NEFESH B'NEFESH AND LEGACY HERITAGE FUND
LAUNCH PHYSICIAN ALIYAH CAMPAIGN
TO ADDRESS URGENT NATIONAL DOCTOR SHORTAGE

Significant grants and supplementary income packages being offered
to North American and British MD's making Aliyah to Israel

(JERUSALEM) - Nefesh B'Nefesh, the organization dedicated to revitalizing
Aliyah from the US, Canada and the UK, is launching a fellowship program for
MDs from North America and the UK to help solve the serious shortage of
doctors projected to occur in Israel over the next few years.

In response to figures released by the Council for Higher Education's
Planning and Budgeting Committee, suggesting that in the next ten years,
Israel will experience a serious shortage of doctors, Nefesh B'Nefesh is
teaming up with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Immigrant
Absorption to bring an increased number of western doctors to Israel.
According to the report, due to a projected population increase - especially
among the elderly - coupled with the noticeable trend of doctors leaving the
medical profession, the current ratio of 3.5 physicians for every 1,000
Israelis is predicted to plummet to less than 2.5 per thousand in the next
few years.

The Physician Aliyah Fellowship is now being introduced by Nefesh B'Nefesh
to encourage North American and British physicians to move to Israel by
providing significant grants. The grants, in the form of an initial
fellowship upon arrival in Israel, and monthly supplementary income for the
first two years, total approximately $60,000. These grants are available for
doctors under the age of 40 who have completed their training in North
America and the UK and are willing to practice at least nine months a year
in Israel.

"Nefesh B'Nefesh recognizes the seriousness of this national need and is
honored to be able to leverage our existing infrastructure to strengthen the
medical community here," said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Co-Founder and Executive
Director of Nefesh B'Nefesh. "While currently many physicians making Aliyah
prefer to continue their practices abroad, this fellowship will enable
doctors to remain in Israel and sustain their careers domestically."

Support for the Physician Aliyah Fellowship has been generously made
possible by Legacy Heritage Fund Limited - Keren Morasha of New York and
Jerusalem, in partnership with Nefesh B'Nefesh, who have helped close to 90
doctors make Aliyah to date.
Israeli Minister of Health, Yacov Ben Yizri, stated "We welcome this vital
initiative, not only because of the importance of Aliyah, but also due to
the expected shortage of doctors in Israel in the upcoming years." He added
"The Health Ministry will do all in its power to ease the absorption process
and assist the doctors with their professional integration in Israel."
Israeli Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Minister of the Development of the
Negev and Galil, MK Yacov Edery: "The standard of medicine practiced in
Israel is one of the highest in the world, partly due to the 20,000 doctors
who have made Aliyah over the years. We need to continue to promote the
Aliyah of doctors from around the world and to maintain the level of
medicine practiced here. The concerning shortage of doctors anticipated in
the next few years compels the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption to join this
initiative and allocate funds to ensure physicians' successful absorption
into the Israeli health system."

About Nefesh B'Nefesh

Founded in 2002, Nefesh B'Nefesh is an organization dedicated to
revitalizing Aliyah from North America, Canada and the UK by removing or
minimizing the financial, professional, logistical and social obstacles of
Aliyah. For more information, please visit www.nbn.org.il.

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For more information please contact:
Renana Levine, 054- 2449747, [email protected]