Israel Recruits French Jewish Doctors Toward 2,000-Physician Aliyah Goal

Hundreds of French Jewish doctors gathered in Paris on Sunday for a major medical aliyah fair, as Israel steps up efforts to recruit physicians from abroad toward a broader goal of bringing 2,000 immigrant doctors into its healthcare system. 

About 350 doctors attended the third MedEx Paris event, where Israeli officials and medical organizations helped physicians begin the process of converting their licenses, submitting documents and preparing for professional absorption in Israel.

The event came as Israel faces a growing medical manpower challenge. According to OECD data, Israel has 3.5 practicing doctors per 1,000 people, below the OECD average of 3.9. The shortage is felt especially in the Negev and Galilee, where access to medical care remains more limited than in the center of the country.

Officials are also preparing for added pressure from 2026, when new licensing rules for foreign-trained doctors are expected to reduce the number of new physicians receiving Israeli licenses by 400 to 600 a year, according to the Bank of Israel. The impact is expected to be felt especially in peripheral areas.

MedEx was designed to shorten the path for Jewish doctors abroad who are considering aliyah. Unlike a regular immigration fair, the Paris event brought Israeli bureaucracy directly to the doctors: representatives from the Health Ministry, Israel Medical Association, hospitals and health funds were on hand to help participants open files, submit paperwork and connect with potential employers.

More than 50 applications for medical license conversion were submitted during the gathering. Participants represented about 30 medical specialties, and for the first time, doctors were also able to take the YAEL Hebrew proficiency exam on-site, as Israel moves toward making Hebrew ability a formal part of the licensing process for immigrant doctors.

“Our challenge is that Israel should be the top priority for those who decide to leave, and that means we do everything we can to facilitate a smooth absorption,” Israeli Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer told JNS.

The initiative has already brought more than 1,100 physicians to Israel in about two years, passing the halfway mark toward its five-year goal of 2,000 doctors. From France alone, the number of doctors making aliyah rose to 57 in 2025, compared with 25 in 2024. Overall French Jewish aliyah also rose slightly, from 519 in 2024 to 558 in 2025.

For many of the doctors in Paris, the professional opportunity was tied to a growing sense of insecurity in France. The French Interior Ministry recorded 1,320 antisemitic acts in 2025, more than half of all anti-religious incidents reported in the country. A Jewish Agency survey found that only 22% of French Jews feel safe as Jews in France.

“It is becoming more and more difficult to live here because of antisemitism,” said Raphael Mimoun, 26, a general practitioner in Paris who attended the event with his wife, a surgeon.

Others described aliyah as a decision increasingly tied to their children’s future. “There is always antisemitism, but I am a proud Jew,” said Eitan, a 37-year-old general practitioner and father of three who said he hopes to move to Jerusalem within the decade. “There is no future in France.”

Nefesh B’Nefesh, which organized the event with Israeli ministries, the Jewish Agency and medical bodies, said similar gatherings for medical professionals have been held in Paris, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto and Montreal.

“This is the first time in 25 years where we are seeing here a concern expressed by so many of not seeing a stable future here for themselves and future generations,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, the organization’s co-founder and executive director.