Inviting tomorrow’s doctors to fall in love with Israel today — that’s the premise behind the American Physicians Fellowship for Medicine, a specialized track within the Taglit-Birthright Israel program offering free trips to Israel for Jews ages 18 to 26. For the last 11 years, APF has been showing future medical professionals from across North America the Israel most of them have only seen in news reports — while creating memories, loyalties and friendships that could last a lifetime.
Among this year’s 39 participants, roughly half of them were students in medical school or other health care programs. The other travelers were certified health care professionals, including nurses, doctors, occupational and physical therapists.
“Being in Israel was eye-opening, but at the same time I felt completely comfortable,” said Brittany Bunkis, 22, who returned from her trip in June. “I’ve been to Russia and England, but when I met Israelis, especially the soldiers, the conversations were somehow personal as soon as we met. We had so much in common. ”
Along with must-see sites including the Kotel in Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea, this year’s 10-day journey was packed with tours designed to expose the group to the strengths and challenges of Israel’s healthcare field.
Accompanying the group was Dr. Jeffrey Devries, president-elect of APF. It was the second year that Devries, associate dean and director of graduate medical education at Oakland University’s medical school in Michigan, helped lead the tour.
“The trip enables them to begin a lifelong process of trying to integrate their emerging identities as medical professionals, members of the Jewish community and supporters of Israel,” Devries said. “They have ‘skin in the game’ in each of these domains, and they should understand that not only are they not contradictory, but they can strengthen one another.”
Being with others in the field was a big plus for Jonathan Gabriel, 25, who is heading to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in September. “It was cool being with a lot of smart people — the Americans and the Israelis,” he said. “We got into good discussions over the things we’re all going through.”
One focus of the tour was the values that make Israel and its medical community stand out. Dr. Ofer Merin — who heads the trauma unit at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center and is commander of the Israel Defense Forces Field Hospital Unit, which is responsible for the Israeli military’s mobile medical teams dispatched to crisis zones around the world — told the group the unit has become known for its ability to establish working field hospitals within six hours of arriving at a crisis location.
Jewish values also were spotlighted when the group visited the Save a Child’s Heart facility outside Tel Aviv, where participants witnessed children with heart conditions from around the world being brought in for the latest cutting-edge treatments.
As part of its visit to Shaare Zedek, the team met Dr. Asael Lubotzky, whom Devries described as “a true hero.” Lubotzky risked his life to rescue fallen comrades during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when an explosive was fired into his tank. He now walks with the aid of crutches and braces, but his injuries didn’t stop him from joining Shaare Zedek’s pediatric residency program.
For many of the students, the trip was a way to combat negative anti-Israel messaging they often hear on their campuses. “The best argument against that is to be exposed to the real Israel,” said Devries. “Once they see the way things really are, that is the most powerful argument.”
Trip participants said they left Israel wanting more of the Jewish state in their lives. Gabriel is thinking about completing an elective rotation in Israel.
“I have a friend who did part of his training in Uganda. Why not Israel?” he said.