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December 5, 2008
Working to save lives in Israel
Last-minute no show of speaker puts a damper on MDA event.
RON FRIEDMAN
There was an air of disappointment on Thursday evening when the keynote speaker for the Canadian Magen David Adom Israel (CMDAI) fundraiser event cancelled his lecture at the last minute.
Nearly 400 people came to Temple Sholom Synagogue to listen to Israel's Muslim diplomat in America, vice-consul Ishmael Khaldi, talk about his personal story and the importance of MDA in Israel, but Khaldi was reportedly unwell on the evening and had to leave.
A condensed version of the event went ahead, with addresses by CMDAI Vancouver branch president Richard Wenner, secretary of technology Roy Grinshpan and Temple Sholom's rabbi, Philip Bregman.
"I was hoping that I would soon have the pleasure of introducing our keynote speaker to you," said Wenner. "During his address, I was hoping that we could consider the pluralistic fabric of Israel and how we, as Canadians, can help all Israelis move their lives forward and move their society forwards." Khaldi was scheduled to speak about the challenges he faced and overcame, growing up as part of Israel's Bedouin minority.
Wenner drew reference to the Torah portion of Chayei Sarah, which tells of the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael and its conclusion, when the brothers come together to bury their father despite their differences. Wenner then spoke of the value of saving a life – a value that is shared by both Judaism and Islam. "Simply, the importance of saving lives is universal and if there's ever to be peace in the Middle East, and particularly with the Palestinians, it will begin through the efforts of organizations like Magen David Adom, which provides the gift of life to every person in Israel."
Following Wenner's address, there was a screening of a short film entitled What is Magen David Adom? In it, an Israeli teenage volunteer explains the different emergency services that Magen David Adom performs, including ambulance services, paramedics, CPR training and emergency medical instruction and blood donation clinics.
"The organization that is sponsoring this evening is much more important than any speaker that we would bring," said Bregman. He urged participants to donate generously towards the new ambulance that CMDAI of Vancouver is trying to obtain, and suggested that a donation towards such an important cause may even come at the expense of Chanukah gifts for the kids. Bregman also encouraged people who were going to Israel to donate blood at MDA centres.
Since its establishment in October 2007, CMDAI Vancouver has raised $50,000 towards buying an ambulance, the total cost of which is $97,000. Also on display at the event was a novel scooter, a sample of the ones used to carry paramedics and their life-saving gear to emergency calls in Israel.
Over the weekend, Khaldi met and spoke to a group of Christian donors in Langley, to participants in an Ohel Ya'akov Community Kollel Friday dinner and at the Victoria Jewish Community Centre.
Vancouver event volunteer co-chairs Roy Grinshpan and Dan Levinson said they are looking to expand the role of CMDAI in Vancouver and are interested in engaging young people in particular. They plan to form a subcommittee in the organization, which could offer a platform for young people to get practical, resumé-building work experience. The organization is also looking for volunteers to fill a variety of positions. To find out more, visit www.cmdai.org/vancouver or check out the group's profile on Facebook.
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