Steven Spielberg Image by Getty Images

What do you get when you combine the minds of “ER” creator Steven Spielberg and Phil Rosenthal, the executive producer of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” then throw in a dash of Israel? A new reality series that thrusts a group of American doctors into a bustling Israeli hospital.

Steven Spielberg Image by Getty Images

Multiple Oscar winner Spielberg, and Rosenthal, an Emmy-winning producer, will start work on their first reality project, about American doctors commissioned to work at the Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem. The hospital, where the show is slated to be filmed, is a religious medical center that employs both Arab and Israeli medical personnel.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Packing in as much drama as possible — and aiming to quell the world’s thirst for raw and awkward TV — the producers chose the religious hospital to place the doctors into a scenario in which they not only would have to navigate political and cultural barriers, but also learn how to practice medicine on the Sabbath.

“The idea is to take a small group of American doctors and bring them to this hot spot in the world. Shaare Zedek is one of the busiest hospitals in Jerusalem… you have Arab doctors working next to Jewish doctors, patients of all kinds… you have to check your religion at the door,” Rosenthal told the Israeli financial paper Globes.

“To me, it was important that it would be a reality show and not a documentary. So there is no hidden agenda, this is how it is; we are not presenting our views,” Rosenberg added.

The show is set to air on the Sundance Channel in 2011.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount