Over 130 Jewish Doctors Attend MedEx Aliyah Conference in London 2026

Key Points

• Over 130 Jewish physicians and healthcare professionals attended the MedEx UK conference at the JW3 Jewish community centre in North London on Sunday, 25 October 2026, to explore immigrating to Israel.
• Heavy police presence and security checks surrounded the venue as pro-Palestinian demonstrators distributed leaflets outside urging attendees not to relocate to Israel.
• The MedEx event is part of the International Medical Aliyah Program (IMAP), a national initiative led by Nefesh B’Nefesh, The Jewish Agency for Israel, and Israeli government ministries to recruit 2,000 doctors within five years.
• More than 1,300 doctors have already immigrated to Israel through the programme over the past two years—including nearly 30 from the United Kingdom—exceeding the halfway mark of its target.
• Dr Maya Hariharan, who made Aliyah from Ireland, stated that Jews need to relocate to a place where they feel they belong.
• A 36-year-old psychology resident identified as Ruth shared that heightened security concerns in the UK since October 7, alongside a cancelled workplace lecture by a psychiatrist who had shared pro-Hamas messages online, accelerated her family’s timeline to immigrate.

North London (North London News) November 2026 – More than 130 doctors interested in immigrating to Israel attended a special conference in London aimed at connecting them directly with Israeli medical institutions.

What Happened Outside and Inside the MedEx UK Conference in London?

The streets surrounding the JW3 Jewish community centre in North London were cordoned off by police vehicles as participants arrived for the event. Security personnel stationed at the entrance carefully verified the identification of attendees entering the building to learn about making Aliyah to Israel. Outside the perimeter, pro-Palestinian demonstrators distributed informational leaflets advising attendees against relocating to Israel.

Inside the venue, physicians met with representatives from Israeli hospitals, health funds, and government bodies. As reported by Yael Feldman Shavit of Ynet Global, Dr Maya Hariharan, who previously made Aliyah from Ireland, explained the sentiment driving attendees by stating: “Jews need to go to a place where they feel they belong”.

According to Israel National News, the event also enabled physicians planning an imminent move to submit medical licence conversion applications directly to Israel’s Ministry of Health, while exploring financial grants, housing assistance, and Hebrew-language studies.

Why Are British Jewish Healthcare Professionals Accelerating Their Plans to Immigrate?

For several attendees, the decision to explore medical careers in Israel has shifted from a distant aspiration to an immediate priority following events after October 7. As reported by Yael Feldman Shavit of Ynet Global, Ruth (a pseudonym), a 36-year-old psychology resident looking to immigrate with her partner and two children as early as next summer, described how her family’s perspective changed:

“It’s something my husband and I always thought about, but it felt like there was plenty of time and that it was far down the road. Then October 7 happened, and our surroundings in the UK grew noticeably more frightening. Our kids started coming home from school talking about heavy police and security guards, and things turned unsettling. I asked myself, ‘What are we actually waiting for?'”

Ruth, who hopes to join the Mother-Baby Psychiatric Unit at Sheba Medical Center, noted that street demonstrations and posters in her neighbourhood cause her discomfort. She also recounted a recent incident at her workplace, which had planned to host a guest lecture by a psychiatrist who had worked in Gaza.

As reported by Yael Feldman Shavit of Ynet Global, Ruth detailed the incident and its impact on her sense of security:

“On his Facebook page, I saw him sharing pro-Hamas messages and ‘Death to Zionists.’ I told them such a person could not be invited, and his talk was indeed canceled. But it left me deeply unsettled. These days, you don’t know what the person next to you is thinking, where they spend their weekends, or what they post online.”

How Is Israel Recruiting International Physicians Through the MedEx Initiative?

The London gathering forms part of a broad national effort to reinforce Israel’s healthcare system. According to Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the MedEx conference is organised jointly by Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev, the Galilee and National Resilience, and The Jewish Agency for Israel.

Which Foundations Support the Programme and How Many Doctors Have Immigrated?

The initiative is backed by philanthropic organisations including the Marcus Foundation, the Gottesman Fund, Jewish Federations of North America, the Azrieli Foundation, and the Arison Foundation.

Since launching approximately two years ago, similar MedEx conferences have been hosted across France, the United States, Australia, Canada, and Argentina. To date, 1,300 physicians have already immigrated to Israel through the programme—including nearly 30 from the United Kingdom—surpassing half of the initiative’s target of bringing 2,000 immigrant doctors to the country within five years.

Background: The International Medical Aliyah Program and UK Aliyah Trends

The MedEx conferences operate under the International Medical Aliyah Program (IMAP), which was launched in 2024 to address a nationwide shortage of physicians in Israel, with a particular focus on bolstering medical staffing in the country’s northern and southern regions. By centralising licensing verification, notary services, and interviews with major Israeli health providers such as Clalit Health Services and Sheba Medical Center under one roof, the programme seeks to eliminate bureaucratic delays that historically deterred foreign-trained doctors from relocating.

The London conference coincided with a broader Aliyah fair organised by Ofek Yisraeli, which drew more than 1,200 members of the UK Jewish community. Data released by The Jewish Agency for Israel indicates a steady upward trend in immigration from Britain: 890 people made Aliyah from the UK in 2025, representing a 26 per cent increase from the 704 recorded in 2024, and more than double the 377 who immigrated in 2023. Between January and July 2026, an additional 445 British citizens relocated to Israel, including 39 individuals working in medicine or related healthcare fields.

Prediction: How This Development Could Affect the UK and Israeli Healthcare Systems

If the recruitment momentum demonstrated at the North London conference continues, both the Israeli healthcare sector and the United Kingdom’s medical workforce will experience measurable demographic and operational impacts over the next three years:

• For Israel’s Healthcare System: With more than 1,300 physicians already integrated and 20 British doctors initiating their licensing processes directly at the October 2026 London event, Israel is on track to meet or exceed its goal of 2,000 immigrant doctors by 2029. Additionally, because Israel’s Ministry of Health will require foreign-trained doctors to demonstrate an intermediate level of Hebrew proficiency starting in June 2027, events offering on-site language testing and streamlined licensing are expected to prompt a further wave of applications from UK physicians before the new regulation takes effect. This influx is projected to ease staffing deficits in peripheral hospitals across the Negev and Galilee.
• For British Jewish Doctors and the UK Healthcare Sector: For British Jewish medical professionals, heightened concerns regarding workplace hostility and public security are likely to sustain elevated rates of Aliyah inquiries, shifting relocation from a long-term retirement consideration to an active career move for younger practitioners and families. Conversely, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and private healthcare institutions face the potential loss of experienced specialists—such as psychiatrists, general practitioners, and hospital consultants—at a time when the British medical sector is already managing domestic retention challenges.