Expensive Dinner Will Save Many Lives

The “trick”, ‘can you serve me the dinner at $12 million?’ That is what took place when saving life and deep caring come together.

By donation the generous amount of $12 million dollars to the organization, one can call Israel’s Iron Dome Second Tier, Dr. Miriam Adelson sealed the ’Red Star Ball’, American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) annual gala with ‘buying’ her delayed dinner, due to the fundraising portion of the gala program.

Yes, Miriam and Sheldon Adelson care deeply about the state of Israel and they are very generous when it comes to various causes that help the country.

Mirian and Sheldon Adelson Humanitarian of the Year Awardees[

Gala Banner

One such cause is supporting the ‘Jewish Red Cross’ – Magen David Adom – means the Red David Shield, the fleet of ambulances and specially equipped motorcycles – with distinct Halloween face - that speed the streets of Israel to save life.

On the stage MDA saving life-Bike with Halloween face

The gala, that took place at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel on Halloween eve, with over 1,000 supporters who filled the hall, Dina and Fred Leeds co-Chairs, and Jerry Seinfeld in a special performance, awarded Dr. Miriam & Sheldon Adelson with the Humanitarian of the Year Award, Renee & Meyer Luskin with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Nikita Kahn with the Next Generation Award.

Dina Leeds & Fred Leeds gala co-Chairs

(Renee) and Meyer Luskin Lifetime Achievement Awardee

Awardee Nikita Khan( cener) with Jerry Seinfeld & MDA team guests from Israel

The writer with the MDA team from Israel

Every country is proud of having paramedics and emergency medical technicians first responders who arrive and assist at the scene of an emergency such as an accident, medical assistance urgent need, natural disaster, or terrorist attack. In Israel, under the country’s sensitive and unpredictable security position, first responders are not like other first responders in other countries. The ubiquitous terror and rockets attacks and wars Israel faces regularly demand extra alertness, fast thinking and reaction and improvisation.

MDA touches the life of [almost] everyone in Israel. Its function is to comfort and heal. And with all that it takes care of at home, MDA, with its superior expertise in its field, extends its service beyond Israel’s borders and helps where help is needed.

MDA’s operations relies heavily on a very large force of dedicated volunteers. There is a saying, in every tree there is a seed. In every person there is a seed to save life, whether by supporting MDA or volunteering to be part of the MDA team.

And MDA in Israel, a national organization that is not on the government’s budget list, is totally dependent on its Friends to keep it equipped and running. Friends of MDA have in them the seed to save life. And that was the case why last evening $25 million dollars were raised to replenish MDA’s ambulances, to complete the much necessary underground national blood bank, in the process of being built, and to make sure the first responding service in Israel is prime.

Observing the guests pouring into the hall to take their place at the tables, magnificently decorated with red roses and tulips, to enhance the name of the gala ‘Red Star Ball,’ I notices the large number of young guests. To me that means, the young generation is slowly taking over from their advancing in age MDA supporters predecessors and will continue keeping MDA fully equipped and functioning well.

Alisa and Robert Leeds - MDA Next Generation - volunteered with MDA, summer 2017

There is a saying, "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." - Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:8 (37a)

Magen David Adom saves at least one life a day in Israel, meaning it save the entire world each day, if not few times a day.