Former Health Ministry Deputy Dr. Sefi Mendelovich Faces Cooling-Off Dispute Over New Role

Conflict of Interest and the Cooling-Off Period

Dr. Sefi Mendelovich, who stepped down in late July 2026 as the number two official at the Ministry of Health, is seeking to begin a senior executive role at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem starting December 1, 2026. In his new position, Mendelovich is slated to lead the construction of the hospital's new inpatient tower, a massive project with an estimated cost exceeding 3 billion NIS.

However, a response from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) reveals significant regulatory concerns regarding his transition. The CSC determined that Mendelovich was legally required to report the job offer in real time when he first received it in December 2025. Furthermore, the commission rejected Mendelovich's claims that his conflict-of-interest agreement had completely neutralized his authority over the hospital during his tenure, describing the arrangement as "not hermetic."

Despite these findings, the CSC has recommended cutting his mandatory cooling-off period by more than half—from the standard nine months down to four. The final decision now rests with the Permits Committee at the Jerusalem District Court.

The 3 Billion NIS Tower and the WhatsApp Founder's Donation

According to documents submitted to the Permits Committee, Mendelovich received the job offer from Shaare Zedek in December 2025 while serving as the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Health and head of its Health Division, second in command only to Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov. Mendelovich did not report the offer to the ministry at the time.

It was only on May 3, 2026—four days before the official announcement of a historic $200 million donation from the Koum family foundation, led by WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum—that Mendelovich notified the Director-General of his intention to resign effective July 31. Following the donation, the hospital was renamed the "Koum Shaare Zedek Medical Center." The planned 24-story, 150,000-square-meter tower will add approximately 800 inpatient beds.

Mendelovich requested to start his new role on December 1, just four months after leaving public service. While the standard cooling-off period for an official of his rank is nine months, the CSC supported his request for a shortened four-month period. The commission noted that while his failure to report the offer in December 2025 was a "factor for severity," other mitigating circumstances justified the leniency.

Systemic Influence and the "Not Hermetic" Agreement

Before joining the Ministry of Health, Mendelovich served as the Deputy Medical Director at Shaare Zedek. Throughout his tenure at the ministry, he maintained professional ties with the hospital, continuing to work paid shifts once a week as a pediatric emergency room physician under a conflict-of-interest agreement signed on December 29, 2021.

The CSC pointed out that the Ministry of Health failed to formally appoint an independent official to oversee matters involving Shaare Zedek from which Mendelovich was barred, calling this omission "highly problematic for such a senior official." The commission also rejected Mendelovich's argument that his clinical work and conflict-of-interest agreement constituted a four-year "internal cooling-off period."

The CSC stated:

"The conflict-of-interest arrangement did not fully neutralize his authority regarding the hospital, as it allowed him to engage in broad systemic policies that indirectly affected Shaare Zedek, provided the impact was not material."

As head of the Health Division, Mendelovich managed emergency services, quality assurance, security, and medical committees. Although direct regulation of public non-governmental hospitals like Shaare Zedek fell under the Ministry's Economics and Budgeting Division, the CSC emphasized that Mendelovich's systemic decisions—such as national emergency protocols issued in January 2026 after he received the job offer—directly impacted all medical centers.

Post-Resignation Volunteering and Asset Disclosures

Another point of contention involved a request by Ministry of Health Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov for Mendelovich to continue assisting the ministry on a voluntary basis during national emergencies, cyber incidents, and blood supply crises until a permanent replacement is integrated. Mendelovich requested that this volunteer work not extend his cooling-off period.

The CSC strongly opposed granting prior approval for this arrangement, warning of a "slippery slope" and stating that any active return to the ministry would require a fresh cooling-off assessment.

Additionally, Mendelovich's initial conflict-of-interest disclosures revealed that he holds a minor 0.0096% financial stake in LUMIRA, a company specializing in rapid diagnostic testing, through a family partnership. He declared that the company had no active dealings with the Ministry of Health and that he was entirely excluded from COVID-19 procurement decisions.

The Jerusalem District Court's Permits Committee will make the final ruling on whether to approve the shortened four-month cooling-off period.