MedEx is a key component of a broader national program introduced last March. This initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Health and Nefesh B’Nefesh, in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Marcus Foundation, the Gottesman Fund and the Jewish Federations of North America – UIA, aims to bring approximately 2,000 Jewish physicians to Israel over the next five years.

Initially launched eight years ago for North American Olim, MedEx is now expanding globally.

Following its first international event in Paris, MedEx is set to hold additional events in the USA, England, South Africa and additional countries. The goal is to harness the potential of Jewish medical professionals worldwide to tackle the worsening manpower shortage facing Israel’s healthcare system, as highlighted by the OECD.

At the Buenos Aires event, participants engaged with representatives from various Israeli health institutions to convert their medical licenses, explore employment opportunities and gather information about grants and recognition of their specialties. This “one-stop-shop” approach is designed to streamline the integration process for future Olim, enabling them to quickly and smoothly begin their work in Israel. Additionally, participants conducted real-time job interviews via Zoom with representatives from the Maccabi, Clalit, Leumit and Meuhedet health insurance funds, as well as leading hospitals in Israel, including Ichilov, Hadassah, Barzilai, Assuta Ashdod and Carmel Medical Center.

A significant focus was placed on employment options in Israel’s peripheral regions, supported by a new grant program from the Ministry for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, and the Tekuma Directorate, which aims to rehabilitate the Gaza Envelope.

“The first ever MedEx in Argentina is truly groundbreaking,” said Minister of Aliyah and Integration, MK Ofir Sofer. “In the past six months, we have held MedEx events in New York and, for the first time, also in Paris. In addition to the establishment of the Physicians Olim Directorate within the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, we intend to assist and integrate many Jewish physicians into the Israeli healthcare system. Since the start of the war, dozens of doctors have come to Israel to assist in the medical effort, driven by a sense of belonging and solidarity. We want these doctors to stay with us here in Israel, and in order to do that,
we are taking the necessary action to make this happen.”

“After a historic event in Paris, we are thrilled to bring MedEx to the vibrant Jewish community in Argentina,” said Tony Gelbart, Co-Founder and Chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “We have been warmly received by a community deeply committed to Zionism and eager to contribute to the Israeli healthcare system. There is great potential in South America, and Argentina is just the first of many destinations we plan to visit with our partners at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Ministry of Health and the Jewish Agency.”

“The Israeli healthcare system suffers from significant personnel shortage, especially in the periphery region, and so the Health Ministry of Health is investing substantial resources to rectify the situation,” said Health Minister Uriel Buso: “We are promoting programs in collaboration with various government ministries, Nefesh Nefesh, and other entities in order to help Olim (immigrant) doctors integrate quickly into the healthcare system by simplifying bureaucracy and expediting the overall process. I welcome this initiative, which will reinforce the system with high-quality, value-driven Zionist professionals who seek to bind their fate with that of the State of Israel. This is the realization of the Zionist vision and an important step in reducing the disparities between the periphery and the central region of the country, which I see as a noble goal.”

Jewish Agency CEO and Director General Amira Ahronovitz added: “As part of our ongoing efforts to support Aliyah and integration into Israeli society, we at The Jewish Agency are excited to partner with Medex Argentina. Through the event, we are bringing doctors in the Jewish community new opportunities to make Aliyah. When doctors make Aliyah, the State of Israel benefits from their strengthening of the health system and our overall national resilience.”

The event was attended by Director General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Adv. Avichai Kahana, Co-Founders of Nefesh B Nefesh, Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Deputy Director General of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Director of it’s Aliyah and Integration Unit, Shay Felber, and representatives from the Ministry of Health.
To learn more about Nefesh B’Nefesh visit www.nbn.org.il

BADMINTON

1:30 a.m.

• USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles

4:30 a.m.

• E! — Group Play: Singles, Doubles

6 a.m.

• USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles

9:05 a.m.

• USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles

BASKETBALL

2:30 a.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Group A: Australia vs. Spain

8:15 a.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Group B: France vs. Brazil

12:15 p.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Group A: Greece vs. Canada

5 p.m.

• USA — Men’s Group B: Germany vs. Japan

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

5 a.m.

• NBC — Pool Play

1 p.m.

• NBC — Pool Play

8 p.m.

• USA — Pool Play

BOXING

2 p.m.

• CNBC — Women’s Bantam Eliminations & more

CANOEING

9 a.m.

• E! — Slalom: Women’s Kayak Heats

6:30 p.m.

• USA — Slalom: Men’s Canoe Heats

CYCLING

6 a.m.

• NBC — Women’s Time Trial

7:45 a.m.

• USA — Men’s Time Trial

2 p.m.

• NBC — Men’s Time Trial

DIVING

3 a.m.

• TELEMUNDO — Diving and volleyball

8 p.m.

• NBC — Primetime in Paris (July 27)

EQUESTRIAN

12:30 a.m.

• USA — Eventing: Dressage

1:30 p.m.

• E! — Eventing: Dressage

FENCING

2 p.m.

• USA — Women’s Epee & Men’s Sabre Bronze/Gold Finals

FIELD HOCKEY

10:30 a.m.

• CNBC — Women’s Group: USA vs. Argentina

GYMNASTICS

2 a.m.

• E! — Men’s Qualifying Subdivision 1

6:30 a.m.

• E! — Men’s Qualifying Subdivision 2

8 a.m.

• NBC — Men’s Qualifying Subdivision 2

11 a.m.

• E! — Men’s Qualifying Subdivision 3

8 p.m.

• NBC — Primetime in Paris (July 27)

HANDBALL

7 a.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Group Play

ROWING

Midnight

• USA — Heats: Double, Quadruple & more

4:15 a.m.

• USA — Heats: Double, Quadruple & more

7:15 p.m.

• USA — Heats: Double, Quadruple & more

RUGBY

6:35 a.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Semifinals

7 a.m.

• NBC — Men’s Semifinal

10 a.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Bronze Final

10:45 a.m.

• NBC — Men’s Bronze, Gold Finals

4 p.m.

• USA — Men’s Bronze, Gold Finals

SHOOTING

2 a.m.

• CNBC — Mixed Team Air Rifle Final

2:30 p.m.

• CNBC — Mixed Team Air Rifle Final

SKATEBOARDING

3:45 a.m.

• CNBC — Men’s Street: Preliminary Round

8:30 a.m.

• NBC — Men’s Street: Final

SOCCER

6 a.m.

• TELEMUNDO — Dominican Republic vs. Spain
• UNIVERSO — Argentina vs. Iraq

8 a.m.

• TELEMUNDO — Ukraine vs. Morocco
• UNIVERSO — Uzbekistan vs. Egypt

10 a.m.

• TELEMUNDO — New Zealand vs. USA
• UNIVERSO — Israel vs. Paraguay
• USA — Men’s Group A: New Zealand vs. USA

Noon

• TELEMUNDO — Franci vs. Guinea
• UNIVERSO — Japan vs. Malí

SWIMMING

2 a.m.

• USA — Heats: Men’s & Women’s 4x100m Free & more

7:30 a.m.

• NBC — Heats: Men’s & Women’s 4x100m Free & more

11:30 a.m.

• NBC — Finals: Men’s & Women’s 400m Free & more

8 p.m.

• NBC — Primetime in Paris (July 27)

TABLE TENNIS

10:10 a.m.

• E! — M&W Singles: Prelims & more

VOLLEYBALL

3 a.m.

• TELEMUNDO — Diving and volleyball

4:45 a.m.

• USA — Men’s Pool Play

Noon

• USA — Men’s Pool Play

WATER POLO

5 a.m.

• E! — Women’s Group: Netherlands vs. Hungary

6:30 a.m.

• USA — Women’s Group: USA vs. Greece

9:45 a.m.

• NBC — Women’s Group: Greece vs. USA

3 p.m.

• USA — Women’s Group: USA vs. Greece

In response to this need, Magen David Adom is partnering with the Israel Midwives Organization on “First Contractions,” a project that will assist women to deliver their babies safely even when war, terror attacks, or military-style blockades prevent immediate transport to a hospital.

Most Israeli women give birth in hospitals for safety reasons. In 2023, 16,283 birthing women were transported to hospitals, while 1,062 labored with help from MDA teams in their homes or on their way to the hospital. When complications arise in home births, women in labor are often transported to a hospital for further treatment.

However, the ongoing rocket attacks mean that women in the region must be prepared for giving birth without the medical benefits of a hospital setting.

First Contractions, funded by The Jewish Federations of North America, is making that process safer and easier by providing midwives with the training and equipment they will need to best assist women in labor. The project is also matching midwives with expectant mothers in their local area.

“A complication in childbirth can end tragically for the woman giving birth and for the newborn, especially when it is an out-of-hospital birth,” explained MDA’s Deputy Director-General for Medicine Dr. Raphael Strugo.  “As in every emergency medical situation, when there is an experienced caregiver on the scene — and in this case an experienced midwife — the event is significantly better run,” he said.

In the first phase of the project, the two organizations are mapping all the expectant women in the North that may need the services of a midwife and helping to connect them with on-call midwives geographically close to them. Matching the women with midwives early on is also meant to encourage a calmer, more comfortable birthing experience, despite the challenging circumstances.

“The purpose of midwifery is to accompany women during both routine times and emergencies,” said Yifat Rubanenko, chair of the Israel Midwives Organization. “The First Contractions project will enable pregnant women who live in the shadow of war to get to know the midwives in their region early on.”

MDA is providing special equipment to the midwives for use in emergency birth situations. It is also uploading the midwives’ contact information to its cutting-edge dispatch system, so that the on-call midwives can be dispatched to births as needed.

Recently, two intensive training sessions were held, with equipment presented to 37 midwives from the Golan Heights and Western Galilee. During the sessions, the midwives learned how to use the equipment and how to operate within MDA’s emergency dispatch system.

The project is expected to expand to other regions throughout the country. It is part of a series of initiatives by MDA to prepare for future emergency scenarios in the aftermath of October 7. Such initiatives include creating community-based medical response teams, which will treat patients when immediate transport to hospital is not possible, as well as formulating detailed plans for treating patients in the event of serious power and cellular outages.

“At MDA, we are doing everything to be prepared for any scenario. The midwives will help us redouble our efforts as they will be able to provide a professional medical response before MDA teams arrive. I have no doubt that the joint initiative of the Midwives Organization and MDA will help in bringing new lives safely into the world and will also save the lives of newborns and their mothers,” said MDA Director-General Eli Bin.

In her diary, Ruth describes how, after losing her husband to the murderous Nazis, she was able to survive over two years in the Vilna ghetto, finally escaping just two days before its liquidation. She also writes about her life in the barn, dealing with the daily challenges in her hideout, where discovery meant certain death at the hands of the Nazis or collaborators. Her descriptions are so vivid that the reader is made to feel as if he himself is there with her. The diary is not only an interesting and suspenseful story of Ruth’s survival, but also an important historical document.

The author describes many aspects of life in the Vilna ghetto during her confinement there from June 1941 to September 1943. Her comments and observations about the Jews, the Germans, the Lithuanians, the Judenrat, the Jewish police and the various classes of people that developed in the ghetto life reflect deep psychological insight. She was 34 years old at the time that she wrote the diary and her perspective is that of a mature woman, in contrast to Anne Frank for example, who was a teenager when she wrote her diary.

The diary, which Ruth wrote in Yiddish, is an inspirational narrative in which she bares her soul, as she reveals her personal thoughts and feelings about everything she had lived through, not knowing if she would come out of her situation alive. In the process of absorbing the diary, the reader gets to know Ruth intimately. Ruth died in 1955 at the age of 45. Her son, David, who was just nine years old at the time, never got to know his mother until 2002, when he “met” his mother again by translating her diary into English.

A few years ago, he sent his translation to Yad Vashem, and, recognizing what an important addition this was to the Holocaust literature, they published it last year.

All the proceeds from the book sales go to Yad Vashem. The reader of Ruth’s diary will gain deep insights into the universal experience of Holocaust survivors and why so many were reluctant to talk about what they suffered and what they lost.

“Camps provide more than just summer fun; they cultivate lifelong friendships, nurture cultural identity and inspire dreams. Supporting Jewish summer camps ensures our children thrive in a rich, supportive environment where they build connections and embrace their heritage. We are proud to invest in their future,” said Chaya Yosovich, Executive Director of the Yael Foundation.

‍The foundation’s support to Mosaic United was matched by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Jewish Federations of North America. The funds in large part were geared towards serving thousands Jewish Ukrainians affected by the ongoing conflict. Sadly, this population continues to suffer from the displacement and distress of war.

Yosovich, who was a young counselor in a camp in Ukraine, working with Ukrainian and Russian girls, added: ”That summer in Ukraine turned me into a lifelong advocate for providing every child with the summer camp experience. This experience was transformative. I met people who were so different from anyone I had known, yet we found common ground. I saw firsthand how the skills and lessons learned at camp have a unique impact, often stronger than what is taught in school. As the Executive Director of the Yael Foundation, I am proud to continue this mission.”

The full text of President Biden’s letter to the nation:

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

July 21, 2024

My Fellow Americans,

Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.

Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. American has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.

I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.

For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

I believe today what I always have: that there is noting America can’t do — when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.

Joe Biden

Approximately 125 guests attended the joyous festivity. The Delray Torah Center is a vibrant Orthodox Synagogue located in Oriole Plaza in Delray Beach.

Delray Torah Center offers a warm and friendly atmosphere, one that encourages and promotes the beauty of an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. Members of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to join the DTC family and experience the true beauty of Judaism.

The Delray Torah Center is under the leadership and guidance of Rabbi Zevi Saunders. DTC’s esteemed and energetic Rabbi has earned a reputation for giving meaningful and frequently entertaining sermons and classes.

Services are Shabbat morning at 9:30 a.m.

•••

Delray Torah Center announces its first fundraiser

WIN A FREE 7 DAY TRIP TO ISRAEL FOR TWO!

Spend 4 days on a JNF Mission, 3 nights in a hotel of your choice and free flights (a $8,000 value)

Second prize – Win a signed JNF official Israel 75th anniversary artwork by top artist Charles Fazzino

Visit https://causematch.com/dtcraffle for more information.

Come experience the Delray Torah Center and see how you too can serve HaShem with joy!

Applicants are invited to submit an essay expressing why they believe they have the potential to become a Jewish leader. Criteria considered include involvement in leadership, advocacy or community service activities, demonstrated resilience and perseverance in moving toward leadership roles. Recipients are awarded $1,000 each to be used for tuition or related expenses for higher education (including college, vocational or trade school), travel for Jewish leadership training, or travel to an NCJW national event.

NCJW congratulates Jana Levin, a graduate of Jupiter Community High School and Ella Prince, a graduate of West Boca High School. Jana plans to attend Florida State University and has an interest in law enforcement. She has held leadership positions in many school activities and feels that her involvement in tikkun olam projects has allowed her to make a difference in the world. Ella plans to attend the University of Florida majoring in health sciences. She has been active in school as a yearbook editor and member of National Honor Society. Her family history including those lost in the Holocaust and those who survived have impacted her commitment to Judaism.

NCJW has been at the forefront of social change for over 125 years. NCJW courageously takes a progressive stance on issues such as child welfare, women’s rights and reproductive freedom. NCJW is the voice of and the place where women from across society come together to make the world and their communities a better place.

Students who participated in the contest had to construct a poster that answered some essential questions:

• What role does Israel play in the world?

• What role does Israel play in my life?

• How does Israel shape my Jewish story?

• What values does Israel represent today?

• Have these values changed over the years?

As part of their submission, the DKJA students wrote about the poster:

In Judaics class we were tasked with formulating a poster for Israel’s 76th birthday. For our poster we drew two hands in consolidation representing the Jews in Israel and in the diaspora. Our project exemplifies the unity between both. In the back we have written the Shema because it is our favorite prayer and it unifies us under the umbrella of Judaism. The hands signify how Jews across the world come together to fight antisemitism and hate. With this art piece, we are expressing our hope for peace and unity.

Teacher Miriam Klein, who worked with the students said, “I was excited to bring the Yom Yom Ha’atzmaut Curate & Create poster competition from the National Library of Israel to the eighth-grade class. After October 7th we began a journey of learning the history of Israel while maintaining a watchful eye on current events and the war. The students channeled what we learned and current events to create meaningful artwork reflecting their personal connection to Israel and hopes for the future. The piece completed by Rachael, Savannah, and Jonah brought together many concepts and ideas discussed throughout the year in a creative and meaningful manner. Their representation of the important relationship between diaspora Jews and Israel impressed me the most as it demonstrates their understanding of the important responsibility we have as Jews to continue to support Israel throughout these difficult times.”

The National Library recognized the DKJA students for their poster ‘standing out’ in aesthetics and composition, sending a powerful message of unity and hope. “You elegantly used the image of hands intertwined to symbolize the connection between us as a people and specifically between Israel and your community in the United States. The use of color in your artwork emphasizes both the similarities between us, highlighted by the common coloring (black and white) and the specific characteristics of each community that is exhibited in the colors used to decorate the hands and nails. The background for this strong connection is the Shema prayer expressing the shared foundation of our rich and long culture that goes back millenia”.

DKJA Head of School, Helena Levine said that the eighth-graders who were honored represent DKJA beautifully. “We couldn’t be more proud of Rachael, Savannah and Jonah. As our school emphasizes our bond with Israel daily, witnessing our students blend this knowledge with remarkable artistic talent reaffirms just how exceptional DKJA truly is.”