Sarasota synagogue Temple Beth Sholom recently raised $300,000 for the purchase of an all-terrain ICU-equipped ambulance to be used by Israel in the war with Hamas.
The Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom, part of the International Red Cross, has lost 16 vehicles so far during the war; some were operated by Israeli Arab paramedics who, alongside their Jewish colleagues, have been killed or wounded. Magen David Adom does not receive any money from the Israeli government and serves the entire population, including the 20% who are Israeli Arabs.
To date, Magen David Adom has rescued 13,084 people, “so the need is very real and urgent,” said Temple Beth Sholom member Dr. Ben Sachs, who led the fundraising effort.
Sachs said that in just three weeks donations came flooding in from the Temple Beth Sholom congregation as well as from non-members, including non-Jewish supporters from the Sarasota community.
“For Temple Beth Sholom, this is personal. Relatives and friends of congregants were killed or injured in the initial October 7th Hamas attack,” Sachs said. “One member has a step-grandson who is a hostage, and many congregants have relatives and friends who are in the army and fighting Hamas terrorists.”