Over 500 Jewish doctors and healthcare professionals gathered on Sunday, March 9 at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe for the 10th annual MedEx event. The event was hosted by Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience and in partnership with Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish Agency for Israel. MedEx is a flagship initiative of the International Medical Aliyah Program (IMAP), a nationwide effort to address Israel’s physician shortage. IMAP aims to bring 2,000 Jewish doctors to Israel over the next five years, alongside thousands of other healthcare professionals, by facilitating recruitment, licensing and professional integration into Israel’s medical system.
In recent years, MedEx has expanded globally through events in Paris, Buenos Aires, London and Los Angeles. As testament to its success, to date a record-breaking 519 physicians made aliyah in 2024 alone, marking a significant step toward strengthening Israel’s healthcare sector. MedEx’s goal is to streamline the aliyah process for medical professionals and ensure their successful integration into Israel’s workforce.
This year’s New Jersey event drew a record-breaking 250 physicians from 25 states and provinces across the U.S. and Canada. Also joining were 240 other medical professionals including nurses, dentists, podiatrists, psychologists, optometrists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, audiologists, dieticians, nutritionists and dental hygienists. For the first time, physician assistants were also able to receive guidance and support, a groundbreaking milestone in a process that had not previously existed for this vital profession.
At the event, attendees connected with representatives from Israel”s Ministry of Health, Kupot Cholim (Health Funds) and leading hospitals to explore licensing requirements, job opportunities, relocation grants and placement options for working in Israel’s periphery. Remarkably, over 100 attendees submitted their documents for licensing to the Ministry of Health at the event. Participants could be seen clutching their large, glass-framed medical diplomas and certifications for licensure.
Real-time job interviews were conducted by major hospitals throughout the country, including Ziv, Poriah and Rambam Medical Centers from northern Israel, Sheba and Ichilov Medical Centers from the center, and Hadassah, Shaare Zedek and Herzog from Jerusalem. Kupot Cholim from around the country included Meuhedet, Clalit, Leumit and Maccabi. Hopefully, these face-to-face interviews will facilitate securing employment for these professionals shortly after their aliyah. Special emphasis this year was placed on opportunities in Israel’s periphery supported by grant programs from the Ministry of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience and the T’kuma government administration in the Gaza envelope.
A beaming Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Ofir Sofer, shared: “We are living through a historic period in Israel’s history. This year’s MedEx event, larger than last year’s, is marking a significant milestone for the people of Israel. This success has been made possible through the dedicated efforts of many to encourage aliyah and the numerous programs designed to integrate new olim effectively. This event stands as a testament to the strong desire of Jews throughout the world, especially in light of our current situation, to support Israel and be part of the Zionist story.”
In circulating throughout the event space, we met exceptional individuals manning the presenters’ stations. Dr. Yehezkel Caine has been spearheading Herzog Medical Center in Jerusalem for 30 years, 26 of which he served as CEO and four most recently as president. He recounted how the hospital recently celebrated its 130th anniversary, having been founded in the Old City of Jerusalem in the 1880s as Ezrat Nashim, a hospital treating mostly women suffering from depression. After the diagnosis of postpartum depression became accepted, the hospital became recognized as one of the few mental health facilities in Israel and the entire Middle East. Currently located in Western Jerusalem, Herzog is comprised of four divisions including a Mental Health outpatient clinic dealing with youth at risk, serving a large percentage of charedi young people, a Veterans Administration Division treating all units of the military, a large Respiratory Division housing the most state-of-the art ventilators, and a General Geriatric Division. In 2024, Dr. Caine, born in London, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Nefesh B’Nefesh for his contributions to many areas of the medical field in Israel.
Dr. Dorit Tekes-Manova is the director of Maayane Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak. Founded in 1990, this 400-bed hospital hosts departments of OB-GYN, Mental Health and Cardiology on its campus of three buildings. In response to its location in the predominantly charedi community of Bnei Brak, the hospital is sensitive to the social requirements of the population and thus has created separate examination, treatment and hospitalization areas for men and women, provisions for Shabbat and Yomim Tovim, kashrut observance throughout the hospital and an understanding of the distinct mental health issues of the charedi family. During the war, the hospital created a special trauma center for doctors on reserve and their families, a clinic for Nova survivors, and a special unit for members of the ZAKA rescue organization and their families to help them cope with horrific trauma resulting from their work restoring bodies from the battlefield. Dr. Tekes-Manova, having served as a military physician, is well aware of the vital need for such services.
The participants streaming through the conference consisted of all ages at all stages of their careers. Soon-to-be retirees along with new practitioners and recent graduates came to gain useful information and direction. Especially attention-grabbing were the young families steering carriages and followed by little people, exploring future possibilities. Among them was Deena Gilboa, mother of Ella, 2, and Shay, 4 months, whom she had in her arms as we spoke. Growing up in Tenafly, Gilboa attended Solomon Schechter Day School and Frisch. She and husband Zach Kahn are scheduled for the June 17 NBN flight to Israel. Hoping to join close family in Ra’anana, they attended the MedEx event to get Gilboa’s certifications and documents as a physical therapist registered with the Ministry of Health so that upon arrival she can sit for the required licensing exam as soon as it is available. When asked about her professional plans for Israel, she replied that she will be considering looking into rehabilitation centers in combination with private practice. It was truly a treat to feel the optimism and enthusiasm of young families embarking on this life-changing journey.
Similarly, I spoke with Tova Wagner of Teaneck, who will be making aliyah in the summer of 2026 with husband Effie, who holds a PH.D. in psychology, and their three young daughters. Tova earned a master’s in human genetics from Sarah Lawrence College and has worked as a geneticist at Hackensack Hospital for five years. In anticipation of her family’s aliyah she has taken a job in a local genetics lab that partners with a lab in Herzliya. They have timed their aliyah with Effie’s completion of an internship at Achieve Behavioral Health in Monsey. Their attendance at MedEx was very helpful in accessing information about licensure. Sensing their careful planning and determination one is confident that their aliyah and kelita, acclimation, will be successful and will add greatly to the medical profession serving Israel.
Since its inception, Nefesh B’Nefesh has facilitated the aliyah of over 1,000 physicians and over 3,500 healthcare professionals, successfully integrating them into Israel’s hospitals, health funds and private practices.
Tony Gelbart, co-founder and chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh, who was present throughout the event, shared, ”We are proud to support the journeys of these professionals, knowing that they will not only strengthen Israel’s healthcare system but will also enrich their own lives through this impactful lifetime decision.”
