85 17 12 15 Look for us on facebook www.facebook.com/mdaonline Like MDAOnLine Wave of Terror A New Ambulance & Medi Cycle in Memory of Jacob and Netanel Hai Litman H"YD The Shining Stars At Benefit Dinner For MDA MDA NSW Proudly Welcomes New Patron Topol Helps MDA UK Raise 20,000 Moriah s Physical Challenge for MDA Light up the Holiday for Elderly and Patients
Wave Of Terror Since the beginning of the Wave of Terror, Sep. 13th 2015 until December 14th 2015, MDA teams have provided medical treatment to 274 casualties, 22 have died and 252 were injured: 21 in sever condition, 7 in moderate to severe condition, 36 in moderate condition, 11 in mild to moderate condition, and 177 in mild condition. In addition MDA teams have assisted 95 people with stress symptoms. Photos : MDA Spokesmen 2
Marking the 30 Days since the Tragic Murder near Otniel: Jacob and Netanel Hai Litman s Memory was Perpetuated with a New Ambulance & Medi-cycle in Kiryat Arba On the afternoon of Monday December 14th, a special memorial ceremony was held in the community center of Kiryat Arba, marking the 30th day in memory of Jacob and Netanel Hai Litman who were heinously murdered in a terrorist attack near Otniel on the 13th of November. The ceremony was attended by the family of Jacob and Netanel Hai H YD, MDA Director General Eli Bin, MDA officials and the Mayor of Kiryat Arba- Hebron Malachi Levinger. During the ceremony a new ambulance was dedicated in memory of the late Netanel and Jacob H YD thanks to the generous donation of Vicki and Ron Sims from Los Angeles. In addition, a new MDA Medi-cycle, donated by high school students of Moriah College in Sydney Australia and members of the Jewish community in Sydney, was inaugurated. The students and the community were so tragically moved that they decided immediately after the attack to donate the medi-cycle in memory of Jacob and Netanel who was their own age. Noa Litman, the widow of the late Jacob and Nathaniel s mother, thanked MDA Director General Eli Bin, the MDA teams, residents of Kiryat Arba and of course the generous donors of the ambulance and Medi-cycle. The head of the Kiryat Arba- Hebron Council, Malachi Levinger, thanked MDA for the donations and said at the ceremony: Another ambulance joins the Kiryat Arba emergency system under the MDA flag and so I would like to thank the Director General of MDA and the kind donors who managed to place the ambulance quickly with us. We believe that Rabbi Jacob and Nethanel H YD are with us at this time and continue to spread their light without interruption. Dear Litman family, we continue to stand by your side. Security personnel, medical personnel and precious volunteers, continue to act fearless, with intensity and devotion. I wish us all days of peace. Photos: Miki Freidin MDA Spokesmen 3
Ronald O. Perelman, Michael R. Bloomberg, Ido Aharoni Among The Shining Stars At Benefit Dinner For MDA On December 8, 2015, in New York, Philanthropist Ronald O. Perelman, former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and Israel s Consul General in New York Ambassador Ido Aharoni helped American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) raise more than $1.5 million for Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel s national emergency medical response organization, at its third annual New York Red Star Gala last Wednesday night at the Grand Hyatt New York. Proceeds from the sold-out event, hosted by MSNBC s Krystal Ball, will go toward building MDA s new national blood center, a facility that will protect Israel s entire blood supply from terror attacks and natural disasters, and toward ambulances and lifesaving equipment. Photos: Michael Priest Photography Former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (left) presented the AFMDA 2015 Humanitarian Award to philanthropist Ronald O. Perelman Former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (back row, fourth from left) and AFMDA Chairman Mark Lebow (back row, third from right) pose with MDA volunteers MDA volunteer Hananel Alvo, left, met AFMDA National Board member Donna Fried Calcaterra, right Brigadier General Professor Yitshak Kreiss, former Surgeon General of the IDF, was a guest speaker Israel s Consul General to New York, Ambassador Ido Aharoni, was a guest speaker at the Gala Perelman, chairman and chief executive officer of MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, was honored with the 2015 AFMDA Humanitarian Award. Without Magen David Adom, no other organization doing invaluable work to help humanity can exist, he said. It all starts with saving lives. The award was presented by Mayor Bloomberg, whose longtime support of MDA includes financing for the William H. Bloomberg Jerusalem MDA Medical Station. Nearly 500 guests attended the gala. Among them were Diana Taylor, vice chair, Solera Capital, LLC; Marjorie Tiven, founder, Global Cities, Inc.; Patti Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies; Eli Bin, MDA Director- General; Prof. Eilat Shinar, MDA Director of Blood Services; and other notables in finance, business, and law. Additional honors included the Star of David Leadership Award, presented to Gaby Ferman Lehrer and Mark R. Lehrer; the Young Professional Leadership Award, presented to Stella Amar-Cohen; and the Jerusalem Award, presented to Susan and Herbert Donner and Sylvia and Dr. Jaime Sznajder. The need to support Magen David Adom has never been more relevant when, in light of the increased violence in the past few months, the demands on MDA s services have reached unprecedented levels, Mr. Donner said. The evening also included remarks from Brigadier General Professor Yitshak Kreiss, former Surgeon General of the IDF, as well as AFMDA s Chief Executive Officer David M. Frankel and Chairman Mark Lebow. Krystal Ball expressed her honor to serve as host, noting, Both my brother-in-law and sister-in-law served in the IDF. My husband was in Israel during the first Gulf War when the SCUD missiles landed. In a moving surprise, AFMDA National Board member Donna Fried Calcaterra was introduced to Hananel Alvo, an MDA volunteer medic. Alvo survived a terrorist knife attack in Israel thanks, in part, to MDA s quick response. Motivated to give back, he became an MDA volunteer, and today he drives an ambulance sponsored 4 by Calcaterra in memory of the three Israeli boys who were kidnapped and killed June 2014.
MDA NSW Proudly Welcomes New Patron Harry Triguboff lights Chanukah candle On a perfect Sydney summer evening, Magen David Adom NSW held a welcome reception to honour its newly appointed Patron, Robert Magid in the harbour side home of business and communal identity Harry Triguboff. Robert is the publisher of the Australian Jewish News and is a highly regarded and well respected business entrepreneur and philanthropist involved with several Israeli and local communal causes. The function was attended by a number of dignitaries including the Israeli Ambassador, His Excellency Shmuel ben Shmuel, as well as distinguished communal presidents and CEOs representing a cross section of local and Israel based organisations as well as MDA s major supporters. Roland Nagel, President, welcomed guests and introduced the Ambassador who is the Honorary Patron of MDA Australia, to deliver a message of congratulations on behalf of the State of Israel. This was followed by an emotional visual report portraying the terror incidents that the people of Israel has been experiencing and what Magen David Adom is doing to care for the victims. As it was the eighth night of Chanukah, Rabbi Benji Levy, Dean of Jewish Life & Learning of Moriah College, one of the Jewish Day Schools, was invited to recite the blessings and lead the singing of Maoz Tzur and to light the first candle. He was followed by the Ambassador and other distinguished guests to participate in the lighting of a magnificent menorah specifically designed for the event. Although Eli Bin, Director General was unfortunately unable to attend due to the situation in Israel, he recorded a message of support for the outstanding achievements of MDA NSW and congratulated Robert Magid on his new role in the organisation. Making a presentation to Robert of a 85th anniversary MDA commemorative medallion, Roland Nagel said that the NSW Friends of Magen David Adom was delighted to appoint Robert as its Patron in appreciation and recognition of his outstanding dedication and commitment to Israel and the local community. Roland said Through TMG Developments, Robert has been the principal sponsor of our highly successful campaign functions over the last two years and together with his charming wife, Ruth, hosted a private breakfast briefing earlier in 2015 enabling us to raise funds for a compact defibrillator unit for a medi-cycle." In response, Robert said, There are a lot of very valuable causes and useful organisations that do good work, but one has to choose an organisation that one can strongly identify with. Here s an organisation that saves lives regardless of who needs emergency medical assistance. You always see MDA ambulances when there s a terrorist attack; it s a lifesaving organisation and it s an honour to be associated with it. Robert said the organisation is particularly close to his heart given that he served in the IDF and trained as a medic. He also volunteered during the Yom Kippur War. More recently, I got involved during the Gaza war when Guests of the reception in honor of Robert Magid On the left Roland Nagel MDA NSW President with the former MDA NSW President Eli Tal On the left Gabrielle Upton MP, Attorney General of NSW, Margaret Nagel, HE Shmuel ben Shmuel, Israeli Ambassador Robert Magid speaking at the reception Roland Nagel presenting Robert Magid with a token of appreciation Photos: MDA NSW I saw what was happening, and the importance of ambulances and immediate response, he said. He said he hopes that, as Patron, his meaningful contribution will help to develop the profile and engagement of MDA NSW within the local community. 5
Topol Helps MDA UK Raise 20,000 On Sunday evening, 6th December, Raleigh Close Shul played host to the Magen David Adom Hendon annual dinner, which attracted over 100 people. During the evening, guests were entertained by the band G zang, featuring the likes of Shimi Godman and Deror Margalit. Guests were then shown an appeal film that featured Filddler on the Roof, Chaim Topol. Chief Executive of MDA UK, Daniel Burger presented the Hendon committee with a certificate in recognition of their 4th ambulance which was dedicated earlier this year. Speaking after the event, Chairman of MDA Hendon Committee, David Hillel said: It was a fabulous evening and Topol helped us to raise nearly 20,000 which will go towards saving more lives in Israel. We are thrilled with this, especially given the current threatening situation in Israel. Photos: MDA UK 6
MDA NSW President, Roland Nagel, with the Beit Hillel Captains at Moriah College Photos: MDA NSW Moriah s Physical Challenge for MDA Moriah College Hillel House students conceived of a most original idea to support Magen David Adom s lifesaving role in Israel. To reflect the physical contribution of MDA in Israel in protecting our family in Israel, the students took on a grueling physical challenge. The challenge was integrally intertwined with Israel as it involved an 88km run, a 110km row, and a 156km cycle. Undertaken on a treadmill, rowing machine and exercise bike, these distances correspond to running the length and width of the Golan Heights, rowing two laps of the Sea of Galilee, and cycling from Haifa to Jerusalem. Amongst those participating in aspects of the challenge was Moriah College Principal John Hamey. We hope the money we have raised can go towards contributing to a motorbike to help the MDA emergency response team move quicker, said Hillel House Captains Ryan Lonstein and Tyra Katz. Indeed, their effort contributed to NSW Friends of MDA being able to donate a First Responder Medicycle to MDA Israel, together with funds already contributed by the NSW community in response to the Wave of Terror emergency appeal. We are so touched by the tremendous effort of these young people, said NSW President Roland Nagel who also participated in the challenge, and later gratefully received a cheque from Moriah College students at an assembly. 7
Light up the Holiday for Elderly and Patients: MDA Volunteers Handed out Sufganiyot - Doughnuts throughout Israel during the Holiday Each year, Hanukkah at MDA represents another opportunity to contribute to the community in different ways, and among the youth volunteers of MDA it represents a great tradition to which preparations were made. This year hundreds of MDA youth volunteers brought joy to the hearts of the sick and elderly across Israel, handing out Sufganiyot doughnuts in hospitals, mental health departments and retirement homes. MDA Director General Eli Bin: Throughout the year MDA s wonderful youth volunteers do good deeds for the community. Hanukkah is another great opportunity to shed some light and joy, and the youth volunteers did this by engaging the sick and elderly with great love during the holiday. I wish the people of Israel a happy and safe Hanukkah. Photos : MDA Spokesmen 8