“Who shall live and who shall die, who by fire, and who by water?”

By Daniel R. Allen, Executive Vice President

American Friends of Magen David Adom

Special to The Jewish State

In Israel, one should add, “ who by car accident and who by terrorist attack, who by Qassam and who by Katyusha.” 

We in the U.S. learned on 9/11 that anyone, anywhere, can experience terrorism. Our brothers and sisters in Israel, unfortunately, are life-long learners when it comes to the subject of terrorism.

The “cease fire” between Israel and Hamas means that “only” six or seven Qassam rockets land in southern Israel daily. On the northern border, Hezbollah is rearmed and this time, according to all the latest information, they have chemical and biological weapons as well as conventional missiles.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues his rants, denying the Holocaust and promising to wipe Israel off the map. Even while Israel remains willing to discuss peace, perhaps it is time to acknowledge what our tradition tells us, “Shalom Shalom V’ayn Shalom.” It is a bracha, a prayer, a hope… but not a reality. All that Israel, and those of us who love her deeply, can do is be prepared and hope that Israel can manage the situation since no solution – either to strife and war, or traffic, is on the horizon.

Within our culture, as both Americans and Jewish Americans, we have a strong tradition of volunteering, giving tzedakah and working for the betterment of all humankind – for “Tikkun Olam.” At the same time, there is a perception that these same values and traditions do not seem to exist in Israel.

I know of 12,000 examples of why that perception is wrong.

In Israel, 12,000 volunteers personally know what the Unetana Tokef means firsthand. Our 12,000 volunteers are witnesses to life and death; by fire, by water, at the scene of domestic violence and car accidents, and in ambulances where new life comes forth. 12,000 volunteers are the backbone of Israel ’s heroic medical first responders, Magen David Adom, and they are saving lives in Israel every day.

12,000 Magen David Adom volunteers are the cutting edge of Jewish Tikkun Olam in Israel. Who are these volunteers? Half are high school juniors and seniors and half are busy Israelis – Jews and Arabs, mothers and fathers, living their lives. Each spends a minimum of eight hours a week standing at the ready. All are trained as first responders and many as advanced paramedics. Some carry their emergency gear in their cars and some keep the gear in their offices. All of them know that, 24/7, they are God’s partners in answering the Unetana Tokef.

We pray that in the year ahead, these 12,000 wonderful volunteers, as well as the brave men and women who work professionally for Magen David Adom, making it one of the world’s foremost and most renowned emergency medical first responders, will have less to do. We pray for peace, for a cessation of attacks from Gaza and an end to terrorism. We hope that Ahmadinejad’s threats remain nothing more than words and that the northern border stays quiet. But we also know that whatever happens, MDA’s volunteers and staff will answer the call, just as they have done throughout Israel ’s history.

Just as they do today in Sderot, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmona and throughout the Land.