In collaboration with Israel’s major daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, each year exemplary staff and volunteers from Magen David Adom are selected to receive awards from Eli Bin, MDA director-general. This year, 25 MDA staff members and volunteers were chosen from stations around the country for their extraordinary work and contributions to MDA.
Due to coronavirus precautions, this year each outstanding person received the certificate of appreciation at the MDA station where he or she works, in the presence of managers, colleagues, family, and friends.
“I congratulate our wonderful honorees,” said Eli Bin, “who have proven that Magen David Adom is an organization full of selfless giving, mutual care for one another, and devoted commitment to the preservation of life. You are each an example and role model for all of us.”
Four were selected as the most outstanding employees nationally, while the other 21 received regional recognition. Tied for first place nationally were Ronen Grizak, a paramedic and Be’er Sheva station manager, and Farid Abu Zakika, a volunteer paramedic and ambulance driver in the northern sector of the Sharon region.
Ronen Grizak, 42, began his career at MDA as a youth volunteer and after national service was hired as a paramedic at MDA’s 101 hotline. In addition to his current role as a senior paramedic and ambulance driver, he has been responsible for volunteers in the Negev region for the past 20 years.
Farid Abu Zakika, 38, lives in Baqa al-Gharbiya. He began volunteering for MDA in 2004 as an EMT and ambulance driver, and recently completed the paramedics course. Zakika works in the Hadera area, and in the Arab sector in particular.
In second and third place respectively were Shimon Sharbani, a paramedic and ambulance driver from the Jerusalem area, and Einat Spector from the MDA Operations Division.
Sharbani, 66, is a resident of Moshav Zakaria. He has been active in MDA for more than 38 years.
Spector, 43, lives is Givat Shmuel. She joined the organization about 20 years ago, as part of national service. She has served in a variety of roles over the years and has contributed greatly to the organization and to the blood donation system in particular.
