The Knesset Committee of Work, Welfare and Health (not sure why all those get bundled into one committee together) approved a new enactment declared by the Health Ministry by which doctors, clinical criminologists and communicational clinicians who wish to convert their foreign license to work in those fields, will only be allowed to do so if they can show a basic command of the Hebrew language.
According to MK Chaim Katz (Likud), the chairman of this committee, "Aliyah to Israel is to be blessed, and I am aware of the difficulties of the language, but the good of the patient has priority".
(source: ynet)
I do not know what they consider "basic", but now such people who make aliyah might have to go to ulpan first before they jump right into work.
I hope it wont discourage aliyah, as people might see it, or be afraid that it might be, as an impediment to finding gainful employment. I might suggest that the Jewish Agency, or maybe Nefesh bNefesh, might operate ulpans in the USA (maybe they already do?) so that people approved for aliyah can already begin getting a grasp of the language before landing here when they want to start looking for work right away...
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