Dozens of women celebrated the completion of their Magen David Adom first aid training at a ceremony in Sderot recently. The first aid course was established in memory of Amit Man who was murdered by Hamas terrorists while on duty as a MDA paramedic at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 as well as Elhanan Kalmanson who was murdered while saving hundreds of Be’eri residents.
Man’s mother, Rachel, spoke about her daughter’s final moments at the moving ceremony. “While Amit was treating others who were badly injured, she gave them encouragement and warmth from her big heart.” Man then described the last conversations she had with her daughter over the phone on October 7. “At first when she called us from the Kibbutz Be’eri clinic, Amit spoke in a whisper and we heard gunfire all around. In the last conversation we had with her, she shouted, realizing that it was all about to end. We heard the bullet that hit her in the leg, and then the terrorist confirming that he had killed her.”
The MDA course was sponsored by an organization called the Tzalir Foundation which also launched first aid courses in Ofakim, Otniel, and Givat Shmuel. The mutual aid fund supports large-scale social and volunteer initiatives that benefit Israeli society.
“The women who choose to join these courses are exemplars of civic responsibility,” remarked Zilit Jakobsohn, the Tzalir Foundation’s founder and chairperson. “Each of them stepped up to participate in lifesaving work. This is the connection between unity and action, memory and hope.”
“MDA’s driving force is its high-quality workforce, and these new MDA volunteers have been trained to save lives in the State of Israel,” praised Eli Bin, director-general of MDA. “This course was held in memory of the late Amit Man, a MDA paramedic who was murdered while wearing medical gloves on her hands, and the late Elhanan Kalmanson, who was murdered while rescuing the wounded. It is meaningful that the course was in their memory,” remarked Bin.
Lior Man, Amit’s sister, reflected on the first aid course’s significance: “Volunteering at MDA was so meaningful to Amit. It’s hard to think of a more appropriate way to commemorate her.”
