Present Time and Future Plans In essence, the World Fellowship fulfilled the goal of the founder, Dr. Sherman, in recruiting foreign Jewish physicians throughout the Diaspora to act in behalf of the Israel Medical Association, for medicine and the Israeli physicians. Through the years, the World Fellowship evolved into a very unique public institution in Israel and throughout the world, acting as an extension of the Israel Medical Association, and having a directing body that is elected among the chapters of the Israel Medical Association. The World Fellowship is unique in its operation, in its varied activities and welcomed contributions in its many years of existence, and in its contribution in behalf of the development of medicine as well as the physicians, members of the Israel Medical Association. The World Fellowship has been the bridge by which foreign members of the Israel Medical Association have expressed their linkage to the State of Israel and the promotion of medical life in Israel. As such, the World Fellowship flourished until the eleventh World Congress in 1979, when a disastrous row occured. The late Dr. Manuel Glazer, President of the American chapter, the richest and most powerful chapter of the World Fellowship, became unhappy with the way in which the executives ran the World Fellowship office in Israel, and was convinced that he could do it better. He argued that as he contributed most of the funds, he should take over the running of the World Fellowship. This was totally unacceptable to most of the Israelis and other thirty six World Fellowship chapters, and in a pique Dr. Glazer completely withdrew the American chapter from the World Fellowship. The American chapter continued as a separate organization, known as the American Physicians' Fellowship (APF). The World Fellowship in return has established a new small chapter of its own in the USA, which became the US chapter of the World Fellowship. But the impact of the separation of the American chapter (APF) from the World Fellowship is still evident today. Most of the financing for the World Fellowship, and a great deal of the funds destined for its many programs, had been contributed by the American chapter. The separation of the American chapter has badly damaged the financial infrastructure of the World Fellowship and much of its activities had faced many difficulties and were ceased during the 1980s. The continuing financial crisis of the World Fellowship and the realization by Diaspora physicians that Israel has established a strong and steadfast health system, which does not require their financial support as it did in the past, along with the decrease of interest in Zionism in general, have all contributed to a decrease in membership numbers down to approximately 4,000. Thanks to the blessed, tireless and courageous efforts of the chairmen of the Israel Medical Association during the last few years, Dr. Ram Yishai, Dr. Miriam Tzengen, Dr. Yoram Blachar, and the General Secretary Leah Wapner, who acted with the conviction and realization of the importance of the World Fellowship and its relationship with Jewish physicians abroad, new sources for funding have been found in order to continue the activities of the World Fellowship, out of the offices of the Israel Medical Association. Unfortunately, the World Fellowship was forced to cease the publication of its beautiful quarterly publication and its distribution among the thousands of foreign members, and consequently prompted a severing of ties with the many members and even to the collapse of some of the chapters. Today, isolated chapters are active in Europe ( England, Switzerland, Turkey, France, Holland, Belgium and Finland), North America ( Canada and the United States), South America ( Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela), a chapter in Australia, New Zealand and India. Members in those chapters work diligently on raising funds for the continuation of the scholarship efforts for continuing studies for Israeli physicians, hosting Israeli doctors abroad, and the exchange of students and doctors in order to maintain ties with the State of Israel. Despite the difficulties at home and abroad, and thanks to the strenuous efforts and the enormous investments by the chairmen of the World Fellowship, Dr. Rotstein, Dr. Barzilai and Prof. Ben Baruch, as well as a few very active members in the World Fellowship's Executive Committee ( Dr. Michael Dor, Dr. Leon Karp, Dr. Mardler Charlotte, Dr. Offer Chomsky, supported by Dr. Miriam Tzengen, the previous Chairwoman of the Israel Medical Association), close connections are kept with the foreign chapters, and the World Fellowship has resumed its hosting programs, the scholarship program, publication of the Newsletters and correspondence. The outgoing directorate has developed new plans for activities for the rehabilitation of the World Fellowship. The goals that were formulated at the establishment of the State of Israel, have been achieved and now, new goals must be formulated for the World Fellowship's activities. Undoubtedly, keeping the blessed close ties with physicians of the Diaspora is still of paramount importance for them and for the Israel Medical Association. It seems like the time has come for the Israel Medical Association, as the stable and successful organization of Israeli doctors, to invest more resources from veteran and new members, locally and abroad, for the World Fellowship and the development of innovative programs in order to provide solutions for the current needs of the Israeli doctors on the one hand, and the needs of the foreign Jewish physicians on the other. The newly formulated programs will be presented to the Central Committee of the upcoming convention. We hope for a continued and successful future of the World Fellowship, born at the turn of the century and blessed with over 50 years of ardent activity promoting medicine and physicians in Israel, as well as fulfilling its members' goals.