viewpoints >> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com essay On Israel's Front Lines Of Saving Lives T he day Magen David Adom responded to stabbings of Israelis in Afula, Kiryat Arba, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the latest Palestinian rage of violence, MDA supporters gathered in Farmington Hills on behalf of Israel's national emergency medical, disaster relief, ambulance and blood service agency. About 550 supporters of American Friends of MDA (AFMDA) attended the Michigan-based Dr. John J. Mames Chapter's Oct. 8 gala at Adat Shalom Synagogue. They demonstrated how important MDA is not only to those who are treated inside Israel, but also to those supporting it from the diaspora. This year, Detroiters have donated seven ambulances and two medicycles plus advanced GPS systems and in-ambulance cameras. Gala keynoter Charles Krauthammer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for the Washington Post, called ambulance giving "a kind of philan- thropic genius:' "It's something you can see and feel; you know what it does:' he said. "Everybody can under- stand what it does. There is nothing abstract about it. There is no overhead. Charles You are doing something Krauthammer so real to the lives of Israelis:' Cord Blood Bank. Domestically, MDA boasts 14,000 In 1986, Bill Davidson and first responders (including 12,000 Paul Zuckerman led a local effort volunteers) and 1,050 ambulances, that raised $8 million toward the $30 million cost of opening and fields almost 5 million calls a year. It furnishes 97 percent of the the MDA National Blood Center civilian blood supply and the entire in Ramat Gan, outside Tel Aviv. military inventory. Detroiter Joseph Handleman The Israeli government man- Rober t Sklar headed the national campaign. dated MDA in 1950, yet MDA isn't Contri buting The center was built a year government funded. Service fees Editor later above ground, with a small and donations fund a $200 mil- below-grade bomb shelter; earth- lion annual operating budget and ensure quakes always have posed a threat and ter- paramedics and other responders are well rorist attacks have come to do so. Imagine trained and fully equipped. the havoc on Israel's blood supply from a long-range missile fired by Hezbollah, MDA humanitarian efforts extend Hamas or Islamic Jihad. worldwide — for example, to Indonesia, Haiti, Nepal and even Boston, where, ISRAEL'S LIFEBLOOD nine months before the Boston Marathon bombings, MDA taught how to handle Within four years, MDA hopes to mass-casualty situations. dedicate a new blood center to be built underground in Ramla, near Ben Gurion THE MAMES FACTOR International Airport. Israel is home to 8.1 million people. Since its founding amid the Six-Day War in 1967 to support Israel and save Israeli Blood needs are near 400,000 lives, the Mames Chapter, inspired by the units, more than twice what was memory of beloved founders Eva and John needed when the MDA National Mames, has donated 300 ambulances to Blood Center opened. A projected population of 10 million by 2030 MDA as well as $38 million in additional support — from blood processing equip- would necessitate more than a ment and defibrillators to paramedic schol- half-million units of blood. arships and emergency aid stations, and Donors worldwide fund 30 per- more. The chapter also supports the MDA cent of the MDA budget as well as capital expansions, renovations, equip- ment purchases, medical supplies and new ambulances, which range from $100,000 to $150,000. At least 100 new ambulances are needed to replace older units and enlarge the fleet. With a gift of $1.5 million for a nucleic acid testing lab, the Marvin and Betty Danto Family Foundation becomes the first Founders Circle member from Michigan in the campaign to build a secure under- ground blood center. Israel's 50-day war with Hamas last sum- mer underscored why a cramped, below- grade shelter never meant for extended use is inadequate during prolonged rocket attacks. Expanded new underground quar- ters would enable the center to operate unencumbered all day, every day. MDA gifts of all sizes matter. For example, $1,000 provides a medical bag and $100 processes a unit of blood. Three medicycles are available for sponsorship at $36,000 each. Direct giving queries to Cari Immerman, AFMDA Midwest regional director: (877) 405-3913. At the Oct. 8 gala, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder described Detroit Jewry's special relationship with American Friends of MDA as a shining example of "people helping people who help people:' And he was spot on. * guest column We're An Active Interfaith Community M etro Detroit is one of the most synagogue, a church, a Hindu temple and a diverse cities in the U.S. and, to Sikh Gurdwara as well as to the Holocaust some degree, the most segregat- Memorial Center or the Detroit Institute ed. But we are a region with vibrantly active of Arts as the summation session for this and successful interfaith initiatives religious diversity initiative. The that also involve our Jewish com- purpose of this program is to munity. promote greater understanding, Immediately after 9-11, the awareness and knowledge concern- ing the many religions prevalent Interfaith Partners was born. It evolved into the InterFaith in the Metro Detroit area and to Leadership Council (IFLC) of prepare these students for life in our Metropolitan Detroit in 2010. The increasingly diverse society. goal of these visionary clerical and The message for these students Gail Katz lay leaders is to bring together, is pointed discussion about the encourage and nurture interfaith negative effects of prejudice, ste- initiatives and support conciliation between reotyping and bullying of different religious religious groups and the larger community. groups. Students have visited Adat Shalom Synagogue, Temple Beth El and Temple IFLC has planned educational panels to address lifecycle events across the faith tradi- Israel over the years to fulfill the Jewish com- tions and programs that impact youth. ponent of the Religious Diversity Journeys. The Religious Diversity Journeys, a pro- Also impacting our youth is a wonderful gram that supports the study of world reli- after-school program titled Face to Faith gions, impacts seventh-graders from public for eighth- through 12th-graders. These middle schools in Oakland, Macomb and students come together several times a year Wayne counties. About 400 seventh-graders at different houses of worship to learn about each year make site visits to a mosque, a other faith traditions and interact with one 8 October 22.2015 another about topics such as how different faith traditions underscore non-violence. The World Sabbath is an interfaith event celebrating world peace through prayers, dance and music from different faith tradi- tions. It has been ongoing since 2000. It begins with a Jewish youth blowing the shofar, a Muslim youth chanting the Muslim Call to Prayer and a Hindu youth blowing the conch shell, followed by our children and young adults giving additional prayers for world peace from many other religions — Jain, Buddhist, Baha'i, Zoroastrian, Christian, Hindu, Native American, Sikh, Quaker and Unitarian faiths. Elementary and middle school youth become Children of Peace and make world peace banners that are sewn into peace quilts — a symbol that we are bringing together our diverse community to champion peace and the building of respect and understand- ing. Adat Shalom Synagogue hosted the last World Sabbath. The next one will be at Fort Street Presbyterian Church in Detroit at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 6. Then there is WISDOM (Women's Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in MetroDetroit), which promotes Five Women Five Journeys, a panel presenta- tion made up of five women, each of a differ- ent faith tradition, to highlight the changing roles and expectations of women and their personal religious and interfaith journeys. I am frequently on this panel representing the Jewish faith. This panel is available to all houses of worship, public schools, libraries and community groups. So, in the midst of our hostile and combat- ive world, where religious groups are fighting against each other, there are many successful interfaith endeavors in Metro Detroit that bring people of many faiths, ethnic back- grounds and cultures together to make our community a better place to live. To get involved with these organizations, visit www.detroitinterfaithcouncil.com , wwwinterfaithwisdom.com or contact me at gailkatz@comcast.net . * Gail Katz is co-founder of WISDOM and executive board member of the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit.