Nefesh B’Nefesh

From the Galilee to the Negev, immigrant physicians are bringing expertise, training the next generation and strengthening care across Israel.

Originally appeared at JNS.org on November 11, 2026

From the Galilee to the Negev, olim (immigrant) physicians such as Dr. Scott Weiner and Dr. Shilo Kramer are having a significant impact on Israel’s health-care system.

The two doctors—and many others who made aliyah from around the world through the International Medical Aliyah Program (IMAP)—are drawing on their advanced training to provide high-quality patient care, train the next generation of Israeli health-care professionals, introduce new techniques and procedures, and recruit top medical personnel to follow in their footsteps.

Weiner, who grew up in Hamden, Conn., made aliyah with his wife and three children in 2013. For him, coming to Israel was something of a homecoming. The Givat Ela resident, who serves as head of neonatology, neonatal intensive care and nurseries at HaEmek Medical Center in Afula, attended medical school in Israel.

Weiner wishes he had made his first trip to Israel earlier in life, though he had to wait until after graduating from college.

The aspiring doctor worked at a Jewish summer camp in Texas, where he met an Israeli emissary (shlicha) named Anat, and enrolled in the World Union of Jewish Students program in Arad.

While in Israel, he said, “I fell in love with Anat, with the country and with being here!”

He applied to the American Medical Program at Tel Aviv University, which he attended from 1994 to 1999.

Scott and Anat married in 1997 and returned to the United States for his pediatric residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and a neonatology fellowship at Yale University. He then worked at New Britain Hospital as director of nurseries.

“Anat lived in the US for me—the plan was always to return to Israel!”

In 2013, the Weiners made aliyah before their oldest child turned 10.

‘A melting pot of what Israel really is’

Weiner interviewed with several hospitals in northern Israel.

“We didn’t want to be in the mercaz (center). We wanted to be in a place that was smaller, greener and closer to Anat’s family.”

He said he “loved” the neonatal intensive care unit at HaEmek Medical Center.

“It was not small, and not huge. It felt like a place where people could hold my hand while learning to write in Hebrew.”

Weiner speaks fondly of the diversity among his colleagues and patients.

“It is a great mishmash—Sabras, Jews and non-Jews, Israeli Arabs, Bedouins, Circassians and olim from around the world. I love the mix of people. It is a nice melting pot of what Israel really is. Beautiful people working for a common cause.”

Despite his responsibilities, Weiner is quick to say, “I am not all that special.”

He feels his most important contributions to medical care in Israel have more to do with “being someone who is good and up to date” and working in a field that needs doctors.

He notes that many older physicians are retiring and that there are “not enough people who want to be neonatologists.”

He is proud of “grooming the next generation to take over.”

“It happens in the US too, but it feels even more special here—as a Jew and as a Zionist—especially after Oct. 7 when you see how the world reacts.”

He then makes a plea: “This place needs top-notch doctors.”

Bringing doctors to Israel

Weiner appreciates Nefesh B’Nefesh for “helping with licensing, understanding the red tape and other assistance.”

He participated in a MedEx event, which provides a comprehensive one-stop-shop experience designed to streamline license conversion and professional integration for health-care professionals considering aliyah.

MedEx is part of the International Medical Aliyah Program, a joint initiative launched in 2024 with the goal of bringing 2,000 doctors to Israel by 2029.

The initiative is led by Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with Israel’s ministries of Aliyah and Integration; Health; and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, as well as the Jewish Agency for Israel.

It is supported by the Marcus Foundation, the Gottesman Fund, Jewish Federations of North America, the Azrieli Foundation and the Arison Foundation.

The program aims to strengthen the country’s health-care system, particularly in Israel’s north and south. Since its launch, more than 1,300 doctors have made aliyah, surpassing half of the program’s five-year goal.

MedEx events have been held in Paris, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto and Montreal. A recent event took place in London, with upcoming events planned for Sydney and Melbourne.

Weiner recently represented HaEmek Medical Center at a MedEx event in New Jersey.

He acknowledges the trade-offs involved in moving to Israel but remains pleased with his work, choice of community and overall quality of life.

“I feel that where I live is like where I grew up, which doesn’t exist so much anymore—open neighborhoods where kids run free, and neighbors feed each others kids, and people look out for each other.”

Dr. Shilo Kramer (left) and IDF Maj. Or Maatuk during a training session at the Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center–ADI Negev Nahalat Eran. Credit: Courtesy of ADI Negev Nahalat Eran.

Dr. Shilo Kramer (left) and IDF Maj. Or Maatuk during a training session at the Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center–ADI Negev Nahalat Eran. Credit: Courtesy of ADI Negev Nahalat Eran.

A homecoming in the Negev

Unlike Weiner, who had to wait until after college to visit Israel, Dr. Shilo Kramer, 44, was born in Jerusalem and spent his first 12 years in the country before his parents relocated to Vancouver, Canada.

Kramer made aliyah in 2020 and is now director of the Department of Orthopedic Rehabilitation at the Harvey and Gloria Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran. For him, returning was a true homecoming.

He had always combined his professional studies with Jewish learning, studying biology, economics and business administration at Yeshiva University in New York.

He simultaneously pursued rabbinic training, a master’s degree in Jewish education and medical school, sometimes watching recorded medical school lectures at double speed.

When Kramer met his wife, he told her, “I have Yemenite grandparents who refuse to leave Israel and I want to get married in Israel!”

They married in 2004 and worked from 2004 to 2020 at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in various capacities, but never lost sight of their goal of living in Israel.

“Getting back to Israel was always in the back of our head—with a 5-year, 10-year…15-year plan.”

They eventually moved to Long Island, where their family grew.

In 2014, Kramer trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“It was the best decision ever,” he said. “I learned from the five biggest gurus! I honed all my skills that year. It changed my ability to diagnose and treat and look at the entire person. I saw thousands of complicated cancer cases.”

From 2015 to 2020, Kramer directed physical medicine and rehabilitation at Complete Wellness PC in Manhattan.

“Then, COVID hit!”

‘The catalyst that pushed aliyah’

Kramer describes the pandemic as “the catalyst that pushed aliyah.”

“Our offices were closed, our rehab centers were closed and the kids were on Zoom. We said, ‘let’s try Israel out for a year.’”

He then learned about ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Village.

He was initially hesitant to explore the program in the northern Negev—an area Kramer describes as “in the periphery” and an hour’s drive from his intended home in Beit Shemesh.

Kramer visited four hospitals, including Alei Negev. He learned that working at hospitals in major cities would require a commute of more than an hour.

“At Alei Negev, I just fell in love. It had all of the foundation blocks in place thanks to [founder] Doron Almog.”

“As a rehabilitation physician specializing in cancer rehabilitation, and Sports and Regenerative medicine, I was intrigued by the village’s plans to establish the first-ever rehabilitation hospital in Israel’s south. As a proud Israeli, I was excited by the prospect of helping bring quality care, housing and employment opportunities to the Negev. And as a devout Jew, I was overcome with pride when I heard about (and later witnessed) the acts of heroic humanity performed daily by the ADI staff and volunteers who care for and empower hundreds of children and young adults with severe disabilities. This is my calling. This is my IDF service!”

Kramer saw an institution deeply invested in its patients.

“I wanted to be part of something making an impact,” he said.

He accepted the position but did not fully appreciate the significance of his decision until the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

“I didn’t fully grasp the decision until Oct. 7.”

After Oct. 7

Kramer shares stories of the center’s vital work on and after Oct. 7, marveling at the dedication of staff from all backgrounds.

He highlights “Bedouin Arabs who ran here on Oct. 7.”

He also recalls “soldiers who began pouring in—from Ofakim, Netivot—and Lebanon.”

Kramer’s enthusiasm for his work, patients and staff is evident.

He recognized a staffing shortage soon after his arrival and has since overseen the growth of the staff from 250 to 850.

He is working with government ministries to obtain temporary licenses for rehabilitation professionals from abroad and bring more olim medical professionals to Israel.

Toward that end, he said, “I go to Nefesh B’Nefesh’s MedEx events each year—to find rehab professionals. I tell them the impact they can create!”

Kramer concludes: “We have an opportunity with our amazing training to make an impact on Israeli society including soldiers, their spouses and children. And, you will feel the greatest sense of self-fulfillment and realization of your Zionism.”

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Originally appeared at JNS.org on April 28, 2026

The five-year exemption plan targets new immigrants and returning residents amid a global outreach effort.

Israel is rolling out a major financial incentive aimed at encouraging Jews worldwide to make aliyah, offering a new income-tax exemption for immigrants arriving in 2026, Israeli officials confirmed to JNS this week.

Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently announced the government’s intention to grant a five-year income-tax exemption to new olim (immigrants) and returning residents who relocate to Israel during the 2026 calendar year.

According to guidelines published by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the reform would apply to earned income in Israel, including salaries and self-employed business income, from 2026 through 2030. The exemption would be capped at one million shekels (approx. $335,000 in 2026 and 2027, 600,000 shekels (approx. $200,000) in 2028, 350,000 (approx. $117,000) in 2029 and 150,000 (approx. $50,000) in 2030.

For those employed by a relative, the exemption would be limited to 140,000 shekels (approx. $47,000) annually. The measure is expected to take several months to pass into law, with benefits applied retroactively once enacted.

Eligibility extends to new olim and returning residents who have lived abroad for more than 10 years and who immigrate between Nov. 5, 2025, and the end of 2026. The reform would not affect existing benefits, including the 10-year exemption on foreign-source income and tax-credit points. Passive income, such as dividends, interest and rental income, would not qualify under the new plan.

The proposal also includes safeguards intended to prevent abuse, stipulating that individuals who spend fewer than 75 days in Israel in 2028 or 2029 would forfeit eligibility.

A graphic outlining “Tax Reforms for New Olim,” April 2026. Credit: Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Officials say the initiative is designed to ease the financial burden of relocation and accelerate integration into Israel’s workforce.

Matan Ben Harush, spokesperson for the minister of aliyah and integration, said, “This is a groundbreaking and important proposal that demonstrates how committed the State of Israel and Minister Ofir Sofer, together with Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are to encouraging Jewish immigration to Israel.”

He added, “We are working to promote the program and hope it will be as effective as possible in encouraging aliyah, alongside a range of additional measures, such as reforms in licensed professions, tax benefits on home purchases, Hebrew-language studies, student programs and more.”

Yael Katzman, vice president of communications for Nefesh B’Nefesh,a Jerusalem-based organization that promotes aliyah from North America and other countries, said, “By easing the financial burden of the critical first years of aliyah, this new law has the potential to turn the dream of aliyah into a realistic and achievable step for many more people. For years, financial concerns have been a significant barrier. This law helps change that equation, giving prospective olim greater ability to build both a meaningful life and a sustainable future in Israel.”

Yehuda Amrani, spokesperson for the Finance Ministry, said, “We believe this will have an impact, but it is very difficult to provide specific figures at this stage.”

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration framed the reform as an immediate opportunity for prospective immigrants, stating in its official statement: “On the contrary, the purpose of announcing this reform is to help you make the decision and choose now, more than ever, to make aliyah. Everyone who makes aliyah from now until the end of 2026 will benefit from this significant tax advantage. Come, we’re waiting for you in Israel!”

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Originally appeared in Jewish News Syndicate, November 2, 2025

“We should rise and cheer people who come on aliyah,” the museum’s CEO, Oded Revivi, tells JNS

Some 150 olim (immigrants to Israel), sat around tables marked by their native languages—Russian, French, Spanish and English—at ANU- Museum of the Jewish People on the campus of Tel Aviv University on Oct. 29. 

As participants sipped lemonade, they drew a prompt from a deck of cards and answered questions about their aliyah experience:  What’s one thing about Israel that most surprised you?  If your aliyah experience was a movie, what would it be called?  What was one experience that made you say, “This is why I made aliyah.”   

Sharon Weiss-Greenberg, an immigrant herself and ANU’s manager of resource development, said, “Life as an olah means that you see and appreciate scenes that I never would have experienced. What can be frustrating in the moment becomes tomorrow’s only-in-Israel funny stories for years to come.”

The activity quickly turned from introspective to playful (with lots of laughter) as participants shared language gaffes and stories of dealing with Israeli bureaucracy. 

The second annual Yom Aliyah event, part of the “Oleh” project, is a joint initiative of ANU, Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Nadav Foundation, the Tel Aviv Municipality and the Ezra youth movement.  It strives to provide support and recognition for olim, regardless of when they made aliyah.

A placemat on a table at the “Yom Aliyah” celebration at ANU Museum, Oct. 29, 2025. Photo by Howard Blas.

In an interview with JNS, Oded Revivi, ANU’s CEO and the former mayor of Efrat, said the name of the event, Oleh Oleh, had a dual meaning. 

“There is a popular Israeli song, ‘Oleh Oleh’, which means, “to rise higher and higher,” he noted. “It is also the name we give to a group of immigrants. Therefore, we should rise and cheer people who come on aliyah.”

Revivi shared the museum’s unique mission and readiness to support olim.

“ANU bears a unique legal title,” he said, noting that the National Library of Israel, Yad Vashem and ANU, formerly known as Beit Hatfutsot, were set up “to be the center for all Jewish communities.”

He explained that olim meet the definition of a community and constitute one. “They all did this extraordinary act—they left their birthplaces and families to move to Israel,” he said. “If ANU can be helpful with absorption and building homes here, it is part of our mission.”

Revivi said that his wife, now a mother of six grown children, many of whom have been regularly serving in Gaza, made aliyah at the age of 23 from England.  His wife’s experience has helped Revivi better understand the immigrant experience. “The challenges she went through are unique for new olim,” he said.

Lindsay Shapiro, ANU’s senior coordinator of English Education, said that each department in the museum—from marketing to fiancé to education—has olim on staff. 

“It is part of our mission.  ANU wants to celebrate that,” she said. “Our goal is to make sure ANU is a museum but also a community center and a cultural hub.” 

Shapiro pointed out that the contributions of olim to Israeli society and the world are featured in exhibits throughout the museum.

Oded Revivi, the CEO of ANU Museum. Photo by Yochai Samet.

After signing in, guests arriving at ANU had the opportunity to visit a marketplace in the museum’s lobby, featuring food, alcoholic beverages, art and clothing on display and for sale by new and veteran immigrants. 

Ari Weiss of Karnei Shomron offered free samples of his Popular Kettle Corn.  Weiss, who also works as an aliyah adviser for Nefesh b’Nefesh, explained how he and wife, Deena, got into the kettle corn business. “We were invited within the yishuv (settlement) for meals and we weren’t sure what to bring. My wife started to make kettle corn, everyone loved it, and encouraged us to sell it!”

Chanie Koenig came to the event from her kibbutz in the north to sell a wide range of chocolate products from her Cacao HaGalil company.  Originally from Long Island, Koenig studied chocolate making in culinary school.  She began by using only goat milk and has expanded her product lines. “We try to incorporate what we see in the north, and use no preservatives.”

A marketplace in the ANU Museum lobby featured food, alcoholic beverages, art and clothing on display and for sale by new and veteran immigrants. Photo by Howard Blas.

Is ‘10 Things’ just a book for students on colAfter signing in, guests arriving at ANU had the opportunity to visit a marketplace in the museum’s lobby, featuring food, alcoholic beverages, art and clothing on display and for sale by new and veteran immigrants. 

Ari Weiss of Karnei Shomron offered free samples of his Popular Kettle Corn.  Weiss, who also works as an aliyah adviser for Nefesh b’Nefesh, explained how he and wife, Deena, got into the kettle corn business. “We were invited within the yishuv (settlement) for meals and we weren’t sure what to bring. My wife started to make kettle corn, everyone loved it, and encouraged us to sell it!”

Chanie Koenig came to the event from her kibbutz in the north to sell a wide range of chocolate products from her Cacao HaGalil company.  Originally from Long Island, Koenig studied chocolate making in culinary school.  She began by using only goat milk and has expanded her product lines. “We try to incorporate what we see in the north, and use no preservatives.”

A family of new immigrants arrives at the Sha’ar Ha’aliyah transit camp near Haifa, 1949/50. Credit: The Oster Visual Documentation Center, ANU-Museum of the Jewish People, Sonnenfeld Collection.

As guests awaited guided tours of the museum’s galleries offered in four languages, many stopped by the screening room on the ground floor to view archival footage from the museum’s Oster Visual Documentation Center collection. 

Rivka Aderet, the adult education senior coordinator and director of the Film Screening Department, shared several clips that showcased Zionism and the aliyah experience, starting in the early 1900s.

The first color film, Aviv b’Galil (Spring in the Galilee), showed pioneers dancing, playing the accordion, and dancing at the site of the Huleh Lake before it was drained to eradicate mosquitoes. A black-and-white 1913 film, Little Tel Aviv, showcased the charming Neve Tzedek neighborhood and was screened at the 1913 World Zionist Congress in Vilna. Another film graphically showed the takeover of a ship of refugees by the British in November 1947.  

In the galleries—especially opened after hours for the olim—some joined language-specific tours while others explored on their own.  A large group of Russian-speakers were guided by a docent in a room displaying synagogues from around the world.  

Three Spanish-speaking immigrants from South America who arrived in Israel approximately five years ago—Carolina Meilich, Maia Dobry and Laura Cohen—explored the “20&20: A Lens of Her Own” exhibition, which features the work of forty female photographers.

The final event of the evening was a concert featuring a sing-along (with words projected on a screen) and optional dancing. Rachel Dratch, director of ANU Global Education, thanked everyone for attending this year’s Yom Aliyah celebration, which is likely to continue next year.

Revivi said he was proud of ANU’s partnership with other organizations and the government that enabled the event to be held. “We want to see how we can continue to offer enjoyment for olim at different periods and timespans-and to see how we can help them integrate,” he said.

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