Hundreds of doctors gathered at Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Paris MedEx event on Sunday, all hoping to make aliyah to Israel, as the state and its partner institutions worked to pull foreign physicians into a strained healthcare system. The event was organized in cooperation with the Aliyah and Integration Ministries, the Health Ministry, the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience Ministry, and the Jewish Agency for Israel, turning a recruitment drive into a coordinated institutional pipeline for labor.
Who Gets Recruited, Who Pays the Price
Hundreds of Jewish physicians from France, Belgium, Germany, and neighboring countries attended the event, representing dozens of specialties. They met with 11 recruiting medical institutions, including Hadassah Medical Center, Soroka Medical Center, and other leading healthcare providers. According to the Ministry of Health, attendees submitted more than 50 applications for medical license conversions because of the convention. For the first time in MedEx history, participants were also able to take the national YAEL Hebrew proficiency exam, which foreign doctors may need in order to gain employment in Israel.
The whole setup shows how the burden of a long-running doctor shortage gets managed from above: by importing labor, streamlining credentials, and moving people through state-approved channels. The source says Israel has faced a lack of doctors for years, mainly due to a higher-than-average birth rate compared to other Western countries and an aging population of doctors. The shortage has particularly affected Israel’s peripheral communities, where access to care is already thinner and the consequences of institutional neglect land hardest.
According to Nefesh B’Nefesh, roughly one in three new immigrant doctors began or completed their residencies in Israel’s northern or southern region. That detail matters because it points to where the system is trying to plug the holes: not in the centers of power, but in the places left scrambling for basic services.
What the Officials Call “Strengthening”
At the Paris event, Minister for the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf said, “Today, more than ever, the State of Israel needs quality doctors in Safed, Metula, Kiryat Shmona, Beersheba, and Dimona.” He also said, “Our Ministry is proud to support and partner with this important initiative of Nefesh B’Nefesh, which turns Zionist values into action by bringing outstanding medical professionals to Israel, who will strengthen hospitals and communities across the Negev, Galilee, and southern regions. This is another step in strengthening our national resilience, not only in security, but in healthcare as well.”
The language is all about resilience, partnership, and national strength, while the practical reality is a recruitment machine built to keep hospitals staffed. The state’s answer to shortage is not to dismantle the conditions that produce it, but to manage the fallout through organized intake and credential conversion.
As part of the International Medical Aliyah Program (IMAP), events such as MedEx simplify the often complicated process by offering credential recognition, job interviews at leading healthcare institutions, and help with navigating Israeli grants, licensing, and relocation. IMAP launched in 2024 with the goal of bringing 2,000 physicians to Israel in five years, and has seen over 1,100 immigrate since its launch. The numbers show a system operating at scale, with migration and medical labor folded into one institutional project.
The Pipeline and Its Backers
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer said, “This marks the third consecutive year that, together with our partners, we have had the privilege of bringing hundreds of doctors to Israel annually.” He added, “Their impact on Israel’s healthcare system is tremendous, particularly in the Negev and Galil, as is the strong sense of purpose they experience. At this pivotal time, they are choosing to come to Israel and make a unique contribution, despite the many challenges involved in the Aliyah journey, which is often a significant challenge in its own right.”
Co-Founder and Chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh Tony Gelbart said, “These future Olim bring not only exceptional professional expertise, but also a profound sense of purpose. Their impact is already being felt across Israel’s healthcare landscape, from north to south, and we look forward to assisting many more physicians, from all over the world, to integrate in the near future.”
Nefesh B’Nefesh also said the 2026 Paris MedEx builds on the initiative’s success, bolstered by key partners including the Marcus Foundation, the Gottesman Fund, Jewish Federations of North America, the Azrieli Foundation and Arison Foundation. Previously, MedEx programs have been held in Europe, North and South America, and Australia. The apparatus keeps expanding, with foundations, federations, ministries, and medical institutions all helping move doctors through the same pipeline.