Born and raised in Lugansk, Ukraine, Elena, 25, dreamed since childhood of living in Israel. As her city was caught up in the territorial conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, she knew it was time to leave. Once she graduated from Lugansk State Medical University, Elena set her plans to move to Israel in motion – but her path to Israel was more difficult because of the war.
Fortunately, she was able to get out of Ukraine safely and came to Israel as a participant in the Masa Doctors program. Founded by The Jewish Agency’s Masa Israel Journey program, Masa Doctors helps hundreds of young Jewish doctors pass the Israeli medical licensing exam to live and work in Israel.
“I chose to participate in Masa Doctors because the program helps you develop really good Hebrew skills and also prepares us for the IMLE (Israel medical license examination),“ said Elena. “My favorite part of Masa was learning Hebrew because I really wanted to know the language spoken by Jews. Before Masa, I had only learned a little Hebrew but I couldn’t talk to people. Now, after six months of study, I can speak about different things.”
Being part of the Masa program offered Elena many other opportunities and resources beyond learning Hebrew, including excursions around the country, easing the way for her future in Israel and further connecting her to the Jewish state.
“I took part in seminars provided by qualified lecturers, who taught us a lot about Israeli history, culture, international relations with other countries, Jewish holidays, etc. It was meaningful because we could truly learn about Israel in-depth,” explained Elena. “Being in Israel with Masa, I definitely feel Jewishly connected more than before even though I’m not religious.”
After finishing the Masa Doctors program in 2023, Elena passed the IMLE on her first attempt, despite it being a difficult exam. She now lives in Haifa and is preparing to work as a family doctor at Bnei Zion Hospital in Haifa, though she plans to specialize in Israel to become a cardiologist.
“I’m grateful to Masa for giving me such a high level of knowledge of Hebrew, medicine and Israel and for providing me with a place to live that helped me transition to life in Israel,” Elena shared. “The Jewish Agency and Masa Doctors helped make my Aliyah process easier and I’m really happy that I came to Israel because it was my dream. I’ve started a new life here, met a lot of interesting people and now I have big plans for the future. I am grateful to the State of Israel for this opportunity, and I hope I will be able to contribute to the development of the country.”
