The Jewish Federation of Las Vegas is proud to welcome Dr. Amir Amitai to the Las Vegas Jewish community. Dr. Amitai will be visiting for the special Ofer & Shari Yardeni Rabin Medical Exchange Fellowship in conjunction with his final year of residency at the Rabin Medical Center located in Petah Tikva, Israel. He is being sponsored by Dr. Hugh Bassewitz and his practice, Desert Orthopedic Center. The Rabin Medical Center is Israel's premier hospital, operated by Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest Health maintenance organization serving five million patients annually.

Dr. Amitai currently serves as the Chief Resident in Orthopedics at the Rabin Medical Center. Prior to his service with the Rabin Medical Center, he was the Head of Paramedics for a manufacturing facility in Israel. Dr. Amitai served as a first lieutenant in a Special Forces unit of the Israel Defense Forces. He is a graduate of the Goldman Medical School at Ben Gurion University of the Negev and received a Bachelor of Medical Science degree from the same school. Amitai has given professional presentations on topics related to orthopedics in Turkey, Morocco, and Greece. In addition, he has completed professional training in the United Kingdom and the United States. In his spare time, Dr. Amitai is volunteer tutor to special needs children with the Israeli Ministry of Education.

Dr. Amitai's Ofer & Shari Yardeni Rabin Fellowship in Las Vegas is being arranged by Dr. Hugh Bassewitz of Desert Orthopedic Center and current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. Dr. Amitai is the second Rabin Fellow to visit from Israel and spend his Fellowship with Dr. Bassewitz. Last year, with the help of the Jewish Federation, our community hosted Dr. Eli Sidon as the first Rabin Medical Center resident to visit Las Vegas. "I am looking forward to hosting Dr. Amitai at my practice and as a guest of our Jewish Federation and Jewish community", noted Dr. Bassewitz. "This will be yet another meaningful experience for an Israeli doctor to spend time in Las Vegas to both broaden his career training as well as to bring a positive message about Israel to our community."

The two-week residence was arranged by Elliot B. Karp, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas and Dr. Joshua Eli Plaut, Executive Director of the American Friends of the Rabin Medical Center. "Our community is indeed very fortunate to be a part of this special program with the Rabin Medical Center," said Karp. "I encourage members of the community to come out and meet Dr. Amitai at one of the several events our Jewish Federation will be hosting for him during his visit." Dr. Amitai will be joined during his Fellowship by his wife, Yael, who is an Emergency Trauma Nurse at the Rabin Medical Center and their infant son, Yuval.

There will be several public events taking place for Dr. Amitai and his family during their stay in our community at which time Dr. Amitai will present on different topics, including his experience as an Israeli medical student, the Israeli health care system, and contemporary life in Israel. Yael will also share her unique perspective on health care and life in Israel.