Volume 5, Issue 10 / Tishrei, 5763 / October 2002
Paving the Way for New Immigrant Physicians
By Albert Hecht
Ruben Ezequiel Benolol arrived in Israel in January 2002 from Buenos Aries. Ruben, 31 and single, qualified as a physician four years ago, specializing in gynecology and obstetrics. He had been weighing the pros and cons of making aliyah for some time, when he learned about the Jewish Agency's Aliyah 2000 Professional Program for Medical Doctors.
"I heard about the program through a colleague in the hospital where I worked in Buenos Aries," Ruben said. He was very impressed with the 18-month program, designed to pave the way for new immigrant physicians to become acclimated in Israel. "It helped to calm my fears and uncertainties about leaving Argentina. I felt that it provided me the ideal framework to establish myself in the country, and to gradually introduce myself into my profession in Israel."
The program offers housing in a Jewish Agency Absorption Center, studies in basic Hebrew and seminars on Israel - including guided tours around the country. In addition, the program is specially tailored to present the participants with the necessary encouragement and assistance to gain a foothold in the Israeli medical community - including a course in Hebrew medical terminology -- enabling them to use the skills garnered in their particular area of expertise.
Ruben enjoys living in the Tiberias in the north of Israel and would like to remain there in the future, maybe on a kibbutz. "I know that it will take time for me to settle and to get used to the Israeli culture," said Ruben. "However I know in the long term it will be worth it."
Another participant in the program is Daniel Anysch, who hails from the Argentine city of Cordoba. Daniel, 38 and single, has a head start on most of his colleagues in the program as he already speaks Hebrew. "I actually lived here for more than a year," he said. "It was in 1992, and I had settled on a kibbutz in the Jordan Valley. Then unfortunately my father passed away very suddenly and I had to go home to be with my family; but I knew that I wanted to come back and make my home in Israel."
Daniel's visit home lasted ten years, during which time he studied to become an x-ray technician and worked in the profession for four years. His dream to return to Israel was never far from his thoughts. "I have to be honest and say that my plans were already in motion to make my "second Aliyah" when the financial collapse began," said Daniel. "Knowing that there was a framework ready to absorb people in the medical profession certainly gave me tremendous peace of mind."
Daniel has already decided that he would like to live in Tiberias and has rented an apartment there. He is waiting for his work permit and relevant Israeli certification to come through, and hopes to find work in his profession either at the Poriah Hospital in Tiberias or in the Sieff Hospital in nearby Safed.
"Many people in Argentina told me that I was jumping straight from the frying pan into the fire," stated Pablo Russo, also participating in the program. "I assured them that this wasn't the case: The situation in Argentina will probably never get much better, but I sincerely believe that in Israel things will soon begin to improve."
Pablo, 39, married and the father of two sons, admits that he deliberated long and hard before making the decision to uproot his family and come to Israel. "I had to take into account how my decisions would affect my children in the future," he said.
In the meantime, the Russo family is enjoying being in Israel and already feels at home here.
Pablo has many years of experience in the fields of gynecology and obstetrics, both in practice and in the field of research, and is looking forward to being involved in the profession in the country, where he feels that he has much to offer.
His first priority is to learn Hebrew, which he is finding not too difficult, as he already speaks several languages. But he confesses to being amazed as to how quickly his young sons have picked up Hebrew.
"When you see your own children begin to blossom, then you know that you are heading in the right direction," Pablo summarizes. "Anyway, apart from all the other factors, I would much rather live in a country that has succeeded in turning a desert into a paradise than a paradise into a desert!"
Credits: Photos by Albert Hecht.
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