Jewish dentists ease transition for Argentine colleague
by Ita Kendal Communications Associate
JIAS Montreal

The sight of children playing happily by themselves outside their homes is one thing that confirmed for Myriam Feldman that immigrating to Montreal was the right choice for her and her family. 

Shortly after arriving in Montreal from Buenos Aires in 2003, Feldman was apartment hunting with her husband Gustavo Wendichansky and her sons Ezequiel and Nicolas, eight and six at the time, when they spotted several children playing outdoors without adult supervision.  

My son noticed immediately there were no adults present, Feldman recalls.  “He was puzzled and asked where the parents were,” she says. “Both of my sons were quite surprised to see those children playing alone. This might seem normal for anyone who lives here, but in Buenos Aires we can’t let a child go out and play without an adult to watch over him. It’s not safe.” 

The safety of Montreal reassured the Argentine dentist that her family had made the right move. However, amid the advantages, it’s important to remember there are many difficulties that can also make life tough for new immigrants.  

For a dentist, as is the case for many professionals, those challenges are significant. By the time Feldman arrived in Montreal, she had already been practicing for seven years. But to be licensed to practice in Quebec, she had to undertake many months of study to pass her dental and language exams. Feldman also had to apply for a dental residency and she knew a place could not be guaranteed for a dentist from another country; nor was she certain that she would be accepted into a program. 

Luckily, Feldman did have one unique advantage. When she became a dentist, she joined the Buenos Aries chapter of Alpha Omega, an international society of Jewish dentists with a chapter in Montreal. In 2002, before an exploratory trip to Montreal, Feldman wrote to the Montreal chapter.  

Steven Kerner is a dentist and longtime JIAS Montreal board member. He was also on the executive of the Mount Royal Chapter of Alpha Omega at the time and remembers receiving her letter. He and his colleagues invited Feldman to come to one of their meetings when she was in town. She accepted the invitation and it proved to be an invaluable experience. It provided her with an almost instant network of Jewish colleagues—something that does not exist for Jewish newcomers in any other profession.  

On her return to Argentina, Feldman began communicating with several of the Montrealers by e-mail She made friends and learned more from her new friends about practicing in Quebec. They also told her about the McGill University Multidisciplinary Residency Training Program. As a result, Feldman applied to this program. Good fortune and her professional credentials were on her side: She was chosen from about 50 applicants for one of the four residency places available at the Jewish General Hospital in 2003. 

At the hospital, Feldman occasionally ran into Kerner and she learned he was there to work in the JIAS dental clinic. This monthly clinic gives new immigrants access to dental care if they can’t afford to see a dentist. As one of the dentists who helped to set up the clinic, Kerner often volunteers his time there.  

Feldman, who is enthusiastic about JIAS and its work with newcomers like herself, told Kerner she was eager to volunteer at the clinic, where she was soon putting in time. “He watched me work and I think he liked what he saw,” she says of her earliest days volunteering at the JIAS clinic. “He was always telling me to call him when I finished all of my exams.” 

After completing her licensing exam, Feldman decided to call Kerner even though her French exams still lay ahead of her. But Kerner wasted no time. They met the next day and he asked her to join his practice.  

“I had room for her to work and I told her she could build a practice at her own pace,” he says. “Besides,” Kerner admits with the hint of a smile in his voice, “I don’t like doing root canals, so I pass all those procedures on to Myriam.”  

Feldman passed her language exam in January 2007 and is now fully certified to practice in Quebec. Today, she’s somewhat philosophical about the last few years and her family’s choice to immigrate. On one hand, she’s fallen about 10 years behind her classmates from dental school. On the other, she’s relieved that the years of studying and her residency at the hospital are behind her. Now she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family and with good friends she, her husband and the boys have found in Montreal.