Making a Difference by Saving, Changing Lives in Israel

In times of crisis, having extra help can be critical and mean the difference between life and death.

For Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical response and blood services unit, crises are a routine part of its life-saving efforts, and therefore having extra hands on deck in the form of volunteers is vital to the organization’s noble mission and heroic efforts.

With several overseas volunteer programs, Magen David Adom (MDA) facilitates multiple opportunities for volunteerism and enables people to participate in meaningful and memorable activities that directly benefit Israel and its citizens.

The MDA Overseas International Volunteer Program, in which individuals get hands-on training with first responders and then spend time working on ambulances across Israel, is comprised of several distinct programs, each of which has unique offerings to accommodate a wide range of volunteers.

Whether it is the Israel Experience Program, a six-week program for people ages 18 to 30, Masa Tlalim, a four-week program for people ages 18 to 50, Destination Israel, which is a four-week program for people ages 18 to 40 sponsored by Onward Israel and based in Tel Aviv, or programs for overseas medical professionals to use their expertise treating patients in Israel, overseas volunteer opportunities through MDA abound.

For past participants of these programs, the memories created by the experience last a lifetime.

For Rachel Orloff, a New York City resident who volunteered in Israel in 2008 through MDA, it was a life-changing experience. After hearing her friend, who had volunteered the previous summer, talk about how incredible the overseas volunteer program was, Orloff was motivated to go, and she’s glad she did.

“It was very collaborative. Everyone was included. It didn’t matter how old you were, your race, your religion, your gender. Everyone was super nice and extremely welcoming,” Orloff said. “I think just being able to be immersed in another country, a different culture, a different language, it really almost forces you to be uncomfortable. And that’s how you grow.

“The memories I have are just really in my heart. … It’s a warm feeling of how I feel about the organization,” she added. “Even to this day, it’s an organization that I feel extremely proud to be a part of. … I’m really thankful for everything they’re doing for Israel.”

As a result of her experience on Magen David Adom’s overseas volunteer program, Orloff has put an emphasis on remaining connected with the organization, and over the years she’s rolled up her sleeves to volunteer in a variety of ways.

“When I moved to New York, I was always trying to get involved with Magen David Adom,” she said as she talked about her involvement with the organization years after her volunteer experience. “I have a 60-pound Goldendoodle who’s a trained and certified therapy dog, so I bring him with me to hospitals and visit patients and staff. … to be able to come to blood drives or do anything volunteering with Magen David Adom with my dog, that to me is the most full-circle moment ever. I’m so appreciative and grateful for my experience and being able to now give back with my dog.”

According to Yonatan Yagodovsky, director of the Fundraising and International Relations Department of Magen David Adom in Israel, the volunteer initiative is both welcoming and wide-ranging.

“Magen David Adom’s Overseas Volunteer Program welcomes volunteers from across the world. These volunteers are exposed to the multifaceted Israeli society, meeting patients from all societies and religions,” he said.

Yagodovsky noted that the volunteers “undergo medical training that prepares them for volunteering on MDA ambulances and mobile intensive care units, assisting to save lives and change lives throughout Israel.”

He added that many participants in the MDA program are planning to work in the medical field, and this volunteer experience “presents them with an active introduction, providing them with skills, knowledge and a sense of capability that will serve them well later in life.”

Yagodovsky said that the volunteers often walk away from the experience feeling a tremendous sense of accomplishment and pride, both in terms of their efforts to help MDA and the people they serve, as well as their general contributions to the State of Israel.

“They return to their home countries having experienced Israel in a unique way, having had a positive effect on society, and become wonderful ambassadors for the State of Israel and for the incredible work of Magen David Adom,” he said.

Even to this day, it’s an organization that I feel extremely proud to be a part of.

For Dr. Larry Weiss, who recently moved from Baltimore to Florida, Magen David Adom was an opportunity to make a difference in a time of need. A retiree who has 38 years of experience in emergency medicine, Weiss was horrified by the atrocities of Oct. 7 and wanted to put his medical skills to use in an effort to help in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks.

Within five days after contacting Magen David Adom, the organization had obtained an emergency license for Weiss to practice medicine in Israel, and he was off to Israel shortly thereafter, where he served with one of Magen David Adom’s mobile intensive care units.

“I saw a lot of really sick people and I feel like I had an impact. I made a difference,” Weiss said.

“The MDA personnel in Israel are great,” he added. “I think it’s the best trained prehospital care provider in the world. I know there are other great providers, but I can’t imagine any set of providers being better. They’re extremely well-motivated, well-trained and hard-working.”

Weiss, whose volunteer experience with MDA had him working in Jerusalem and then in the Mercaz, the heavily populated area between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, cited a specific case that he believes epitomizes the magic that is Magen David Adom.

His first case as a volunteer was assisting and treating a relatively young man suffering a cardiac arrest at a playground. The Magen David Adom first responders intubated the patient on the sidewalk, which is a very difficult procedure in that type of setting. After noting that perhaps less than 5 percent of patients survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, Weiss said that the patient survived the ordeal, which is primarily attributable to the quick response and quality medical care that was provided at the scene.

“Because we were on a mobile ICU, we saw the sickest patients, and the civilian health care system seemed a little stressed,” Weiss said. “We would go to the Kupat Cholim clinics … and we could see these poor people were inundated. They would tell us that half of their physicians and nurses were in Gaza.”

For physicians and other medical professionals, there is a unique opportunity with Magen David Adom that is coming up later this year.

The International Seminar in Emergency Response 2025, which will take place in Israel from Dec. 7 to Dec. 12, offers participants the opportunity to take part in emergency medical training from experienced first responder teams while also connecting with attendees from around the world and with the State of Israel.

With a full schedule of events and activities focusing on disaster preparedness, responding to mass casualty events, meeting with Israeli physicians and medical professionals, volunteering on ambulances and touring Magen David Adom’s facilities, participants in the seminar will gain a wealth of knowledge and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Magen David Adom first responder on the front lines in Israel. In addition, attendees will visit several sites connected to the Oct. 7 attacks and meet with some of the heroes who survived and whose incredible efforts helped save the lives of others.

For information about the International Seminar in Emergency Response 2025, email Vicki Angel at vickia@mda.org.il.

To learn more about Magen David Adom’s volunteer programs and other ways to get involved, visit afmda.org.