L onny can’t remember any details from the day his entire life changed, much less the weeks that followed. He was hit by a truck while riding his motorcycle, and the impact broke his body in almost every way imaginable. His pelvis

fractured, his spine cracked, he slipped into a coma, and he was losing so much blood, doctors had to pump it in as quickly as he was losing it.

Today, Lonny is fully recovered, all thanks to Magen David Adom. MDA paramedics treated him at the scene and took him to the hospital. And once there, it was blood from MDA’s National Blood Services Center that saved his life.

MDA collects, tests, stores, and distributes 97 percent of the blood for Israel’s hospitals and 100 percent of the blood supply for the Israel Defense Forces. So Israelis who find themselves in a situation like Lonny’s rely completely on MDA and its single blood center.

That blood center, which serves the entire nation, is at risk. When it was built in the 1980s, no one imagined that rockets would one day reach Ramat Gan, outside Tel Aviv. But last summer’s Operation Protective Edge confirmed our worst fears: now there’s nowhere in Israel terrorist rockets can’t reach. On the night of July 8, 2014, with Israel under heavy rocket fire, MDA Director General Eli Bin ordered the evacuation of Israel’s blood supply into an under-ground shelter for the remainder of the conflict. This allowed the blood center’s critical operations to continue, but calling it a perma-nent solution is like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

In This IssueMDA First Team in Nepal After Earthquake ........................ pg. 2

Day Schools Jointly Sponsor Ambulance ................................. pg. 7

Holocaust Survivor Donates 12 Ambulances ..................... pg.11

Israel’s Blood Supply Going UndergroundAFMDA launches $100 million campaign to build new blood services center.

PulseTHE The Newsletter of American Friends of Magen David Adom Summer 2015 Issue 5

NORTHEAST EDITION

(continued on page 3)

THE FRONT LINES

The Newsletter of American Friends of Magen David Adom THEPulse

MDA IN ACTION IN ISRAEL AND ABROAD THE FRONT LINES MDA IN ACTION IN ISRAEL AND ABROAD

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MDA Paramedic Becomes Hero for Baby BatNot all MDA patients are of the human variety. After a baby fruit bat crashed into the windshield of an MDA ambulance, Paramedic Nati Haron got out and immediately began trying to resuscitate the animal.

Using tools designed for much larger mammals, Haron knew he had to be a bit creative. Putting a syringe (minus the needle) into the unconscious bat’s mouth, Haron fed it sugar water. The animal woke up and drank enthusiastically.

“I looked at her, and she looked back at me. I tried to release her twice in the Ma’aleh Adumim area, but I saw she couldn’t fly. I took her home and called the zoo,” said Haron. The zoo took the baby bat and promised to release her back to nature, where she had been found, when she is well enough to fly. ■

Lessons Learned in Second Intifada Save Lives in NepalWhen Nepalese Ambassador to Israel Prahlad Kumar Prasai recently thanked Magen David Adom for its swift response to the massive earthquake in Nepal, it wasn’t the first time Ilan Klein heard expressions of gratitude from a foreign leader.

Ilan Klein, a longtime paramedic at MDA, arrived in Kathmandu with a group of MDA paramedics one day after the earthquake devastated the city on April 25. What he saw looked hauntingly familiar.

The huge number of people in need of medical attention and the types of injuries — broken bones, crush-type compression injuries, and lac-erations consistent with collapsing buildings — were the same types of wounds he saw five years ago after the earthquake in Haiti, when he was part of MDA’s medical-response team there. But the fact that Klein and MDA had willingly been on the scene in both catastrophes isn’t a coincidence.

“As Israelis, we’ve been blessed to live in a country with a first-world economy that has the wherewithal to weather catastrophes,” Klein said. “I think we have a responsibility to help those who are more challenged when disasters strike. As doctors and paramedics, we can make a big dif-ference in saving lives. It’s what we do.”

The notion of exporting emergency medical expertise arose after the sec-ond intifada, when MDA was experiencing catastrophic bombings on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis. When the bombings subsided, MDA turned its attention to teaching the world what it had learned and sent medical teams to disasters in Thailand in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Haiti in 2010 (where MDA maintained a pres-ence for more than two years), the Philippines in the aftermath of its 2013 typhoon, and now Nepal.

MDA was among the first foreign medical-response agencies, and the first Israeli group, to land in Nepal, arriving within 24 hours after the quake. MDA brought a contingent of seven paramedics and two doc-tors, including Klein, to treat injured Nepalese and treat and evacuate its own citizens from the country.

Half of MDA’s advanced team accompanied Israelis, including more than a dozen newborns born to surrogate mothers, and some preschool-age

MDA evacuates Israelis, treats Nepalese: MDA Paramedic Ilan Klein (photo at far left) sets up triage at field hospital; MDA Paramedics Ravit Martinez and Tal Rabin (top) evacuate newborn Israeli babies born to surrogate mothers in Nepal; Martinez (bottom) treats patient in Kathmandu.

Full recovery: When Lonny isn’t saving lives, he’s busy teaching others how to defend theirs as a martial arts teacher.

siblings, back to Israel. Six paramedics, however, remained there, taking assignments either in the Israel Defense Forces field hospital or as part of the International Red Cross contingent, the latter option made possi-ble because MDA is a member of the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

An additional team from Israel was dispatched after a second quake on May 12 wreaked further havoc on already damaged hospitals in Kathmandu. They were assigned with taking home an additional four prematurely born Israeli children.

The total number of Israeli relief workers from MDA, the IDF, and oth-er organizations totaled more than 260, the largest foreign contingent in Nepal. MDA has also pledged four ambulances to the Nepalese people to help recovery efforts.

“I know MDA, its history and work,” Prasai, the Nepalese ambassador, said. “Thank you for what you did in Nepal — for the aid, the donations and means of protection for the population, and for your willingness to help and care for the Nepalese people during this difficult time.” ■

“As Israelis, we’ve been blessed to live in a country with a first-world economy that has the wherewithal to weather catastrophes.”

MDA Blood Services Center (continued from page 1)

Now — before the next war, emergency, or natural disaster — is the time to ensure the safety of Israel’s blood supply. That’s why American Friends of Magen David Adom has launched a $100 million campaign to build a new underground blood cen-ter, safe from rocket attacks, chemical warfare, and earthquakes. A grassy field in Ramlah, south of Ben-Gurion Airport, is ready for the first bricks to be laid. Now all we need is you.

Imagine Israel’s blood bank, able to protect and provide enough blood for the state’s rapidly growing population. Hear the buzz of machinery and the clinking of vials as Israel’s top hematologists test blood donations for safety. Picture all of this housed under-ground, behind reinforced walls, and with air-filtration systems capable of protecting against chemical attacks.

With your help, we can make this dream a reality and ensure that when another Lonny comes along, he can get the lifesaving blood transfusion he needs.

Today, the same blood that saved Lonny’s life 22 years ago pumps through his heart a million miles a minute as he races to the scene of the latest emergency call. That’s because Lonny is now one of MDA’s highest-ranking paramedics, the result of a career change he made after his accident. MDA saved his life, and it helped him find his calling.

The new MDA blood center isn’t just about blood — it’s about giving people like Lonny a second chance at life. By ensuring the safety of Israel’s blood supply for generations to come, we can en-sure that Israel remains the inspiring, vibrant nation it is.

Contact your local AFMDA office, listed on the last page of this newsletter, for a confidential conversation about how you can build Israel’s new blood services center. ■

In Her Own Words: Professor Eilat Shinar, MDA Director of Blood Services“When you live in a country with so much uncertainty, you must take every measure to ensure the safety of its people. We don’t know what might happen tomorrow, but we must prepare for the worst. The best way I know how to do that is by protecting Israel’s blood supply, and that means moving it underground permanently. A new center means more blood can be processed, better research can be conducted, and more lives will be saved.”

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FUNDRAISING FROM COAST TO COASTEVENTS

Why the Time to Prepare is Now — Before the Next Crisis.A letter from MDA Director General Eli Bin

To our American friends,

On the surface, it feels like I could begin this message to you with “what a difference a year makes.”

At this time last year, many Magen David Adom EMTs and I were spending days on end in Israel’s south, frequently taking cover from incoming Hamas rockets. While there, we treated injured civilians and awaited wounded soldiers being transported by the IDF back across the border to our care for treatment and, ultimately, transportation to Israeli hospitals.

Compared to when thousands of rockets were raining down on Israelis last year, things here are now unquestionably calmer. But to some degree, that calm is a facade. Even as I write this, Israelis

are under attack almost daily. It’s only the weapons and the geography that have changed. Where rockets and mortars were the weapons of choice from Hamas in Gaza, the weapons now used by terrorists operating out of Judea and Samaria are knives, guns, and cars.

And while it would be easy to dismiss these comparatively primitive weapons as less threatening to Israelis, there’s one inescapable fact: Nearly twice as many civilians in Israel have been killed in terrorist incidents in the last year in so-called lone-wolf attacks (13) than during the entirety of Operation Protective Edge (7). The number of people injured in these types of attacks has been equally sobering. From the Har Nof Synagogue massacre to multiple vehicular rampages, stabbings, and shootings, the threat to Israeli lives — Jews and Israeli Arabs alike — continues every day.

I’m proud Magen David Adom was able to play an important role in many of these incidents, rushing the injured to area hospitals and, in some cases, applying the on-scene treatment that prevented the severely injured from joining the ranks of the fatalities. Much of this was made possible by friends like you in the United States, people who generously donated money that paid for lifesaving equipment or who sponsored the ambulances and Medicycles that rushed medics to the scene and, ultimately, that brought patients to hospitals for even more extensive treatment and eventually their recovery.

Despite our role as medical first-responders, we haven’t been granted immunity from attacks. Several of our ambulances have been targeted by rock throwers and, in the most egregious incident, in late June one of our ambulances returning home in Judea and Samaria came under gunfire, striking the ambulance at least four times, missing the paramedic at the wheel of the vehicle by just four inches. Given the locations of where the ambulance was hit, had there been an accompanying EMT in the passenger seat or the medic’s chair in back, or had there been a patient on a gurney in back, they almost surely would have been struck.

We know there will be more to come — more lone-wolf attacks and, we fear, eventually a resumption of more all-out hostilities, whether in the form of Qassam rockets from Hamas in Gaza; Katyusha rockets from Hezbollah, Al-Qaida, or ISIS in Syria; or something akin to a third intifada. Given the current political climate in this part of the world, it is almost inevitable.

This is why we appreciate your support and your continued commitment to ensuring we have the equipment we need, and can provide the continued training our EMTs need to address the challenges to come. We need to be prepared — now. And thanks to your continued support, we are.

Every year, our EMTs and paramedics save thousands of Israeli lives and deliver new ones into this world — helping to sustain the Israeli people. But it’s you, through your support and continued commitment, who helps sustain us. So thank you!

With our profound appreciation,

Eli BinDirector-General Magen David Adom in Israel

Events across Southeast: Clockwise from top: Boca-Delray Community Event kicks off with ambulance dedications from Meryl and Ron Gallatin and Jane and Martin Greenberg; John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, speaks at the Aventura Red Star Ball; Celebration of Life Gala in Palm Beach honors Sydell Miller (center) and family; Barry and Patricia Goldstein at the Aventura Red Star Ball; and Gen. Kreiss with FAU students. Below from top: Dan Gillerman, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations (2003-2008) speaks at the Boca-Delray Community Event; Pulitzer Prize–winning author, commentator, and political analyst Charles Krauthammer speaks at the Palm Beach Gala.

MDA IN ACTION IN ISRAEL AND ABROADTHE FRONT LINES

The Newsletter of American Friends of Magen David Adom THEPulse

Southeast Events SizzleAFMDA’S HUGELY SUCCESSFUL WINTER 2014–2015 EVENTS RAISED MILLIONS for MDA’s new national blood center. With dinners and galas in Aventura, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Porto Vita, the Southeast Region kicked off an exciting year honoring some of the community’s finest leaders and philanthropists.

THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE GALA IN PALM BEACH attracted more than 420 people to the Mar-a-Lago Club as it feted a family’s multigenerational commitment to philanthropy. Sydell L. Miller; her daughters, Lauren Spilman and Stacie Halpern; their husbands, Steven Spilman and Jeffrey Halpern; and their children were honored with the 2015 Humanitarian Award. The event, fea-turing Pulitzer Prize–winning author, commentator, and political analyst Charles Krauthammer, raised more than $1 million.

AT THE ST. ANDREWS COUNTRY CLUB IN BOCA RATON, more than 150 guests honored commu-nity leaders Meryl and Ron Gallatin at the Boca-Delray Community Event. The evening raised more than $500,000, including an ambulance pledged by Jane and Martin Greenberg.

WHILE NEW AMBULANCES ARE BEING PLEDGED, others are ready to make their way to Israel. The Boca Pointe Chapter of AFMDA celebrated its 19th lifesaving MDA ambulance at a community dedication ceremony.

LONGTIME AFMDA SUPPORTERS BARRY AND PATRICIA GOLDSTEIN were honored at the annual Aventura Red Star Ball at which speaker John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, addressed attendees. Ambassador Bolton also spoke at a private home in Admiral’s Cove before addressing more than 300 people at Frenchman’s Creek, the largest-ever turnout for a speaker there.

IDF FORMER SURGEON GENERAL BRIG. GEN. (RES.) PROFESSOR YITSHAK KREISS also toured the Southeast Region this winter. Gen. Kreiss visited the home of Dr. Andrew and Brenda Nullman in Miami Beach before traveling north to Porto Vita’s Celebration of Life event. Other stops included a private tea reception in Boca-Delray, Palm Beach’s Major Donor Reception, and an event at St. Andrews Country Club. He spoke about Magen David Adom’s role in helping Israel Defense Forces soldiers survive catastrophic battlefield injuries. In addition, Gen. Kreiss spoke to students from Florida Atlantic University, as well as BNY Mellon Wealth Management and Berger Singerman Law Firm.

WE’RE ALREADY PLANNING FOR THE 2016 SEASON, so mark your calendar for the Palm Beach Celebration of Life Gala on Sunday, February 21, and look for more information about other events. ■

6 THEPulse The Newsletter of American Friends of Magen David Adom 7

EVENTS FUNDRAISING FROM COAST TO COAST

Celebrating ambulance dedications: From left: CEO of The Bottle Crew Inc. Joel Jacob gets behind the wheel of his newly donated ambulance; Judge Bernard and Rozanne Friedman receive their AFMDA Beacon Award from AFMDA Midwest Regional Director Cari Margulis Immerman; and Sylvia Footlik (third from right) with family and AFMDA Upper Midwest/Chicagoland Director Cindy Iglitzen-Socianu (far right) at the March dedication.

AFMDA Makes Noise at 51st Israel ParadeWith lights and sirens, two MDA ambulances led the AFMDA delegation at the 51st annual Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City on Sunday, May 31. Tens of thousands of spectators cheered the group on as the ambulances and float drove up Fifth Avenue. AFMDA staff and volunteers waved the Israeli, American, and MDA flags side by side as they marched. It was a great day supporting Israel and the work of Magen David Adom. ■

Day Schools Jointly Sponsor AmbulanceElie and Esther Katz of Bergen County are doing more than raising funds for an MDA ambulance. They’ve invited the entire Jewish day school community to join them. Students from Yavneh Academy, Yeshiva He’Atid, Yeshivat Noam, and Moriah have all joined in.

“The kids took it very seriously. For two months they collected money in their ambu-lance-shaped tzedakah boxes,” said Elie Y. Katz.

The Bergen County Day School Magen David Adom Fund Drive was initiated in September 2014 in honor of the 25th yahrzeit of Esther’s father, Rabbi Joseph Feinstein. Feinstein, a beloved LA chaplain, made it his lifelong mission to enhance Jewish life for patients and family members at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. However, his own personal dream of making aliyah was never realized.

“We immediately knew that saving lives in Israel was the ideal way to honor him,” said Esther Katz.

In less than nine months, they surpassed the $100,000 goal and sponsored a new MDA ambulance for Israel. Children from all the schools involved had the opportunity to climb inside the ambulance, sit where MDA paramedics will sit, and imagine the countless lives that will be saved thanks to their hard work and dedication. ■

FUNDRAISING FROM COAST TO COASTEVENTS

Seinfeld Headlines Los Angeles Red Star Ball You’ve seen him on America’s most popular TV sitcom. Now you can see comedian Jerry Seinfeld live at the 2015 Los Angeles Red Star Ball! Seinfeld will host the gala at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, October 22. The event will honor Ben and Ruth Flinkman-Marandy with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Barak Raviv with the Next Generation Award, and Adam and Gila Milstein with the Humanitarian Award. ■

AFMDA Kicks Off in Bay Area with Wayne BradyOver the past two years, the Red Star Ball in Los Angeles has raised more than $12 million for Magen David Adom. And now for the first time, the Bay Area joined the lineup. On August 30, the inaugural AFMDA San Francisco Red Star Gala supported Israel’s greatest life-saving organization and honored local leaders. Maurice Kanbar received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of service in the Bay Area. Lior Tamir, a tech pioneer with a passion for improving the world, received the Next Generation Award. Actor and singer Wayne Brady hosted an entertaining evening of saving lives. Funds raised will secure the future of Israel by helping Magen David Adom build a new national blood services center for the state’s 8 million people. ■

Hard work pays off: Students at Moriah School get to look inside the lifesaving ambulance for which they helped raise money.

Chicago Donors Learn of MDA and IDF CooperationMore than 40 people gathered on February 4 at the home of Naomi and Jerry Senser in Highland Park, Illinois, to hear Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, former surgeon general of Israel, discuss the strategic partnership between MDA and the Israel

Defense Forces (IDF). Together, MDA and the IDF developed new battlefield strategies to reduce fatalities during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge. In addition, MDA trains IDF medics, and many MDA medics trade in their white MDA uniforms for IDF “greens” when called up for duty. ■

Israel’s North Ready for Possible Conflict, MDA Tells Ohio Jewish CommunitiesMDA Paramedic Erez Geller spoke in Youngstown and Cleveland, Ohio, about the challenges northern Israel faced in the late 2000s. As shocking pictures were displayed on screen, Geller discussed the constant rocket attacks and the fear of what might be looming

ahead. MDA is working with the residents up north on evacuation drills and other safety precautions should tensions rise and rocket fire resume. ■

Three brand-new MDA ambulances are on their way to Israel, ready to save lives, after exciting ambulance dedications in the Midwest region.

Inspired by the heroic work of MDA during Operation Protective Edge, Sylvia Footlik, 96, sponsored an MDA am-bulance. After a March dedication and celebration, the ambulance made stops

at other locations in the Chicago community, including North Shore Congregation Israel, Ezra-Habonim, and the Solomon Schechter Day

School. Embodying the Jewish value of l’dor v’dor — from generation to generation — Joel Jacob, CEO of The Bottle Crew Inc., donated an am-bulance in memory of his father and uncle at a celebration in Franklin, Michigan. Joel grew up attending MDA ambulance dedications and not-ed that since MDA needs 100 new ambulances this year, it was time for the next generation to step up. More than 60 community leaders were on hand to join in the festivities, including his children and mother, Vi. A few days later, Judge Bernard and Rozanne Friedman celebrated the dedication of their Mobile Intensive Care Unit Ambulance at the 2015 Walk for Israel at Congregation Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Surrounded by family, friends, and thousands of Israel supporters, it was a great way to send off this wonderful addition to MDA’s fleet. ■

Trio of Ambulances from Midwest Sponsors Join MDA Fleet

Midwest Donors Hear It First from Top MDA Officials

MDA and IDF on same team: From left, Brigadier General (Res.) Prof. Yitzhak Kreiss, and hosts Naomi and Jerry Senser.

Israel’s north prepared for worst: From left, MDA Carmel Regional Director Erez Geller and hosts Jill and Brad Helfman, board mem-bers of Cleveland’s David Mark Berger Chapter.

Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist Charles Krauthammer will be the keynote speaker at the AFMDA Dr. John J. Mames Chapter – Michigan Region Celebration of Life Gala on Thursday, October 8, an event at which MDA supporters Joel Jacob, Benny Margolis, Melissa Mendelson, and the region’s overseas volunteers will be honored.

Jacob, chairman and founder of The Bottle Crew, will receive L’Dor V’dor Award, in recognition of his support of MDA and other philanthropic

causes. Margolis and Mendelson will receive Rising Star Awards. The event will be held at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. For information, call 1.877.405.3913 or email Midwest@afmda.org.

Fundraising for the Michigan region is off to a fast start, with the Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation becoming the first Founders Circle Sponsor in the area, with a $1.5 million gift to support AFMDA’s ini-tiative to build a new blood center for Israel. In addition, donors from Michigan raised more than $1 million to sponsor six ambulances and purchase medical equipment for MDA. ■

Krauthammer to Address Michiganders at Mames Chapter Gala

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EVENTS FUNDRAISING FROM COAST TO COAST

Heart to Heart Israel Takes Road Trip to Save LivesAstute observers from Florida to Washington, D.C., may have noticed an unusual presence on the roads this past February. Among the commuters and carpoolers was a newly dedicated MDA ambulance, setting out on an unprecedented road trip.A project of Heart to Heart Israel, AFMDA’s Christian outreach program, led by Jonathan Feldstein, the journey began in sunny Melbourne, Florida, with more than 200 people celebrating the ambulance dedication in mem-ory of Bridges for Peace founder Dr. G. Douglas Young. Although Florida Governor Rick Scott couldn’t attend, he sent a personalized letter of support.

En route, Heart to Heart was featured on four Christian TV stations. The ambulance made an impromptu stop in a Lowe’s parking lot in Valdosta, Georgia. A crowd gathered and prayed no one would ever die on the ambu-lance. Curious bystanders joined in on the special tribute before sending the ambulance on its way.

In North Carolina, the Bridges for Peace ambulance made several stops, starting with the Billy Graham Library. It then continued on to Rockwell, North Carolina, visiting the Southeast district director of Foursquare Ministries, and the nationally syndicated radio host Dr. Michael Brown. Things wrapped up in Raleigh with a visit to Anne Graham Lotz at AnGeL Ministries.

The Bridges for Peace ambulance reached its final destination on American soil at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. Carrying countless prayers from all the ministries it visited, the ambulance was later loaded onto a ship bound for Israel, and now it’s fulfilling its mission to save lives. ■

Up the East Coast: At the Billy Graham Library several supporters came out to see, take photos with, and pray for the MDA ambulance.

From Rockwell to Raleigh: Anne Graham Lotz (left) with Heart to Heart Director Jonathan Feldstein and a group of supporters (right) from Foursquare Restoration Church offering their heartfelt prayers for the MDA ambulance.

Mashadi Community Scores Big

The Mashadi community of Great Neck, New York, scored big at its third annual basketball tournament in support of a new lifesaving ambulance for Magen David Adom. More than 200 members of the community came out to the Mashadi Jewish Center to cheer on the 12 teams. After an in-tense day of tournament-style play, one team emerged victorious, led by Josh Namdar, Jonah Gorjian, Joey Cohen, and Cody Cohen. But the real victory of the day was the $9,000 raised toward the second ambulance to come from this generous community of MDA supporters. ■

THEPulse The Newsletter of American Friends of Magen David Adom 9

AFMDA LAB PROPELLING MDA AND JEWISH PHILANTHROPY FORWARD

Innovation Comes in All SizesAFMDA isn’t a one-size-fits-all organization. We thrive on our base of supporters who generously write checks and give online. And we also welcome those who want to get creative and do more. We’re open to anything, as long as it’s powered by our supporters and infused with that “do it yourself” spirit that inspires action.

In San Francisco, Heartbeat, AFMDA’s community of innovators, hosted “Wine for a Cause,” an exclusive wine-and-cheese event featuring world-renowned ex-pert Alon Yitzhaki and local artisan cheese purveyor Cowgirl Creamery. The 30 attendees raised more than $6,000 toward a lifesaving MDA ambulance. To raise the remaining funds, Heartbeat has turned to online crowdfunding with a campaign on www.jewcer.com. The campaign, led by Heartbeat Board Member Miriam Eshaghian, has already raised more than $12,000 from nearly 100 differ-ent donors. With a one-to-one matching pledge also in the mix, Heartbeat is well on its way to sending a lifesaving ambulance to Israel.

Generation Z is also out to prove you’re never too young to make a difference. For Valentine’s Day, 10-year-old Lauryn Chotiner sold gift boxes full of brown-ies in support of AFMDA.

“My bubbie always tells me about the importance of Israel and what it means to be Jewish. I am proud that the money I raised is going to save lives in Israel!” said Lauryn.

Holidays can also be a great time to spread awareness in creative ways. On Purim, Elana Goldsmith and her children, Joey and Sophie, dressed up as a doctor, patient, and MDA paramedic. The trio hand-delivered cardboard ambulance Purim baskets filled with red and white snacks to their neighbors and friends.

Find what works for you, and join the do-it-yourselfers all over the country who are helping to save lives in Israel. AFMDA is your organization. Support it your way. ■

THE AFMDA

LAB Periodically, the Pulse features The AFMDA Lab, which highlights new ideas and innovations that AFMDA supporters and staff are using to raise funds for MDA … and raise the bar in Jewish philanthropy.

Are You a Connoisseur of All Things Social Media? If you answered yes and you love AFMDA, we want you to be a social media ambassador! Members of this select group help us spread the word about MDA’s lifesaving work on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. To join, contact Leah Breevoort at LBreevoort@afmda.org.

Purim celebrations: Joey and Sophie Goldsmith dress up as a doctor and Magen David Adom paramedic for Purim to help raise money for MDA.

Baking for a cause: Using her dad’s favorite recipe, Lauryn Chotiner sells boxes of brownies for Valentines Day in support of AFMDA.

Exclusive evening: San Francisco’s Heartbeat community hosts “Wine for a Cause” with world-renowned expert Alon Yitzhaki.

Join Us! Upcoming AFMDA Events

Dr. John J. Mames Chapter — Michigan Region Celebration of Life GalaThursday, October 8, 2015Featuring Dr. Charles KrauthammerFor information, call 1.877.405.3913or email Midwest@afmda.org.

Los Angeles Red Star GalaThursday, October 22, 2015Featuring Jerry SeinfeldFor information, call 323.655.4655or email LA-Gala@afmda.org.

New York Red Star GalaWednesday, December 2, 2015Honoring Ronald O. PerelmanFor information, call 212.757.1627or email NY-Dinner@afmda.org.

SAVING LIVES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

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The Pulse • The AFMDA Newsletter • Issue 5

Chief Marketing Officer: Rob Rosenthal

Editor-in-Chief: Leah Breevoort

Design: Vincent DellaRatta

Copy Editor: Liza Schwartz Levine

Do you know someone whose life was saved by MDA?Your story may be published in a future issue of the PULSE.

Email info@afmda.org with “Newsletter” in the subject line.

If you want more updates from AFMDA, please go towww.afmda.org/enews-sign-up and sign up for our eNewsletter.

AFMDA National Headquarters352 Seventh Avenue, Suite 400New York, NY 10001Toll-Free: 866.632.2763Tel: 212.757.1627Fax: 212.757.4662info@afmda.org

Northeast Region352 Seventh Avenue, Suite 400New York, NY 10001Toll-Free: 866.632.2763Tel: 212.757.1627Fax: 212.757.4662northeast@afmda.org

Greater Philadelphia AreaPO Box 52158Philadelphia, PA 19115Tel: 215.947.7007philadelphia@afmda.org

New EnglandPO Box 600714Newton, MA 02460Tel: 617.916.1827new-england@afmda.org

Southeast Region3300 PGA Blvd., Suite 970Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410Toll-Free: 800.626.0046Tel: 561.835.0510Fax: 561.835.9410southeast@afmda.org

Midwest Region23215 Commerce Park Road, Suite 306Beachwood, OH 44122Toll-Free: 877.405.3913Tel: 216.342.4032Fax: 216.342.4034central@afmda.org

Upper Midwest/Greater Chicagoland Area 3175 Commercial Avenue, Suite 101Northbrook, IL 60062Toll-Free: 888.674.4871Tel: 847.509.9802Fax: 847.509.9807midwest@afmda.org

Western Region6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450Los Angeles, CA 90048Toll-Free: 800.323.2371Tel: 323.655.4655Fax: 323.655.4659western@afmda.org

AFMDA IsraelTel: 057.761.4220israeloffice@afmda.org

www.afmda.org

www.facebook.com/afmda

www.twitter.com/afmda

www.vimeo.com/afmda

www.youtube.com/afmda

AFMDA NATIONAL OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

National ChairmanMark D. Lebow

Chief Executive OfficerArnold Gerson

Vice Chairs Daniel Dobin Fraeda KopmanGershon W. Trimpol

SecretaryDonna Fried Calcaterra

TreasurerNeil Fox

Audit ChairDavid N. Fleischer

DirectorsSeymour BriefMartin CohenPaula Blaine CohenSteven EinhornAnnetta Weller EpsteinLeonard J. EpsteinBarry FeldmanJacqueline GoldmanLes HandelsmanStuart A. JacksonBarbara KayDina LeedsGaby Ferman LehrerAnn LesserDaniel Schwarzwalder

AFMDA Senior StaffChief Executive OfficerArnold Gerson

Chief Development OfficerEillene Leistner

Chief Marketing OfficerRob Rosenthal

Chief Financial OfficerJay Culang

Director of Operations, Strategic Initiatives, and HRMarcy Mirkin

CONTACT

THEPulse The Newsletter of American Friends of Magen David Adom 11

Holocaust Survivor Honors Life with 12 AmbulancesAfter barely escaping the horrors of the Holocaust, Ilsa Rooz, of blessed memory, knew how important it was to support Israel and save lives. She had been able to leave Czechoslovakia for England on a YWCA transport, but unfortunately most of her family remained and did not survive.

After settling in the United States years later, Ilsa and her husband, Walter Rooz, sponsored five lifesaving ambulances for MDA. After he passed away, she continued the tradition by sponsoring an additional seven ambulances and a Medicycle, making her one of the most prolific members of the Beacon Society, an exclusive group created to recognize ambulance sponsors.

Her final ambulance in 2012 was given in honor of longtime friend and former AFMDA Southeast Regional Director Ira Mogitz.

“It was the biggest honor in my life when she told me about the ambulance. She was a real mensch. Until her final moments, she was always asking about AFMDA and how she could help,” said Ira.

Although Ilsa passed away in 2013, her legacy will live on because she made the important decision to join the MDA Legacy Circle and include AFMDA in her estate plans. Ilsa wanted to ensure that Israel would continue to be able to save lives long after she was gone.

“I don’t donate to be in the limelight. I donate because I hope I make a difference,” said Ilsa in 2010.

If you’ve added AFMDA to your will, or are considering it, please contact Jeff Lipkin toll-free at 866.632.2763 or JLipkin@afmda.org so we may acknowledge your commitment to MDA and welcome you to the MDA Legacy Circle.

For confidential discussions about naming opportunities and capital projects, please contact your regional office or AFMDA’s national office in New York. ■

“I don’t donate to be in the limelight. I donate because I hope I make a difference.”

Lifetime ambulance donor leaves legacy: From top: Ilsa Rooz (in blue) celebrates the dedication of one of her ambulances with former AFMDA Southeast Regional Director Ira Mogitz (wearing suit); Rooz dedicates an ambulance in memory of her husband, Walter Rooz.

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