Fifteen doctors arrive in Israel as part of Nefesh B'Nefesh
Aug. 11, 2004 8:47 | Updated Aug. 11, 2004 17:55 (Original Post on Jpost.com)
By Melissa Radler
For Ari Simckes, immigration to Israel was a lifelong dream that nearly took a backseat to his medical career.
A pediatric nephrologist from Kansas City, Simckes gave up his job at the local hospital and an associate professorship to become one of 15 doctors moving to Israel this summer in memory of a slain American-Israeli colleague, Dr. David Applebaum.
"I had a great job" in the US, said Simckes on Tuesday afternoon at New York's Kennedy airport as he boarded a flight to Israel. "The perfect situation," he said. Still, for reasons he described as "idealistic and Zionistic," Simckes, 42, his wife Debbie, 36, and their three Hebrew-speaking children, ages 3, 6, and 8, decided to uproot themselves from a comfortable life in the US for uncertainty in Hashmonaim in a bid to fulfill both their own dream and Dr. Applebaum's legacy.
The doctors, all making aliyah with Nefesh B'Nefesh, are part of the organization's Applebaum Fellowship, which provides grants of up to $15,000 to North American doctors immigrating to Israel. Applebaum, the late director of emergency services at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital, was killed last September, along with his daughter Nava the night before her wedding, in a terrorist attack at Cafe Hillel. The death of a US immigrant who had devoted his life to helping others inspired doctors who were uncertain about immigration to make the move.
Among the obstacles doctors face upon making aliyah is a tedious relicensing process, and the fellowship is aimed at supporting the doctors as they complete the process and seek employment. Funds for the fellowship is provided by the Jerusalem-based venture capital fund Israel Seed Partners and the United Israel Appeal of Canada.
Of the four doctors on Tuesday's flight, just one, Michael Chernofsky, 47, is licensed to practice in Israel, as a hand surgeon at Hadassah Hospital. Chernofsky, immediate past chief of hand surgery at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, recalled a conversation he had two years ago on job prospects in Israel with Applebaum, who, he said, "was so nice and extremely encouraging." "He played a role in our aliyah process," said Chernofsky, who is moving with his wife, Sherry, a teacher, and three children to Efrat.
"We're making aliyah because this is the future of the Jewish people," said Allan Tschernia, 37, pediatric gastroenterologist who is moving from New Jersey to Modi'in with his wife Irma, an attorney, and two children. "The United States is a wonderful country, but this is a more emotional, religious decision."
At Tuesday's farewell ceremony in New York, the immigrants, many of whom were young families, were joined by teary-eyed grandparents and in-laws whose pride in their children's decision was coupled with the sadness of seeing close family move far away. Among the well-wishers were the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins of the Schwartz family, a young New Jersey couple with a 6-year-old son and five-year-old triplets.
"Our ancestors walked into the gas chambers just several generations ago, and we think that this is the most appropriate response," said Fred Schwartz, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor who is moving from West Orange, New Jersey, to Modi'in. His wife, Geri, a nurse, is expecting her fifth child - the family's first sabra - in January. "Our dream was to go before our eldest hit first grade, and here we are," Schwartz said.
Eleven doctors who had made aliyah earlier in the summer and Health Minister Danny Naveh were slated to welcome the immigrants at Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday.
