Corona effect: Dozens of doctors who immigrated to Israel will join the health system Israel today

More than 3,000 young people have immigrated to Israel through the Masa organization in the past year, and 80 of them will join the Israeli health system this month.

Masa, a foundation of the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government, opened its 18th year of activity this morning (Wednesday) with the participation of thousands of young Jews from dozens of countries from all over the world, which will continue into the night.

The veteran organization, which leads the long-term programs in Israel for young people in the Diaspora, annually brings between 11,000 and 12,000 young Jews from 60 countries around the world to Israel, in order to study, teach, specialize or volunteer in Israel for periods of 10-4 months.

In the 18 years since Masa was established, over 170,000 participants from the ages of 18 to 35 from 60 different countries took part in the various programs, of which 30% chose to immigrate to Israel.

Despite the Corona crisis period, there has been a significant increase this year of 153% in demand for a career travel program, and 50% in volunteer programs in the last two years.

There are currently about 7,500 participants in Israel and thousands more are expected to arrive during the year.

About 11,000 participants took part in the event // Photo: Masa organization,

Every year, Masa organizes a large international opening event with the participation of leading public figures and artists.

This year, after a period of online events, this will be the largest Diaspora event around the world that will include a meeting between journey participants from a variety of programs, different countries of origin, languages ​​and cultures at Ganei Yehoshua in Tel Aviv.

A major ceremony will be held at the event in the presence of Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai, Prime Minister Shalom Shlomo, Acting Chairman of the Jewish Agency Yaakov Hagoel and Masa CEO Ofer Gutman. The families of the participants, graduates of the organization and partners from all over the world, tonight will be signed with a show by Hatikva 6.

The young people come from dozens of countries around the world // Photo: Masa,

President Yitzhak Herzog congratulated Masa participants: "By choosing to integrate into Israeli society, you contribute to growth in Israel and become partners in the critical task of strengthening ties between Israel and the Jewish people, especially with the younger generation. I long to see how our journey together, Will make your life more diverse and richer.

"As President of the State of Israel, I look forward to continuing to work with the organization and I thank you for making this amazing project a reality for so many years. Who will give and enjoy many years of success and significant impact," the president said.

Ofer Gutman, CEO of Masa, said: "I welcome the happy trend of young people in the Diaspora to come to Israel, despite the challenges of the Corona in the past year.

This is the first time that Diaspora Jewry is celebrating together, face to face here in Israel, in the most extensive event since the beginning of the Corona plague.

The arrival of thousands of participants in Israel for the 18th year is a deep expression of confidence of the international Jewish community in a significant experience in Israel.

"During the period that the participants will be in Israel, they will experience Israeliness and assimilate as an integral part of our society. Masa continues to operate and be the main factor that brings Diaspora Jewry to Israel these days, and we are proud of that," said the organization's CEO.