The Braman Family Foundation recently donated $250,000 to purchase an armored ambulance for Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s paramedic and Red Cross service. The donation of this armored ambulance brings its armored fleet to 50 and fulfills Magen David Adom’s current need for armored vehicles.
“My father and I saw a video of an ambulance being attacked in Israel during the recent sectarian riots between Israeli Arabs and Jews. A rock was thrown into the windshield that nearly hit the driver. This inspired us to provide more secure vehicles to Magen David Adom,” says Debi Braman Wechsler, executive director of the foundation and one of two daughters of foundation founders Norman and Irma Braman.
During the recent unrest in Israel, 12 ambulances and one medicycle were damaged by rioters. Some 1,200 ambulances make up the fleet in Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA), about 50 of which are armored. All ambulances are built in the United States and then shipped to Israel.
“The Bramans have made a transformational change in the health and well-being of so many people by funding medical and educational projects throughout the world, as well as being major supporters of arts and culture in and around the Miami area,” says Catherine L. Reed, chief executive officer of American Friends of Magen David Adom.
“This gift to MDA is symbolic of their values and that of the Jewish concept of pikuach nefesh, the belief that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule.”
“We are grateful to the family for their generosity and for making it possible to obtain our final armored ambulance,” says Eli Bin, director-general of MDA. “We hope that the recent round of violence among Israelis is not repeated and there will be no need to increase our number of armored ambulances.”
Norman Braman is a philanthropist, car dealer, and art collector. He serves as chairman of Braman Management, an umbrella company for his automotive businesses that include dealerships in Florida and Colorado. Braman and his wife, Irma, established the Braman Family Foundation together.
