Once a teenage girl navigating the ultra-Orthodox streets of Bnei Brak, Dr. Tovi now walks the halls of Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam). Her journey of stepping beyond her upbringing to graduate at the top of her class is a testament to resilience, purpose, and belief in something bigger.
Dr. Tovi at Rambam. Photography: Rambam HCC
Rambam recently welcomed a new internal medicine resident whose journey into medicine was anything but ordinary. Dr. Tovi grew up in Bnei Brak, one of Israel’s most traditional ultra-Orthodox cities, where young women typically follow a very different path. From a young age, Tovi was raised in a world with clearly defined roles and expectations, and becoming a physician was not one of them.
When just 15 years old, everything changed. Tovi arrived alone, afraid, and unsure at the emergency room seeking medical attention. The physician who treated her did not just administer care, she looked Tovi in the eye and “saw” her. That moment of compassion, of being seen and not judged, stayed with her.
By 18, Tovi had made the decision to leave the world in which she was raised, and stepped into a life that was unfamiliar in every way. Without a formal high school diploma or traditional support system, she attended a pre-academic program and completed her matriculation exams, volunteered for national service, completed the rigorous psychometric exams, and earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. Eventually, she was accepted to the Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, and this week, graduated with highest honors.
Now married and a mother to a young son, Tovi is starting her residency at Rambam. Her story is a powerful reminder of the strength it takes to leave behind what is known, in pursuit of what is right for yourself and for the future.
Dr. Tovi represents more than personal resilience. She embodies a growing movement in Israeli society: one that embraces diversity in medicine, welcoming individuals from all backgrounds—a value that Rambam proudly embraces.
In her own words: “Living the dream—that’s the real and most rewarding job there is.”
