AFMDA Celebrates 70th Anniversary Of Saving Lives in Israel

A star was born eight decades ago, and the light it shines on Israel gets brighter every day; babies are born safely, lives are saved and people have confidence that whatever life may bring their way, from illness to injury, Magen David Adom will be there for them.

MDA was begun in 1930 – 80 years ago – as a response to the Arab riots of 1929, by a group of seven doctors in Tel Aviv dedicated to providing emergency medical services to the citizens of the young city. Ten years later, a group of dedicated and concerned Americans founded American Red Mogen Dovid for Palestine as their way of helping to build our national homeland and save lives, known today as American Friends of Magen David Adom or AFMDA.

Harvey Rafofsky, the Executive Vice President of AFMDA explained, AFMDA has, for 70 years, been the primary source of capital funds for MDA. In the past 70 years, we have raised millions of dollars for the cause of saving lives in Israel. The Florida resident continued, In the USA we raise the money for prescribed needs of MDA in Israel and there are internal and external controls on our spending, both here in America and there in Israel. However, I have a purpose in not only saving lives, one life at a time, but also helping to save a country. How much closer can I get than watching over the cause that saves lives and provides blood to the people in my homeland?
AFMDA is MDA's exclusive source of funds from US donors and one of MDA's primary funding sources, stated Miriam Sparrow, AFMDAs Secretary. AFMDA reaches out to donors in the US and ensures that their contributions support projects identified by MDA that advance the health and welfare needs of the residents of Israel.
MDAs statistics are impressive, providing all of the blood for the IDF and 95% of the blood needs for hospitals in Israel. Their 800 ambulances travel close to ten million miles a year, answering over 500,000 calls annually and there are over 100 Emergency Medical Stations. Over the past four years AFMDA has raised over 100 million dollars to build or renovate MDA Stations, provide emergency vehicles and bloodmobiles, purchase medical supplies and sustain the MDA National Blood Services Center.

AFMDAs National Chairman Lewis Krinsky of Houston said, AFMDA is a vital organization because we have worked tirelessly over the past 70 years to provide resources to MDA to help them develop state-of-the-art first aid capabilities which have enabled them to save literally thousands of lives. They do not discriminate on whose lives they save, including the lives of their adversaries.

AFMDA projects such as the total renovation and expansion of the William H Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station, other reconstruction projects in Nahariya, Beer Sheva and Afula, as well as new stations in Holon, Sderot and Ashdod are being funded by American donors with a strong tie to Israel.
Sparrow added, Donations made to AFMDA also fund such diverse projects and activities as ambulances and other emergency vehicles, Israel's national blood services as well as Israel's national public cord blood banking services. AFMDA provides grants to MDA for specific projects covering the range of MDA activities, including emergency medical services, paramedic training and services, ambulance and other vehicular transport, Israel's national blood donation services, including testing, processing and distribution and one of the newest services - Israel's national public cord blood banking services, the MDA Israel Cord Blood Bank.
Krinsky explained, We have precise procedures in place for considering projects and programs in Israel that we feel merit our support and we have a specific process for remitting allocated funds to Israel when they are completed. We dont just send a check. We carefully consider what the needs are, they send us a list and we make sure to find what we want to fund as well as to comply with IRS standards.
As Secretary to the Board and Chair of its Nominations & Governance Committee, my job includes ensuring that AFMDA has sound governance practices and the highest institutional integrity, noted Miriam Sparrow. AFMDA's good governance inspires confidence in donors that their contributions will fund worthwhile projects consistent with AFMDA's mission and the donors wishes.
AFMDAs oversight and ethical standards are exceptional, noted Rafofsky. MDA is the only recipient of the monies raised by AFMDA. MDA asks us to fund a project, such as a new ambulance or refurbishing an area in the MDA National Blood Services Center. Once the project is approved, we send payment directly. Everything we do is extremely transparent and we even have a person in Israel, employed by AFMDA, whose job is to constantly monitor and inspect our projects.

Moshe Noyovich, en engineer by training, is AFMDAs Senior Israel Representative and manages the day to day operational aspects of all the projects funded out of the United States. He explained, AFMDA is MDAs most valuable supporter; it supports MDA even more than official government sources. AFMDA is why MDA has benefited from first class technology and professionalism in the fields of command and control, ambulances and a state-of- the-art blood services center.

Krinsky who is passionate about Israel and AFMDA smiled, Its part of our heritage to help make the world a better place. We are proud of what we have accomplished at American Friends of Magen David Adom for the past 70 years and we feel it is only the beginning.