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Many Hands Join In Support of Magen David Adom

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By FJN Staff

Animating the principle of social action, the Torah School children of Temple Beth Or crafted tissue paper flowers for the bimah for High Holy Days services. Funds normally used to purchase flowers were instead directed toward American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA), the authorized tax-exempt fundraising organization in the United States supporting the life saving efforts of MDA in Israel – Israel’s equivalent of the Red Cross.


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Bearing messages of peace, gratitude, kindness, love, hope, and courage for the people of Israel and Jews across the world, the multicolored handmade flowers brought to life an important message of caring and compassion for the congregants of the South Dade Reconstructionist temple. That summer, moved by the crisis in Israel, Social Action Co-chair Leslie Sternlieb suggested that Ritual Committee members allocate funds normally used to buy floral arrangements for a charity serving emergency services in Israel. When Brian Fata, as an extension of his Bar Mitzvah project, later approached the congregation with a fund-raising effort to support American Friends of Magen David Adom, the committee decided to follow his lead and direct all monies to AFMDA; the entire temple has generously followed suit. His mother, Lori Fata, spearheaded the flower-making project among the 25 third- through tenth-graders enrolled in the Torah School.

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Brian addressed the congregation about the AFMDA’s activities, and Rabbi Rebecca Lillian encouraged High Holy Day worshipers to join in the campaign as well: "Flowers die, but mitzvoth live on," she noted. Temple Beth Or has raised more than $2,400 to date. "Brian’s goal," says Lori Fata, "is to buy one of the big ambulances," valued at $75,000.

Magen David Adom (MDA) and its team of trained volunteer and professional medical responders provide Israel’s entire pre-hospital emergency medical needs, including disaster, ambulance and blood services. The MDA National Blood Services Center provides 100% of the blood requirements of the Israeli Defense Forces and 97% of the blood needs of Israeli hospitals and the general population including testing, processing and distribution.


For more information or to make a donation, call 1-800-626-0046 or visit the website at http://www.afmda.org.


Posted by FJN Staff on 10/27 at 02:00 AM • Hits: 253



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