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May 24, 2002/Sivan 13 5762, Vol. 54, No. 36
ARMDI purchases ambulance for Israel
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
Arizona Friends of the American Red Magen David for Israel (ARMDI) has purchased its first ambulance for Israel.
Two Phoenix residents donated undisclosed funds necessary to purchase the ambulance, and the local branch of ARMDI has started a communitywide effort to raise funds to fill it with medical supplies before it's shipped to Israel, said Jay Bycer, chairman of Arizona Friends of ARMDI.
After the ambulance is manufactured in California by Ford, it will be shipped to Phoenix for a dedication ceremony and then sent to Israel. Bycer expects the ambulance to be completed in December or January and "in service in Israel, hopefully, by the beginning of next year."
ARMDI is the fund-raising organization in the United States for Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's equivalent to a Red Cross Society and the sole provider of emergency medical services in Israel.
According to the ARMDI Web site, the cost of an ambulance ranges from $59,900-$79,900 and the donation is acknowledged with inscriptions on its doors and side panels.
Each year, individuals or groups from the United States donate about 80-90 ambulances and emergency vehicles, Bycer said. Its current fleet has about 700 ambulances, but during the recent fighting in Israel, more than 10 percent of the fleet - or one year's supply of ambulances - have been attacked and badly damaged, he added.
ARMDI plans to make the project an educational tool for children in Jewish day schools and religious schools, teaching the concepts of tzedakah (righteousness) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), Bycer said. ARMDI also wants to provide children with a tangible connection to Israel by offering an opportunity to view an Israeli ambulance firsthand. The children "really don't see (what's happening in Israel) except for what's on the news," Bycer said. "For the first time, when it's here, they're going to see the ambulance."
Money to purchase the ambulance was donated by William and Anna Koenig of Phoenix, who, through three visits to Israel, were "very impressed" with what ARMDI is doing there.
The couple, both Holocaust survivors and founders of the Phoenix Holocaust Survivors' Association, wanted to do something for the Jewish state. "We want to see something good in Israel become stronger," Anna Koenig said. "If there's anything we can do for an Israeli state, we will do it."
The couples' motivation also stems from their experience during the Holocaust. "With my last penny, I will defend Israel because we've got to have a face and a voice," Koenig said. "If we would have had a voice at that time, we would not have lost 6 million Jews."
Originally, the couple - members of Beth El Congregation for nearly 28 years - planned to put the donation in their will, but decided to donate the money now because of the current situation in Israel. "Right now Israel needs (all of the) help they can get," Koening said. "I wish more Jewish people would join together and help. They should see the importance of a Jewish state."
To help provide the ambulance with medical supplies, send donations to Arizona Friends of ARMDI, PMB 335, 10645 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 200, Phoenix 85028.
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