A couple of hundred French Jewish doctors interested in moving to Israel gathered in Paris on Sunday in a major immigration fair for medical professionals.
The event was held during a time of global turbulence in the Jewish Diaspora, which is especially noticeable in the 450,000-strong community in France that is also home to the largest Muslim population in Europe, and where a recent survey showed that nearly four of five French Jews feel unsafe.
“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, who is a surgeon.
“The majority of young people are thinking a lot about how they can live in Israel before it is too late,” said Eva Cohen, 30.
Filling a shortage of physicians in Israel
The third MedEx Paris event, which seeks to concomitantly address the shortage of physicians in Israel, was organized by the nonprofit Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with Israel’s ministries of aliyah and integration, health, and the Negev and the Galilee, along with the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency for Israel.
Similar events geared exclusively for medical professionals have been held over the last two and a half years in Paris, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto and Montreal.
During the gathering, the aim of which was to streamline government bureaucracy for physicians, more than 50 applications for medical license conversions were submitted to the Israeli Health Ministry.
Wartime immigration
Still, with war raging in Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on the country’s south, immigration has been a challenge.
Last year, 558 French Jews immigrated to Israel, compared to 519 the year before, according to figures from Israel’s Aliyah and Integration Ministry.
The number of French doctors who moved to Israel jumped from 25 in 2004 to 57 last year.
“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.
He noted that the program has reached over a third of its goal to bring 2,000 doctors to Israel from around the world over five years, with their impact on the nation’s healthcare system making a mark in periphery areas such as the Negev and the Galilee.
‘No future in France’
“There is always antisemitism, but I am a proud Jew,” said Eitan, a general practitioner and a 37-year-old father of three who said he is planning to move to Jerusalem within the decade for the benefit of his children. “There is no future in France.”
“People here are on the edge of their seats and have to make a hard decision, co-founder and chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh Tony Gelbart told JNS. “There has always been antisemitism around the world, but when it comes straight in your face and not just behind your back, you get concerned.”
“We always used to say not running away from something but running to something, but now running away in several countries has become the reality,” he said.
Over the last quarter century, the group originally became a household name in promoting immigration from the United States and Canada.
“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.
A connection to Israel after October 7
“I want to help Israel as it will be the only country that will be there for me if I need help,” said Melvin, 35, from Brussels, who is doing his residency in plastic surgery and hopes to move in about five years. “Here, I’m afraid to show I am Jewish because there is a lot of antisemitism. If you want to be successful, you need to hide your Judaism.”
“With all the events that have happened over the last couple of years, we feel very connected to Israel,” said Laurent Bonnamy, 57, a gynecologist from the French Polynesian island of Tahiti who began the process of notarizing his medical documents. “Over here, we feel useless for the Jewish nation and for Israel.”
