Honor the Memory of Dorothy and David Lipsit by Training Two Front-Line Lifesavers in Israel

In the United States, ambulance, disaster relief, and blood services are provided through a network of hospitals, municipalities, and government agencies. In Israel, Magen David Adom (MDA) does it all—with a mission to save lives through professional, non-discriminatory care during times of individual and national emergencies. Its staff of more than 39,000 is 90% volunteer—earning MDA’s distinction as having the largest volunteer force of any organization in Israel. Given the breadth of MDA’s critical responsibilities, many people are surprised to learn that it receives no funding from the government which mandates its sacred mission. In loving memory of our parents, Dorothy and David Lipsit, whose lives were defined by answering the call whenever others needed help, we are proud to be sponsoring the training of two MDA paramedics. Our tradition teaches that to save one life is to save an entire world. By joining us, you become our partner in carrying forward our parents’ legacy of compassion while helping save worlds upon worlds, every single day. Each paramedic will complete a demanding two-year program combining classroom instruction, hospital rotations, and Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) field experience.Graduates provide the highest level of prehospital emergency care, performing advanced procedures such as intubation, administering life-saving medications, and using sophisticated diagnostic equipment to stabilize patients before they reach the hospital. Because MDA is Israel’s sole provider of paramedics for civilian emergency services, the Israel Defense Forces, firefighters, and police, these newly trained medics can be deployed wherever they are needed most. That need has never been more urgent because new Ministry of Health and IDF protocols call for upgrading every Basic Life Support ambulance to Advanced Life Support capabilities, and for placing at least one paramedic, in every IDF unit, regardless of size. Our paramedics will be ready to serve on MDA’s fleet of more than 3,000 emergency response vehicles, including ambulances, medicycles, helicopters, and even marine ambulances. Together, they respond to more than 95% of Israel’s medical emergencies, 24/7, 365 days per year. In 2025 alone, MDA dispatched emergency teams 1,383,026 times, an average of one response every 22.8 seconds. Every contribution, regardless of size, helps transform our parents’ memory into an ongoing legacy of lifesaving service for the people of Israel. Should you prefer to contribute offline, please mail your check to: American Friends of Magen David Adom Attn: Ira Gewanter (Dorothy & David Lipsit Tribute Fund) 20 W. 36th Street, Suite 1100 New York, NY 10018 Questions? Please contact Ira Gewanter at igewanter@afmda.org or 410-868-0451