Young people from all around the world came to Israel this summer to volunteer with Magen David Adom (MDA), helping treat injured Israelis as first responders on ambulance teams. Israel Experience and MDA partnered to run the program which trains the young people and pairs them with MDA ambulances for five weeks of volunteering.
"We feel a great sense of pride in the hundreds of young people who have decided to spend their summer acquiring remarkable experiences in an extraordinary setting," said MDA Deputy Director-General and head of Community Division, Dr. Eli Yaffe.
"Instead of going to the beach and hanging out at parties, they have chosen the value of saving lives and helping others in the State of Israel, and also they constitute an overseas reserve for MDA in times of emergency and disaster," said Yaffe.
One participant from the UK was moved by the experience when he was called to help a Holocaust survivor.
“We arrived at the scene and found a 102-year-old woman who had fallen," said the participant. "The person there who had called us explained that she was a Holocaust survivor. I was shook because there were quite a few Holocaust victims in my family and it’s an issue very close to my heart. I realized that if I can save a Holocaust survivor here in Israel, I’m doing something really meaningful.”
A biomedical engineering student from the US said that she was able to gain valuable experience by participating in the program. "I feel like I’m learning a lot here every shift. The other day was the first time I ever did artificial respiration. It’s exciting to be able to help people,” she said.
“Participants in the MDA Overseas program come from across the globe and join in saving lives in Israel,” said Israel Experience CEO Amos Hermon.
“There is no more tangible and powerful way to strengthen their Jewish identity and connection to the State of Israel and all its citizens than saving their lives. The program participants truly put into practice the saying ‘All Jews are responsible for one another’ and they join the thousands of Diaspora youth that the Israel Experience has been bringing to Israel despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus.”