Category Archives: Volunteer in Israel

Reflecting on my time as an overseas volunteer from Australia with Magen David Adom in Israel, I recognise that the experiences I gained were rare and profoundly eye-opening. The program provided me with a mix of medical, emotional and cultural learning. Prior to my voluntary period on the ambulances I completed an intensive 60-hour First Aid Responder course, where I acquired practical skills and Hebrew vocabulary in basic life support, trauma care and the recognition and management of other common emergency conditions. The classroom training was rigorous and hands-on, making me feel confident and well equipped to save lives.

Following completion of my training and certification, I undertook a two-month placement on ambulance crews with Magen David Adom. During that time I served alongside Israeli medics and volunteers, responding to emergency calls, visiting patients in their homes, and supporting people in some of their most vulnerable moments. The experience was unvarnished and unfiltered, allowing me to understand the responsibilities involved in my role and the critical role Magen David Adom plays in Israel.I was also fortunate to undertake once-in-a-lifetime voluntary shifts serving as a medic at the Kotel during Selichot and Tisha B’Av.

It is hard to capture the impact which my time with Magen David Adom has had on my life. I now understand the significance of being resilient, never giving up, and remaining calm under pressure. Further, my daily encounters with the Israeli population fostered empathy and strengthened my love for Israel and connection to her people. I am very grateful for this incredible experience and feel lucky I was able to make such a practical and significant impact on so many lives.

It was not too long ago that I was fortunate enough to travel to Israel during my summer break, amidst the current war. Working as an Occupational Therapist and passionate about helping others, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to volunteer for Magen David Adom (MDA), an experience I had longed for post October 7th, 2023. There were many unknowns and lots of apprehension leading up to my departure, but from the minute I landed in Israel, I knew I was in the right spot.

Flying solo into a country that has endured the most unimaginable terror in history, but has demonstrated its ability to persevere and support all of its citizens, reminds us how important it is not to stop advocating for what is right.

My experience was not like anything I have ever endured. Living in the heart of Tel Aviv on Nachalat Binyamin, in the hustle and bustle of the town, the streets were full of light, the ruach in the streets was energising, everyone living their lives, going to work and persevering in light of the current situation. Despite all this, it became a common occurrence that most nights the sirens would alert, and we would have 90 seconds to run out of our apartments and into the bomb shelter, ensuring we were safe. Hearing rockets fire left me trembling. This is a day in the life of an Israeli, fearing the unknown and wondering, “When will I next need to run to safety?”

The training began within the first days of arriving in Israel. Every day, an early wakeup and we would make our way by bus or foot to the MADA headquarters. We had an amazing teacher, Galit, who supported us every step of the way. Lots of content was covered daily over two weeks, a refresher of CPR, the history of MADA, first aid principles, anatomy of the human body, seizure management, respiratory distress and diseases, medical conditions, measuring vital signs, allergies, anaphylaxis, cardiovascular diseases, climate related injuries, trauma, muscular and skeletal systems, head trauma, spinal trauma, thoracic trauma, pregnancy, geriatrics, haemorrhaging, electrical injuries, drowning and so on.

Throughout the 2 intensive weeks of training, we practised many of the techniques we were learning. This became even more unrealistic when our teacher, Galit, experienced an anaphylactic shock during the training, leaving everyone rushing to support her. Seeing in real life the effects of anaphylaxis, including fainting and a rapid decline in pulse and blood pressure, demonstrates how crucial emergency care is, saving lives 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The 2 weeks of training flew by, and before I knew it, I was heading off to my first shift at my base in Ramat Gan, surviving on limited sleep and endless emotions of what had been and what was yet to come. For my first shift, I was alone, just me and my driver. It was a privilege to be able to support my patients, providing them with appropriate medical treatment and alleviating their stress on the way to the hospital. Despite how nervous I felt, using my skills as an Occupational Therapist and my ability to fluently speak Hebrew, connecting with my patients and showing them that I am here for them made me so proud. Day 1 of volunteering exposed me to many cases, supporting people post-car accidents, supporting broken bones, falls, allergic reactions and the usual, measuring all the vital signs and administering oxygen.

Throughout the rest of my shifts, I was fortunate to treat many patients with many different injuries; treating spinal injury patients, mental health patients, trauma patients, falls, individuals with low blood pressure, managing, treating and transporting non-verbal children living with autism from a multi-vehicle car accident on a freeway, as well as patients requiring CPR. The list goes on. Speeding through traffic, lights and sirens to provide emergency medical care and transport to those in need allowed me to appreciate how lucky I am to be alive. You never know what is happening in someone else’s life and when they require support.

Throughout my trip, I was also fortunate to visit the Nova site, the Gaza Envelope, Hostage Square and many landmarks marking October 7th. To witness these atrocities and have the privilege to stand in the very same spot where so much terror occurred is unfathomable. Speechless. It simply is difficult to comprehend this nightmare, one that we are still living with all over the world, one that we’ll never know when it ends. It’s truly heartbreaking.

But despite all that I have seen, all that I have witnessed and all I have been able to give, I am forever thankful for the opportunity to support Israel and its people in a time of need. I’ve met like-minded individuals from all around the world and have formed many friendships for life. It is a privilege to be able to provide medical support and safe transport to those who require it. I have loved every part of this adventure, and if I could put a smile on someone’s face and tell them that I am here for them, this means the world to me.

Coming home to Australia has changed my perspective on life. Working as a health professional and having the means to make a difference in individuals’ lives on a daily basis is a true privilege, one that I am deeply grateful for. While this trip flew by so quickly, I cannot wait to return to Israel in the near future to continue my volunteering, something I am very passionate about. I am passionate about delivering emergency care to individuals in my local community and want to utilise my skills to assist Hatzolah and other community organisations with providing care to others. I’m so thankful to MDA for the opportunity to help patients in these dire times.

Hi, my name is Dov Schneier and I am 19, from Melbourne, Australia. I have been living and studying in Israel for the last ten months. When I came to Israel I had a dream, to help people. And מד”א (MDA) gave me that opportunity. I am so grateful to the organisation. Just a few short months ago I completed the מד”א חול (MDA Overseas) program. There was an intense, hands on, enjoyable ten day period of training at the start of the program, where I met other volunteers from all over the world. This was then followed by 5 weeks of shifts on the ambulance (I was based out of Jerusalem). During my time in the program I had the opportunity to participate in many calls, from a successful CPR to a severe head trauma, I really got to help people in their time of need. I loved all of it, but I decided it wasn’t enough, I felt I could do more. So I extended my volunteering and completed my certificate to advance from מער (emt-b) to חובשים (medics). I plan to continue volunteering and making a difference.

My name is Sam Polkinghorne-Katz, and I am a 22-year-old from Melbourne, Australia. I have just completed a Biomedical Science degree, and before moving onto to hopefully study medicine, I wanted to get real world experience in the sector. Hearing about what the MADA program entails, I felt like I had come across the closest thing to achieving real time scenarios in the health sector. I was right!!

Magen David Adom has been an incredible experience which I will cherish forever. Beginning from the 10-day course, the content learnt is applicable to the real world and you really feel like you are learning tools for life and not solely the ambulance. With volunteers from all over the world, you find yourself making friends with people from all continents. The bonds you make with your peers, as well as drivers and staff are a major bonus to the exceptional experience being on the ambulance.

Whilst volunteering you can apply in real life the skills taught in the course. I was based in Tel Aviv at the main station, and you are required to do 4-5
shifts per week over 5 weeks. Each shift involved something completely different, with a sporadic nature and always enabling you to feel like you are making a difference helping. I have been fortunate to assists patients with strokes, car accidents, severe bleeding, respiratory difficulties, broken bones, heart attacks as well as just general transportation.

Holistically MDA has been an experience of a lifetime and I couldn’t recommend it more to anywhere, not just the volunteering but also the dynamic of how the program is run and the people you meet along the way.

I began my MDA volunteering period at the beginning of August, and have quickly been exposed to a vast array of many different and rewarding experiences. Every time I have stepped foot on the ambulances, I have immediately felt like not only a part of a team, but a vital role in it. I have had the opportunity to work close up and hands on with patients as a first responder, feeling like I am making a genuine difference to peoples lives. In this photo, two of my friends and I are just beginning a night shift which is something new and exciting for all of us. The MDA course has equipped me with skills that I will take with me after the volunteering period, giving me confidence to respond in times of crisis anywhere. I have loved every minute of MDA and can’t wait to continue volunteering!

Reuben Zajac who is currently completing the מד”א חו”ל – MDA Overseas program reports

“The second week of MDA was jampacked full of learning and excitement. We furthered our knowledge on a variety of diseases and ailments and their treatments and we are now all looking forward to getting onto real life ambulances and helping out in the community with our new knowledge.

Under the guidance of our incredible instructors we learnt treatments for everything from dog and snakebites to heart failure and pneumonia. We also got to see inside an ambulance and you get a feel for where everything was and where we would be spending a lot of our time over the next 5 weeks.”

Reuben Zajac is currently completing the מד”א חו”ל – MDA Overseas program and writes

“During the first week of our MDA training participants were educated in how to perform proper CPR, alongside being able to recognise certain cardio respiratory and nervous diseases and their subsequent treatments.

Additionally the social component to the program has been incredible and has facilitated many new friendships. We were also fortunate to attend the annual ceremony in honour of Yochai Porat at which the previous class received their graduation certificates”

We look forward to hearing more from Reuben Zajac when he starts his volunteering with Magen David Adom

I decided to volunteer with MDA for three main reasons. The first of which was my desire to learn and gain practical experience in first aid. The second being my interest in continuing my Hebrew learning that I had begun in an ulpan for the first half of the year and the third was my need to keep myself busy while waiting to return to Australia. I am happy to say that the MDA volunteer program satisfied all of the aforementioned reasons as much as I could have hoped for.

The course was very instructive and comprehensive covering everything from CPR to car accidents. It was also really amazing to meet and learn with people from all over the globe, in my class alone we had people from Mexico, Argentina, Switzerland, England, Israel and of course America.

After the course ended, we immediately started our shifts on the ambulances. I was exceedingly nervous at first because I thought that I was still ill-prepared to function as a useful member of an ambulance crew especially due to the fact that I was by no means fluent in Hebrew. However, the first medic I was with was an immigrant for New York, so not only did he explain everything that was expected of me, he was also able to do so in perfect English, thus calming my nerves and making me feel a lot more confident about the whole experience. After the first week I found that not only had my ambulance instincts improved to the point that I started to be a useful member of the crew, my Hebrew was also improving. I was starting to only converse with the team I was with in Hebrew which I was quite happy about.

Overall, I’d say that volunteering with MDA was an immensely beneficial experience and I would recommend it to all who have the opportunity.

Having only recently come out of lockdown and already experiencing the second wave of corona, the participants of IBC were very lucky to still have the MDA experience offered to us.

The 10 day training course flew by pretty quickly; every day we would have breakfast, class, lunch, class again and then dinner. Although some classes moved slower than others, each class had something to be learned from. We would improve our hebrew skills, practice CPR on life size dummies, learn more first aid skills and make new friends.

The training course very quickly became not just a learning experience, but a social one too – with new friends being made, providing a breath of fresh air after 2 months of lockdown. The training course was ended with an exam which would decide if we were ready to join, and after all pf us successfully passed, we headed back to Tel Aviv to begin the next few weeks as a part of the MDA program.

The reason I decided to join the MDA volunteer program is because MDA teaches you more than first aid – it teaches you responsibility, empathy and offers you the ability to see people at some of the lowest points of their life and be in a position to help them.

As I go on to these next few weeks volunteering within MDA, I very much look forward to the knowledge and personal growth I know I will gain from the experience.

Magen David Adom’s Overseas Volunteer Program was truly was an experience unlike no other; it’s not often that one has the opportunity to be the first on a scene and help treat patients firsthand.

Working side-by-side with Israelis in Jerusalem was a highlight itself, as was meeting such incredible people from all around the world. It’s actually crazy to think that we were on the ambulances, responding to calls in real time in the most dynamic and diverse country.

Prior to MDA, I wouldn’t exactly say I was accustomed to blood, yet quickly learned how to look past my own inhibitions therefore was able to approach cases with a holistic point of view. Learning from the most experienced medics and paramedics, I gained an appreciation for their ability to respond in a calm and dutiful manner whilst giving life-saving treatment; they were the most incredible mentors in all aspects.

Our first day working for Magen David Adom, Sunday 13th of November. Our shift started at 8am, with our first call-out interrupting our equipment check at 8:10. Our energetic driver had us on our toes the minute she put her foot down on the accelerator, which was at full capacity. The radio was also at full volume, so any sleep that we’d missed out on the night before wasn’t going to visit us anytime soon. It was our first real experience of ‘the crazy Israeli drivers’ – and boy, those rumors are true! Our day continued in this way, with only one stop back at the station. We helped a man who had attempted to overdose on sleeping pills, transporting him to the nearest hospital. Our second case was an elderly woman who had suffered a stroke and was experiencing severe chest pain. We weren’t able to communicate with her as well as we would’ve liked to due to our limited Hebrew capabilities. However, to our surprise, she began to speak to us in English-which was music to our ears after having been thrown in the “Hebrew deep-end”. She clung onto our hands and told us stories of her childhood and what it was like growing up in Israel. Before we had a chance to catch our breath, we received the next call, and so our afternoon continued. This first day made us realize that regardless of our limitations, the biggest thing we can give is love. When people are at their worst, sometimes all they need is a hand to hold, and for someone to listen to them- and on that day, we could be that person. We’re so incredibly excited and proud to be a part of MDA, and we are looking forward to what’s in store for us over the next five weeks.