Saving Lives in Jerusalem

*ISSUED BY MAGEN DAVID ADOM

August 11, 2021

Saving Lives in Jerusalem

Inauguration of Magen David Adom’s CPR devices in Synagogues in Jerusalem in Collaboration with the Jerusalem Municipality and Cross River Bank

On Wednesday, Magen David Adom (MDA) and the Jerusalem Municipality inaugurated a life-saving project of placing CPR devices (defibrillators) in synagogues in the capital. The ceremony was attended by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Magen David Adom CEO Eli Bin, CEO of the Friends of MDA in Israel Orly Ariel and donor representatives, including Yael Eckstein, President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and Mr. Gilles Gade, Founder, President and CEO of Cross River Bank. The project, the first of its kind in the country, is part of an initiative in which hundreds of life-saving defibrillator devices will be installed in the coming days in preparation for the High Holidays which are characterized by a large crowd gathering for prayers in synagogues. The first device was given to the largest and most central synagogue in Jerusalem, the Great Synagogue.

The project was carried out thanks to the generous contribution of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Cross River Bank and Moshe Greenberg who were recruited by the Friends of MDA Association and other donors, recruited by the Jerusalem Municipality and the Friends of MDA Association in Israel.

One moment that moved the audience was when a 38-year-old Jerusalem resident, father of five, took the stage during the ceremony, sharing his story of resuscitation during which he received 12 electric shocks. As soon as he stepped off the stage, Yael Eckstein, President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, solemnly announced the donation of another 230 devices to additional synagogues in Jerusalem.

Gilles Gade, Founder, President and CEO Cross River Bank said: “Thank you to Mayor Lion for his vision and true care of the Cross River family in Jerusalem, but more importantly, to every family that benefits from these new resuscitation devices. Magen David Adom is already working tirelessly to maintain our safety and it is important that they have all possible resources. We are excited to be part of such an important initiative and we know that this contribution is just the beginning of our partnership.”

The Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion said: “The defibrillators that we will install in the coming weeks in synagogues in the city are important news for tens of thousands of worshipers.  In synagogues, unfortunately, cardiac events can occur that require a quick response. The first four minutes from the moment such an event occurs look completely different when there is access to an electric resuscitation device and the existence of a malfunction in the environment is often the difference between life and death.”

MDA Director General Eli Bin said: “We thank our partners in the Jerusalem Municipality and the distinguished donors from the Friends of MDA Association in Israel, the Friendship Foundation, Cross River Bank and Moshe Greenberg. Thanks to the project, in which hundreds of positions were set up throughout the synagogues, we will allow a quick, professional, and life-saving response in the field in an emergency - without the need for a prior medical background. We wish health to the worshipers in the city and hope that they will not have to use devices in the future!”

Orly Ariel, CEO of the Friends of MDA in Israel Association said: “Partnership with donors is the best strategy in which we create social involvement and responsibility in the field of saving lives. MDA has been doing this for many years. I thank MDA for their trust in the name of my friends and in the name of the citizens of Israel.”

Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews said: “For twenty years now, the foundation has been at the forefront of action to save the lives of Israelis in routine and emergency situations. A defibrillator is often the difference between life and death and the more of them are scattered in our country the more Israelis will be able to survive heart events and other situations. We are grateful to over six hundred thousand of our donors around the world, thanks to whom we are able to save and improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora.”

More information is available at: https://www.mdais.org/media/3133/120821.pdf

*Translated from original release in Hebrew