ANT KATZ

MDA-SA chair Mark Hyman told Jewish Report today that he was so excited that some 44 readers had donated over R40,000 through our CLICK-ATHON campaign with MDA. Israel’s medical emergency service needs SA help and they are sure getting it. Ten percent of MDA-SA’s nearly R500,000 collected has come from Jewish Report readers and users.

It just takes one click on the link (below or on every page of the website) and that’s it! Donations from as little as R18 can be made via a secure credit card facility and your donation goes straight to MDA Israel and starts working immediately.

Of the 53 Israeli deaths-to-date, 48 were soldiers and five civilians – including z’l Barkai Ishar Shor, (pictured above and right), an MDA volunteer driver whose day job is as a medical surgeon.

His armoured ambulance took a direct hit from a rocket yesterday on the way to a call-out. His fellow MDA volunteer was only lightly wounded.

“We regret to inform that Barkai, MDA volunteer EMT and ambulance driver and instructor, was killed in the line of duty in Gaza. Baruch Dayan Haemet,” came the live tweet update to Jewish Report yesterday.

Friday & Sunday

MDA-SA will have tables at KosherWorld on Friday and at the Huddle Park Rally on Sunday where they will be taking donations as well as distributing a prayer – CLICK TO SEE PDF – for Israel.

MDA-SA says they are thrilled with the “OVERWHELMING RESPONSE” from SAJR users. We have made appeals through the media before,” says Hyman. But it has never worked for them, he adds. Now, users from all over the world are able to contribute with a single click!

MDA needs our help more than ever

Mindful of the huge contribution that South African Jewry has played in the past – MDA Israel says they need our help more than ever now.

Yonatan (Yonnie) Yagodovsky, director for international relations at MDA Israel, has been keeping MDA-SA and SAJR Online up to date with events. Watch out for his compelling tale of how MDA is saving lives in Israel daily, how SA contributions are helping (as always) and about a day in the life of MDA staff and volunteers right now.

“Donations from SA are immediately connected to a patient currently receiving treatment in Israel – meaning that the donor becomes an active person who is now involved in treating patients and victims – no matter the size the size of the donation.” Says Yonnie.

MDA is an NGO and runs all medical emergency services in Israel including first reposes and ambulance services, are saving countless lives daily – but at an additional cost to them before the boots went into Gaza, of almost R1 mil a day!

“I grew up and live in Jerusalem where the MDA station was built by our friends and donors from South Africa in 1968 and maintained by MDA-South Africa for many years.

We continue to receive significant support from Jewish and Christian donors in SA – extremely meaningful support,” he told Jewish Report.

SA gives huge

“South Africa provides 5,25 per cent of MDA Israel’s total income,” says Yonni.

SA Jews don’t stand behind us, but beside us!

“It means a lot to us,” said Yonni. “Thank you for being with us in daily routine life and especially in times like this – your contributions are way beyond fiscal. We feel, no, we know that you are standing beside us – not behind us!”

Read the emotional report by URI SHAHAM, the bureau chief (and himself a paramedic) of MDA’s Director General the Paramedic who was touring the area near the scene of the first Israeli fatality at Erez Crossing. Shamam tells of trying to save the life of the civilian casualty after the young man was critically injured delivering food to the soldiers. MDA REALLY NEEDS SA JEWRY’s HELP – read what you can do…

MDA’s equipment Wish-list

Due to the current situation and day-to-day escalation of the need for their services, particularly after 13 SOLDIERS DIED IN ONE DAY, MDA published an urgent need for, they say, they “foresee the need for MEDICAL LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT.”

Their wish-list was for:

• Standard ambulances
• Mobile intensive care units
• Corpals 3 monitors defibrillators
• Medium easy CPR respirators; and
• Motorola ET1 tablets.

MDA-SA executive secretary, Beulah Hyman, can be contacted at all hours (except on Shabbos) on the special SAJR/MDA hotline at 079 718-2471 for further enquiries – particularly concerning MDA’s equipment wish-list.