Israeli-Druze pharmacist becomes doctor, rejoins IDF with a mission

Amir Salameh, a Druze from the village of Hurfeish, completed his pharmacy studies as a military cadet in the IDF.

However, his true dream was to enrol in medical studies, and this week he received his doctoral degree from Bar-Ilan University.

Later, he said, “The Druze community proves time and again our uncompromising loyalty to the state. I am proud to join the IDF as a doctor and to have the privilege of serving Israel.”

From a young age, Salameh’s parents knew their son would achieve his dreams. This week, he fulfilled another.Salameh, 30, married, and a father of one, began studying pharmacy at 19 through the IDF’s military cadet program after rejection by medical school.

Upon completion, he enrolled in Bar-Ilan’s new medical program, which accepted applicants with academic degrees based on their grades. As an outstanding student, he was readily accepted and received his MD degree this week.

“I knew from childhood that I had to be a doctor,” he told Maariv. “After completing my studies and starting to work as a pharmacist, I realized the profession didn’t fully utilize all I had to offer. I wanted to do more, have a greater impact on patients, and heal and save lives. I enrolled in medical school in Safed for bachelor’s degree holders. After being accepted, the army preferred to let me go as a pharmacist to take me in as a military doctor after my studies.”

At 23, after a year of service as a military pharmacist, he returned to school at the Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee. “I was happy to study in the north not only because it was close to home but because I connected with the faculty’s mission to impact life in the periphery. I am a proud resident of the Galilee and will stay here,” he said.

After his studies, Salameh continued to a year-long internship at Ziv Hospital in Safed, which he completed with honors.

In recent months, he has been working there as a practicing doctor. In the coming month, he will return to military service as a battalion doctor, and later, he intends to specialize in neurology.

“Very few pharmacists transition to medicine because the first degree in pharmacy is very complex and requires significant investment. As a pharmacist, I already knew how medication works, how it would affect patients, and exactly what diseases each is for. Therefore, the combination of pharmacy and medicine is a winner, and I believe it makes me a better doctor.”

Anger at the Nation-State law

Despite the frustration and criticism from the Druze community regarding government treatment, lack of funding, and the Nation-State Law issue, Salameh’s motivation to contribute remains firm: “The Druze are breaking the glass ceiling generation after generation,” he said. “We prove that we are ordinary citizens, even if part of the population here doesn’t see it. We prove our uncompromising loyalty to this country even when we receive less. I am proud of the community to which I belong, and it won’t change due to any political situation. We have had a connection to the land and the homeland from time immemorial, and we have a commitment and a privilege to serve the state and contribute our part. This is the education we want to advance for future generations.”

The Druze community in Israel, unlike some other minorities, serves in the military and is known for its loyalty to the state. The Nation-State Law passed in 2018, has been a point of contention as it declares Israel to be the nation-state of the Jewish people, which some Druze feel undermines their status.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.