Israel Medical Association
Professional services
UnclaimedIsrael's national professional association for physicians.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
The Israel Medical Association (IMA) is the principal professional association representing physicians in Israel. It functions as a national medical body rather than as a commercial healthcare brand, combining professional representation, ethical guidance, medical advocacy, publications, and international engagement. Its roots extend to the Hebrew Medicinal Society for Jaffa and the Jaffa District, established in 1912. That organization later developed into the Hebrew Medical Association in the Land of Israel, the institutional predecessor of the modern IMA. Dr. Moshe Sherman, described as the country's first otolaryngologist, founded the early association with five other physicians. Sherman was elected chairman in 1935 and subsequently became its honorary president. The association represents physicians across Israel and participates in debates concerning medical practice, professional standards, healthcare policy, physician working conditions, and the relationship between medicine and public institutions. Unlike a private healthcare company, the IMA does not primarily sell products or operate a hospital network. Its public-facing outputs include professional services for physicians, policy positions, ethical guidance, educational activity, international programs, and medical journals. Its publications include Harefuah, a Hebrew-language medical journal that provides English abstracts, and the Israel Medical Association Journal (IMAJ), an English-language scientific and medical publication. The IMA also maintains an international profile. Its world fellowship program is open to physicians from around the world, and the association has participated in international medical and professional organizations. In 2007, then-IMA chairman Yoram Blacher was named president of the World Medical Association, extending the association's influence beyond Israel. The IMA marked the centenary of its origins in November 2011 with a symposium and exhibition at the European Union headquarters in Brussels. The events were organized with the involvement of the Belgian Jewish Doctors' Group, B'nai B'rith International, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The organization has also taken positions on medical ethics and clinical practice. In January 2019, it prohibited its members from providing conversion therapy to patients, aligning its professional policy with growing international criticism of practices that seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity through psychologically or medically harmful interventions. The IMA's international relationships became politically contentious after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Advocacy groups and some medical organizations argued that the association should face international suspension or censure, alleging that it had not adequately condemned damage to Palestinian healthcare infrastructure, alleged abuses involving Palestinian detainees, or Israeli military conduct. The IMA rejected attempts to equate an independent professional association with the policies of the Israeli government. It stated that its members uphold universal medical ethics, emphasized medical neutrality and humanitarian aid, and pointed to internal advocacy, including an open letter by chair Zion Hagay warning the Israeli prime minister about the health consequences of withholding tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority. These disputes placed the IMA's participation in international medical networks under sustained scrutiny. The available reference material identifies Leonid Eidelman as chairman in one account and Zion Hagay as chair in later reporting; the chronology requires verification.
History
The Israel Medical Association traces its institutional history to the Hebrew Medicinal Society for Jaffa and the Jaffa District, founded in 1912 during the development of organized Jewish medical activity in the region. Dr. Moshe Sherman, recognized as the country's first otolaryngologist, established the society with five other physicians. The organization later evolved into the Hebrew Medical Association in the Land of Israel, which became the historical foundation of the contemporary Israel Medical Association. Sherman remained a central figure in the association's early development. In 1935 he was elected chairman of the Israel Medical Association and later received the position of honorary president. The association subsequently developed as a national professional body for physicians, representing the medical profession in discussions involving healthcare policy, professional standards, ethics, employment conditions, and public health. Its role is representative and regulatory in the professional sense; it is not a private hospital operator or a consumer healthcare chain. Over time, the IMA expanded its activities beyond domestic professional representation. It developed educational and international programs, including a world fellowship program available to physicians from different countries. It also became active in international medical institutions. A major milestone came in 2007, when Yoram Blacher, who had chaired the IMA since 1995, was appointed president of the World Medical Association. This appointment reflected the association's participation in global medical diplomacy and professional exchange. The IMA's centenary was celebrated in November 2011 with a symposium and exhibition at the European Union headquarters in Brussels. The commemorative events were organized with support from the Belgian Jewish Doctors' Group, B'nai B'rith International, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The anniversary emphasized the association's long institutional history and its connections with Jewish and international medical communities. Professional ethics became particularly visible in the association's public policy during the late 2010s. In January 2019, the IMA banned its members from performing conversion therapy on patients. The decision addressed a practice widely criticized by medical and mental-health organizations for lacking a sound therapeutic basis and for posing risks of psychological harm. The association's international standing became more contested after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Campaigners and some medical organizations accused the IMA of failing to take sufficiently explicit public positions against the destruction of healthcare facilities in Gaza, alleged mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, and Israeli military actions. Calls were made for the association to be suspended from international medical bodies or for other professional ties to be severed. In 2025, the British Medical Association and South African Medical Association were reported to have suspended institutional ties with the IMA. The IMA rejected the premise that an independent physicians' association should be held responsible for the actions of a national government. It argued that its members continue to follow universal medical ethics, emphasized the principles of medical neutrality and humanitarian access, and cited internal political advocacy. One example was an open letter attributed to chair Zion Hagay that warned the Israeli prime minister about the health consequences of withholding tax funds from the Palestinian Authority. International critics disputed whether these statements amounted to a sufficiently direct condemnation of Israeli conduct. The controversy remains part of the IMA's contemporary institutional history and has affected its relationships with medical organizations abroad. The available reference material gives differing indications about the association's chairmanship, identifying Leonid Eidelman in one account and Zion Hagay in later material; current leadership should therefore be independently verified.
- 2025
Reported suspension of institutional ties by two medical associations
[1]The British Medical Association and South African Medical Association were reported to have suspended institutional ties with the IMA.
- 2023
International controversy follows the Gaza war
[1]The association faced campaigns calling for international scrutiny or suspension over its public stance during the conflict.
- 2019
Conversion therapy prohibited
[1]The IMA banned members from performing conversion therapy on patients.
- 2011
Centenary commemorated in Brussels
[1]The IMA marked its hundredth anniversary with a symposium and exhibition at the European Union headquarters in Brussels.
- 2007
IMA chairman becomes World Medical Association president
[1]Yoram Blacher was named president of the World Medical Association.
- 1995
Yoram Blacher begins chairmanship
[1]Yoram Blacher began a chairmanship that continued through the period preceding his 2007 appointment to the World Medical Association presidency.
- 1935
Moshe Sherman elected chairman
[1]Sherman became chairman of the association and later served as its honorary president.
- 1912
Hebrew Medicinal Society for Jaffa and the Jaffa District founded
[1]Dr. Moshe Sherman and five other physicians founded the organization that ultimately became the historical predecessor of the Israel Medical Association.
Products and positioning
National professional representative and medical-policy voice for physicians in Israel, with a secondary role in medical publishing, ethics, education, and international professional cooperation.
Medical journal
Harefuah
Harefuah is the IMA's Hebrew-language medical journal. It serves the Israeli medical profession through medical and professional publishing, with English abstracts that make selected content more accessible to an international readership.
Medical journal
Israel Medical Association Journal
The Israel Medical Association Journal, commonly abbreviated as IMAJ, is the association's English-language medical and scientific journal. It provides an international publishing channel for medical research and professional material associated with Israel.
Physician fellowship and international exchange
World fellowship program
The IMA's world fellowship program is open to physicians from around the world. It represents the association's educational and international-cooperation function, connecting physicians with professional opportunities and medical exchange involving Israel.
Controversies
2023
International criticism of the IMA over the Gaza war
Critics accused the association of failing to publicly condemn damage to Palestinian healthcare facilities, Israeli military conduct, and alleged abuses involving Palestinian detainees. The IMA rejected the campaign's characterization of the association and emphasized medical neutrality, humanitarian aid, and the distinction between a professional association and a government.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023International campaigns seeking scrutiny of the IMA
Israel · International medical organizations
Following the Gaza war, advocacy groups and some medical organizations campaigned for suspension, censure, or severance of institutional ties with the IMA, citing alleged failures to condemn attacks on healthcare infrastructure and alleged mistreatment of Palestinian detainees.
Outcome. The campaign produced continuing international controversy and was followed by reported institutional suspensions in 2025, while the IMA defended its independence and commitment to medical ethics.
- 2011IMA centenary symposium and exhibition
Israel · Belgium · European Union
The IMA's hundredth anniversary was marked by a symposium and exhibition at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, organized with several Jewish and international community organizations.
Outcome. The event publicly commemorated the association's institutional history and international connections.
Brand decisions
2023
Defense of institutional independence during international Gaza-war criticismStrategyBackground
International campaigners sought to hold the IMA accountable for alleged ethical and humanitarian failures connected with Israel's conduct during the Gaza war.
Action taken
The IMA argued that an independent medical association should not be conflated with the Israeli government, asserted that its members follow universal medical ethics, and highlighted statements supporting medical neutrality, humanitarian aid, and internal advocacy.
Aftermath
The dispute contributed to continued pressure from international medical organizations and reported suspension of institutional ties by the British Medical Association and South African Medical Association in 2025.
2019
Ban on physician-provided conversion therapyOtherBackground
Conversion therapy has been widely criticized by medical and mental-health bodies as lacking a reliable therapeutic basis and potentially causing psychological harm.
Action taken
The IMA prohibited its members from performing conversion therapy on patients.
Aftermath
The policy established a clear professional restriction on the practice within the association's membership.
Sources2 sources
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