official procedures and grants. In addition, representatives from various health insurance funds and hospitals, such as Ichilov, Hadassah, Clalit, and the Northern Medical Centre were present to conduct real-time job interviews, further enabling a smoother integration into the workforce upon their arrival.
A special emphasis was placed on employment opportunities in Israel’s periphery, supported by new grant programmes from the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, and the T’kuma government administration in the Gaza envelope.
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer, who cancelled his trip to the London fair at the last minute, due to the situation in the north of Israel, said: “Even in times of war and challenging times for the state of Israel, we are witnessing the interest of dozens of doctors to make aliyah and join the medical system. The programme we [and our partners] established will lead to the aliyah of many doctors, with an emphasis on strengthening healthcare services in the Negev and the Galil.
“In addition, we are indeed seeing a growing increase in aliyah from the UK over the past year – a trend we are actively encouraging and believe will continue. I congratulate the attendees of the fair and call on the many interested individuals to make the Zionist move and make aliyah – especially now.”
Minister of the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience, Yitzhak Wasserlauf — who did attend the event — said: “Strengthening our medical system, hospitals, and response capabilities, particularly in the Negev and Galilee, is of paramount national importance —especially in these challenging times. Attracting skilled medical professionals to these regions during the war not only enhances the quality of healthcare but also fosters community resilience”.
Photo credit: Shahar Azran
British-born Daniel Lipczer, who made aliyah with his family in 2005, used to work at an NHS hospital as a general manager. Now, as director of medical personnel at Terem, Israel’s leading chain of Urgent Care / Free standing Emergency Care Centres, he said British doctors had told him they no longer felt comfortable living in the UK.
Lipczer added: “Since October 7, they feel the hatred on the streets and have said that the UK is no longer a home for them. One doctor told me she doesn’t see a future here [in the UK] and she now feels she has to make aliyah.”
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