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Dec. 14, 2007
Caring for Israel's wounded
A new local MDA chapter becomes the fifth in Canada.
BAILA LAZARUS
After a year of gestation, a new organization is about to make itself felt in the Jewish community. Magen David Adom, the equivalent of the Red Cross in Israel, has just launched a chapter in Vancouver, with Richard Wenner as its chair.
"We've organized a committee that's working hard to achieve the goals of Magen David Adom," said Wenner, "which are to raise money for ambulances, medical supplies and for blood services in Israel." The immediate goal for the local chapter is to raise enough money for an ambulance for Israel's 60th birthday, next May.
An ambulance is no small feat, costing more than $100,000, but Wenner is convinced they'll have enough fund-raisers to reach their goal.
"Our goal is to emulate the success of other Magen David Adom committees," said Wenner, referring to Canadian societies already set up in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary.
One of the programs they are planning is a first-aid course that they would offer for a nominal fee or donation, with the help of a sponsor. Alon Hendel, who used to teach first-aid for MDA in Israel and is now living in Vancouver, is one of the instructors.
"Our plan is to open a course for the community, both at the high school and at the adult level," said Wenner. The idea is for a one-day program, offered through the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver or another facility, to be given in the spring.
Wenner said they will also be putting donation boxes at various Jewish sites in the city and will be bringing a speaker to Vancouver in the new year. The speaking event will be in honor of Ben Dayson, who was always big supporter of MDA, Wenner said.
"I wanted to point out that Magen David Adom doesn't limit its service to anybody," said Wenner. "Its ambulatory services help Jews and Muslims and Christians; anybody who is in need.... They don't distinguish between race, creed or culture."
To get a real feel for what the MDA does, there is actually a program, open to Jews worldwide, to train laypeople to be assistants in the MDA ambulances in Israel. There is an intensive two-week course and volunteers then spend four to six weeks in an ambulance. Volunteers pay for airfare, a nominal fee for the course and food; housing may be arranged through the MDA. Wenner said the local chapter will encourage young adults to participate.
"That's really what we'd like our young people to do," said Wenner. "To get an appreciation of Magen David Adom and to get an appreciation for Israel."
Wenner's son, Joshua, did the program in 2005.
"Seventy-five per cent of what you face is really routine, for example, someone with chest pain," said the younger Wenner. "It's not so glamorous but, all round, it's a really good medical exposure. The other 25 per cent is really exciting."
His first call involved a multi-car accident, with a pregnant woman. "There's definitely an adrenaline rush, racing to the scene and being the first ones there," he said.
Wenner took a 60-hour basic responder course at a cost of $400 and was housed in an absorption centre in Jerusalem. Fellow participants were from Canada, the United States and Europe. Although their Hebrew didn't have to be perfect, Wenner emphasized that it was a good idea to be fluent to get the best experience from the program.
"They ask that you be fluent when you start," he said, adding that he thought his Hebrew was "pretty good" but it was criticized in his interview in Montreal. The use of Hebrew helps gain the trust of the ambulance driver and co-workers, he said, which could mean the difference between being given tasks to do on the scene, or having to stand on the sidelines.
"There were people in my program who didn't speak Hebrew at all and their experience suffered for it," he said.
Although most of the people there had no connection to the medical profession, Wenner himself had been giving the idea some thought.
"I'd known I was interested in medicine and I wanted to get real life experience to see if it was something I wanted to do as a career," said Wenner, who had studied arts at McGill. "I'm lucky Israel had that opportunity.
"The interesting aspect of the people who were volunteering is that there were a good portion not interested in a career in medicine," said Wenner. "They were just looking for an interesting way to help out."
The MDA was first established in 1918 in what was then called Palestine, with primarily social service functions. It disbanded after the First World War, only to be re-established in 1930 in Tel-Aviv. The Magen David Adom Law, passed in 1950, defines MDA as "Israel's national society ... to carry out the functions of a national society, to maintain first aid, ambulance and blood services, to conduct training in first aid and pre-hospital emergency medicine and to encourage training of volunteers in first aid and basic and advanced life support." The MDA serves more than 130,000 people annually.
For more information, contact Richard Wenner at 604-581-4677 or [email protected].
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
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