Dear Friend,

We are proud to announce the continued growth and evolving vision of Allergists for Israel, a group founded in 1985 with a steadfast mission: to support the development and expansion of the specialty of allergy and immunology in Israel.

Our Mission:

To ensure that allergy and immunology continue to thrive and expand in Israel, providing exceptional care for patients and advancing scientific understanding of allergic and immunological conditions.

Our Vision:

Vision 1: We strive to build a strong clinical and research infrastructure in Israel, one that is recognized internationally for its significant contributions to allergy and immunology. Our goal is to attract the best and brightest of Israel's physicians to this growing specialty.

Vision 2: We aim to foster the ongoing success of allergy and immunology in Israel by creating meaningful mentorship opportunities for emerging specialists. In addition, we seek to inspire international collegial relationships, bringing together experts from around the world to collaborate and share knowledge.

Goals and Principles:

1. Collaboration and Cooperation: To encourage international collaboration among allergy/immunology clinicians, educators, and researchers to promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices within the specialty in Israel and around the world.

2. Education and Training: To foster excellence in allergy/immunology specialization by providing education and training opportunities for healthcare professionals. We aim to create a supportive environment, particularly for early-career allergists/immunologists, to thrive both in Israel and internationally.

3. Research and Innovation: To support and promote cutting-edge research in the field of allergy/immunology in Israel, encouraging the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic solutions that benefit patients globally.

4. Mentorship and Networking: To facilitate mentorship opportunities and networking events for Israeli allergists/immunologists and healthcare professionals, promoting professional relationships both within Israel and globally.

5. Advocacy and Awareness: To engage in advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the importance of allergy/immunology care and the needs of allergy/immunology patients in Israel and internationally.

6. Inclusivity and Diversity: To foster an inclusive and diverse global community within the international society of allergists/immunologists, embracing the unique backgrounds and experiences of all members to establish and maintain a dynamic and effective organizational culture.

7. Ethics and Integrity: To uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity in all aspects of allergy/immunology patient care, research, and education, ensuring that our society operates in the best interest of patients and inspires our members.

We deeply value your ongoing commitment and contributions to our mission. Together, we will continue to strengthen this important field and ensure that Israel remains at the forefront of allergy and immunology.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas on how we can further our vision, we encourage you to get in touch. We are excited about the future and look forward to achieving these milestones together.

Warm regards,

Leonard Bielory, M.D.

President, Allergists for Israel

Professor of Medicine, Allergy, Immunology, and Ophthalmology

STARx Asthma and Allergy Center

Herzog Medical Center in Jerusalem needs physicians to help temporarily staff its LTAC/rehab facility, which is dedicated mainly to chronic vent and psychological trauma (PTSD) patients. I know this is a significant potential commitment, but it sounds like they are quite short staffed, especially with the influx of new patients with PTSD from the Nova massacre. 

If any of you have an interest, please register online (https://apfmed.org/) and/or contact Amir Goldshtein: amir@afpmed.org, who can set up emergency credentialing/insurance/travel – they have already sent several delegations.

 

On Thursday, November 9, from 6am-11am MT, Matthew Wynia will be celebrating the launch of an extraordinary and unique Lancet Commission final report. We hope you will consider joining for this historical event via Zoom. 

This event is the culmination of years of work by an international, interdisciplinary Lancet Commission comprising 20 colleagues from around the world. It lays out in considerable detail the history of health professional involvement in Nazism and the Holocaust and the implications of this terrible history for today and tomorrow. It then makes a set of arguments about why this history should be integrated into the education of every health sciences learner worldwide, and it provides state of the art guidance on how to do so.

The program includes:

1. A summary of the report and discussion of its relevance to today's medical community. 
2. Video testimonials of survivors of Josef Mengele's twin experiments addressing the meaning of the report.
3. A keynote by Jing-Bao Nie (Bioethics Centre, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand), "Counteracting Inhumanity with Humanity - A Perspective of Confucian Global Ethics about the Lancet Report on Nazi Medicine."
4. An all-star lineup of other speakers, including Richard Horton, Sabine Hildebrandt, Herwig Czech, Shmuel Reiss, Petra Fuchs, Volcker Roelcke, and yours truly.

You can learn more about the launch and register at https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/en/ueber-uns/events/2023/lancet-report/. 

Don't just sign, please spend the next 5 minutes forwarding it to as many contacts as possible.

That's the only way 1000 signatories becomes 50,000.

Following the recent dangerous, threatening antisemitic rallies at Cooper Union, NYU, Cornell , GW, Columbia it is critical to urge our senators to vote YES on the bipartisan resolution brought yesterday before the Senate to condemn antisemitism on campus and protect Jewish students.

Please complete and share the ADL form. They will send emails to Senators on your behalf urging them to vote YES.

https://adl.salsalabs.org/campus-congress/index.html

View Mayim Bialik's passionate discussion of antisemitism in the context of Gaza.

In light of the ongoing situation in Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Health is building a list of medical personnel from abroad to volunteer in Israel should the need arise.

We invite friends of Israel to add their names to our growing community of medical personnel who stand with Israel. Doctors, nurses, and paramedics licensed abroad can join Medical Volunteers for Israel using the Ministry of Health’s online form, to ensure pre-clearance of medical licenses.

https://go.gov.il/volunteersforisrael

There is an urgent need for a new generation of trained educators with knowledge about the history of Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust as well as advanced skills in teaching this challenging and complex subject. Join the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus's fellowship and add this unique specialty to your teaching CV. This program is sponsored by AFI member William Silvers.

Dear AFI Friends,

It is the emotions of sadness, anger, fear, and a heart that is wounded we feel as our family, colleagues and friends in Israel face this painful and difficult time. May they find strength, healing, and comfort during this horrific time. AFI prays and hopes for a quick end to the recent conflict and for peace and tranquility for the state of Israel and its peaceful neighbors.

Chag Sameach and Am Yisrael Chai!

Jonathan Bernstein, M.D.

AFI Chairperson

View the Reframing Rescue Therapy to Help Prevent Asthma Exacerbations Video from our sponsor, AstraZeneca!

Read the July newsletter from AFI.