News

Underground and surrounded by tech, Israeli paramedics watch and wait for Iranian strikes.

The main nerve center for Israel’s primary emergency service could resemble any dispatch hub in any American city — a hive of uniformed first-responders surrounded by ceiling-height monitors and an expanse of computers. But Magen David Adom’s dispatch unit in Ramla, about 12… Read more

How MDA’s breast milk bank supports premature babies during war.

Under yellow lighting and strict sterile conditions, a precise and quiet process unfolds each day at Magen David Adom’s National Breast Milk Bank. Breast milk pumped in the homes of nursing mothers is frozen and collected by MDA representatives. Read more

MDA conducts major nationwide emergency drill.

Magen David Adom carried out a large-scale drill to sharpen its ability to shift from day-to-day operations to full emergency status. The exercise was led by Director-General Eli Bin and brought together every level of the organization, from national headquarters to field teams across the… Read more

On National Defibrillator Day, MDA urges public to learn how to use lifesaving devices.

On Feb. 22, National Defibrillator Day, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical services system, provided free hands-on training on how to respond to cardiac arrest and use an automated external defibrillator. The initiative comes in response to new… Read more

Maryland to MDA: How an oleh found his place on Israel’s front lines.

When Ariel Wasserstein, aged 22, from Silver Spring, Maryland, first arrived in Israel at 18 years old, he wasn’t planning to stay. A gap year with Magen David Adom’s overseas volunteer program was supposed to be a short detour before starting college at… Read more

“I knew this wasn’t a typical car accident:” EMT saves man who suffered cardiac arrest.

Or Akiva resident Michel Vaknin was driving near the Holot interchange one afternoon when he suddenly slumped over the wheel, his foot still pressed against the accelerator. His car careened off the road into a guardrail. The 70-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest behind the… Read more

Seven siblings, one calling: the family of volunteer medics saving lives.

When people say “it stays in the family,” they usually mean loyalty or shared responsibility. For the Farkash family, it also means responding to medical emergencies together. Seven siblings — Avraham, Rivki, Shlomi, Meir, Leah, David and Elisha Farkash… Read more

From Dallas to Israel to Syria: an MDA ambulance’s journey.

When Susan and Allyn Kramer sponsored a Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulance in Israel through American Friends of Magen David Adom ten years ago, they intended to save lives in Israel. So, when they received a call asking if the ambulance they had donated could… Read more

Israel has been responding to terror attacks for decades – here’s what the rest of the world can learn.

Gun violence is not confined to any one country or conflict. Just a few weeks ago, a mass shooting at Bondi Beach shattered what was supposed to be a family-friendly Hanukkah celebration. That same weekend, in the United States, a gunman… Read more

Red traffic light saves stroke victim’s life.

A routine drive home turned into a life-or-death moment for 75-year-old Moshe Ami Benita, who suffered a stroke while stopped at a red light in Rishon Lezion, and owes his life to a passing Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic. “How long does it take… Read more