Dentists still have to complete practical part of exam when they arrive in Israel
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Record number of US dentists plan aliyah
Unique cooperation between Nefesh B’Nefesh, Israel’s Health Ministry gives American dentists opportunity to take first theoretical exam in US to help expedite process of obtaining Israeli license.
An unprecedented number of 20 dentists from around the United States, who are planning to make aliyah to Israel,
gathered recently to take the Israeli Dentistry Licensing Exam, which was held for them at the Nefesh B’Nefesh
offices in Paramus, New Jersey.
Dentists who immigrate to Israel must pass the Dentistry Licensing Examination given by the Ministry of Health’s Dentistry Department in order to practice their profession in Israel. The test has two parts – theoretical and practical – and takes place twice a year in various languages.
This is the largest group ever to take the test outside Israel.
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Following the unique cooperation between Nefesh B’Nefesh and the State of Israel’s Ministry of Health, it was decided that the dentists would be given the opportunity to take the first theoretical exam in the United States to help expedite the process of obtaining an Israeli license and make the process easier for them.
The dentists still have to complete the practical part of the exam when they arrive in Israel. This part of the exam must be taken within three years of taking the theoretical exam.
'An absolute game changer'
"I think it’s an amazing thing to be able to have the opportunity to take the Israeli Government’s Dentistry Licensing Exam while I am still in the US," said Debbie Goldschmiedt of New York City, one of the dentists who took the exam."This new option is saving a lot of waiting time and energy, and more importantly, it will enable me to start working as a dentist and earn a living in Israel shortly after my aliyah."
Nefesh B'Nefesh, in partnership with the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF USA, has been assisting the dentists in every area of the exam including completing forms, payment arrangements, and preparing for the exam, as well as serving as a mediator with the Health Ministry.
“The fact that the Israeli government, and more specifically the Health Ministry, is accommodating dentists interested in making aliyah, is an extraordinary display of the State of Israel’s willingness to do all in their power to encourage aliyah,” explained Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh.
"It is an absolute game changer that olim dentists will now be able to join the Israeli workforce shortly after their arrival in Israel."
