Antisemitism in Europe has raised its head since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, but Michael Marciano, a vascular specialist in Paris, wants to immigrate to Israel out of love for the country and not out of fear. “We feel the increase of antisemitism in the media, but we don’t feel it personally, and for me, this is not the reason to make Aliyah. I want to live in Tzfat because of its holiness,” he says.
Marciano was one of approximately 450 Jewish physicians from France and Belgium who attended the MedEx event in Paris this past Sunday, which was held in light of the acute shortage of doctors in Israel. This was the first time the event was held in France and is part of a broad national program initiated by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, Health Ministry, Nefesh B’Nefesh and hosted by The Jewish Agency for Israel, intended to accelerate the immigration to Israel of 2,000 Jewish doctors from around the world within the next five years.
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Approximately 450 Jewish physicians from France and Belgium attended the MedEx event in Paris
(Photo: Yonit Schiller)
Dr. Laurent Sebagh is an expert cardiologist, who works in the French capital, managing nine catheterization clinics. One of his children is studying medicine at Bar-Ilan University and is in residency at Ziv Hospital. Two other children are studying medicine and bio-medicine.
“I want to join my children,” he explains as to what brought him to the event. “It’s a bit difficult in terms of language and bureaucracy. If I can’t catheterize in Israel, then it’s better that I stay in France. But for me, it is difficult to stay here, the future is problematic. Slogans such as 'Free Palestine' were sprayed in my hospital. Antisemitism is certainly growing, and we think there is no future for Jews in France, for us all, not necessarily only for doctors.”
Dr. Nathan Belliache is a family doctor who also works in Paris. “I feel the antisemitism in the hospital where I work and in university. Belliache is a Jewish name, so everyone knows,” he said. “At first, they tell me that being Jewish is a good thing, but then they add that Jews rule the world and that Jews have a lot of money. It has only worsened since October 7. I don’t feel safe here and I'll come on Aliyah next year. I want to live in Tel Aviv.”
Dr. Ariela, who asked for her last name to be withheld, is an emergency medicine physician who flew to Israel after October 7 in order to volunteer with the Magen David Adom ambulance service (MDA). “This is my passion, to save lives. It’s in my DNA. I was wearing a vest and helmet and was ready to go all the way into Gaza, should it have been necessary,” she says.
“I took care of a 9-year-old girl in Israel who suffered a heart attack due to a siren. If they call me again, I’ll go right back there. In the meantime, I want to arrange all the required licenses I’ll be all ready to make Aliyah when the time comes. I am in the mode of saving lives because this is our nation, and this is our country. I also have family and friends who serve in the army. I must to help them.”
Among those who are likely to be in Israel soon are Dr. Joelle Tovto, a dentist, and her husband Pascal, an engineer by profession. “We are making Aliyah because of antisemitism,” they said. “We live in a small town, and realized for the first time on October 7 how much they hate us, we don’t feel that France is our home anymore and hope to move to Israel, our real home.”
A shared destiny
The participants met at the conference with representatives of the Ministry of Health, and the Israeli Medical Association in order to arrange their employment licenses and all their specialization documents. There were even notaries on hand to certify their documents on the spot.
The future Olim conducted a series of interviews with representatives of hospitals and HMOs in Israel where they discussed various employment opportunities, received information about the official procedures ahead, learned about the various grants they may be eligible for, and converted their medical licenses, so that their specialties would be recognized in Israel. All this was under one roof, for the benefit of their immediate integration into the professions for which they were trained, upon their immigration to Israel.
An Aliyah and Solidarity for Israel Fair was held in Paris alongside MedEx, following the growing interest in Aliyah since October 7. Earlier this month, a similar one was held in New York with some 1,500 participants and two weeks ago an event was held in London for the first time in five years.
The event was held in the attendance of Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer; Founders of Nefesh B'Nefesh, Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Yehoshua Fass; Director General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Adv. Avichai Kahana; Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sefi Mendelovich; Deputy Director of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Shay Felber as well as representatives from the Israeli Medical Association, from the four Israeli HMOs and leading hospitals from around the country, including Beilinson Hospital, Hadassah Medical Center, Ziv, Barzilai, Shamir, Shaare Zedek and others.
The event also placed an emphasis on opportunities available for those who want to integrate and practice medicine in the periphery, within the framework of a new grants program of the government’s Revival Directorate. Physician Olim who choose to work in the periphery will receive special grants of up to NIS 350,000. In addition, the state will give incentives to health institutions that hire physician Olim and will also increase their salary to reduce the pay gap in Israel compared to the salary they earn in Europe.
Minister Sofer, said that “the Aliyah of physicians to Israel, and particularly to the Galilee and Negev regions, will greatly enhance the country’s healthcare system. The MedEx conference in Paris builds upon this month’s successful gathering in New York, their aim being to attract to Israel skilled Jewish doctors worldwide in the immediate future. Over the past month, we have convened major Aliyah conferences in New York, London, and Paris, and we have seen the strong support and an eagerness to come on Aliyah, despite the current war, driven by solidarity and a desire to fortify the State of Israel.”
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, Rabbi Yehoshua Fass added, "We are witnessing a historic and exciting moment for our organization as we hold this joint event for the first time on European soil. MedEx is not only important to us as an organization but has proven to be an incredible asset for the State of Israel and the Jewish nation. We hope that this new national program will provide Israel’s healthcare system with the additional manpower and support it currently needs. We are proud to be a resource for the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Health and The Jewish Agency as we all work together with the goal of enhancing the quality of Israel’s public medicine while providing these Olim medical professionals with a smooth transition to working and living in Israel.”
Jewish Agency Chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog noted, "The love for Israel is the driving force for Aliyah for Jews from all over the world, as well as from France. They continue to express their support and pride in the State of Israel in these difficult days. In our complex reality, strengthening the healthcare system is an extremely important goal. The new Olim are important partners in the building and development of the State of Israel since its establishment. They are an essential part of the mosaic of Israeli society as a whole. Their contribution is significant in all fields, including in the field of healthcare. We embrace these new olim and thank them from the bottom of our hearts."
The head of The Jewish Agency’s delegation in France, Emmanuel Sion, estimated that about 4,000 Jews will immigrate to Israel this year, in comparison to 1,000 in 2023. "There is a 1000 percent rise in antisemitic incidents," he noted. "We are living in historic times with all that is happening in Israel, and the Jewish community is at a crossroads and wants to partake in this shared destiny."
The writer was a guest of Nefesh B'Nefesh in Paris