April 24, 2025 • 14 mins
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello, and welcome to Nourish Your Biblical Roots Special Edition.
I'm Caleb Burrows of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
I'll be your host for today's podcast. We're broadcasting from NRB,
the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. During our time here, we're
talking with special guests on a variety of topics, especially
as they relate to Israel, the current situation over there,
(00:29):
and the work of the Fellowship Today. I'm honored to
have on the podcast Uri Shakam, chief of staff for
Magan David Adome, Israel's national emergency Service Hebrew for Red
Star of David mcgon. David Adome is truly on the
front line, so when any emergency occurs in Israel, so
it's emergency crews we're able to save many lives. On
(00:50):
October seventh, and in the many difficult days, weeks, and
months since today to discuss the life saving work being
done and the steep price being paid by the brave
men and women of McGan David Adom, we welcome Uri Chican.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Thank you, Caleb, and I to all our audiences and viewers, well,
thank you for being here, Thank you for having me
so early.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
First, let's tell our listeners the history of MDA. How
long has it been around? What do you do?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well? It did? Magendovida Dome. I'll call it for short NDA.
It will be easier for all of us perfect. We
were established in nineteen thirty ninety four years ago actually
when riots happened in the State of Israel, Okay and
Jews were attacked, and so people in Tel Aviv back then,
the young city of Tel Avision back then, decided to
(01:38):
form an organization that will prove wide rapid response for
people in medical distress or in medical need. And if
you look up through the history of the thirties and forties,
Magendovid the Dome is walking step by step with the
formation of the State of Israel. We actually trained the
people of the Haganah the basis for the formation and
(02:00):
all the big recursory to that idea exactly. And for
the idea, we established the blood the blood bank in
the mid thirties, and we collected blood up until the
establishment of the State of Israel. So when the State
of Israel was formed, it actually had an emergency medical
services organization, well established blood services that was well established,
(02:22):
and this is how we walked step by step together
with Israel's history, there's the development of the Magendo Vida
Dome throughout the wars, throughout terror times, throughout all the
happy occasions, but the less happy occasions. Wherever people in
Israel needed someone to be there for them in medical distress,
Magenda Vida Dome was there and is there for them. Wow.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
So ninety four years, ninety four years me, you all
were there for the establishment of modern Israel. You were
there and ready to serve the people of it, the
people of Isuel. And you were there on October seventh.
Can you tell me about that.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I'll take a step a step back and I'll talk
about October six when if you ask me on October six,
did anybody ever said to Magenda vidadom, you should be
prepared for the most vittle terror attack that ever happened
in the state of Israel, for the invasiasion of thousands
(03:18):
of Hamasteres into Israel. To have Magenda vidad doom for
hours and hours under under fire, I would say this
is an invented scenario. Nobody is prepared for this. Nevertheless,
Magenda Vita dom basis its capabilities, its response capabilities upon preparedness.
(03:39):
We are constantly prepared for war, for earthquakes, for natural
and man made disasters. So when October seventh happened, we
were prepared, maybe not for the specific scenarios, but we
had the fleet of fourteen hundred ambulances. We had our
(04:00):
team members, which is three thousand staff members, but thirty
thousand volunteers. We have thirty ten volunteers for each one
staff member. And when we first heard the parriage of
rockets going out, everybody understood that this is something that
(04:20):
is out of the ordinary. Very early that day, fifteen
minutes after the attack started, we actually called upon all
our volunteers, told them, please come to the stations and
man the entire fleet of fourteen hundred ambulances, because this
is what the State of Israel has in order to
respond to emergencies. Now, we weren't sure that the South,
(04:43):
that the rocket attack in the south were the main issue.
We thought this might be a diversion. We thought that something,
maybe something is happening in the north. So we had
to make sure that we have enough ambulances meant in
order to respond both to the South and to the
end to the not So in a matter of an
(05:04):
hour or two hours, we had the entire fleet man doubts,
and so this.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Was like mothers, fathers, sons, daughters all being called from
home to be volunteer.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Indeed, now it was Saturday, since where people many many
of our volunteers are our religious service exactly, so they
left everything and they came to the station, but not
only them. I think what's unique about Magenta Vida Don't
is that we incorporate anybody in Israel that is interested
in life saving. So you can on one ambulance you
(05:36):
can find a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim working
working together. Everyone came, nobody had a doubt, nobody even
questioned the need, and they were the first one to
encounter the wounded. Because Magendavillo Don't people are based in communities,
in their own communities, that they respond for their own communities.
(05:59):
So when masterists invaded the keyboard scene in Ghaza Envelope,
there were Magenta Vida Dome there providing assistance to their neighbors,
family and their friends exactly exactly. So the first, the
first line of defense of life was Magentavida doom people
at the the communities. The second live of defense, this
(06:21):
is This was something that we weren't preparing for. It
was Magentavida Dome ambulances reaching out for junctions for main
roads that had theroists in them, stopping at the place
where they were injured people or were or where people
from Nova festival were brought. And they were actually operating
(06:42):
field hospitals on the main roads. Yeah. And the third
line of defense was Magenta Vida Doom stations. We have
dedicated equipment in our station, special storage in case of
an earthquakes, so we'll have medical equipment to do this.
On October seventh, we said, okay, we have the equipment,
(07:04):
we have the main powered but unfortunately we have terrorists
running around around streets of cities in Israel, so open
up field hospitals also in Magendo Vida Doome stations. So
those three lines of events were actually treating thousands of people,
saving lives of hundreds of them. And as I mentioned,
(07:24):
this has happened without any preparation, without nobody getting ready
for this, and in the middle of Shabbat, in a
Jewish holiday, So these were't even.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Soldiers or law enforcement that were armed. These were emergency
crees who were setting up in the middle of a
warzone to a drop of a hat exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
And you know what, we base our response on the
assumption that a humanitarian eight people are protected. Nobody, nobody
is targeting an angulance, Nobody is targeting a medical or
or a paramedic. And we had riots in the state
of Israel back on May twenty twenty two and Magendevida
(08:06):
don ambulances were going through the riots. Everybody was opening,
opening the way, letting the letting them go because everybody
knew that Magentavida Don't is a symbol of life saving.
But a masterists on October seventh didn't have any kind
of three. Although our people felt secure at the beginning,
(08:30):
some muss terrorists targeted both the ambulances and Maganda Vida
don't people. We actually that day we lost ten paramedics
on the line of duty. One of them was killed
in Erri while she was while she was treating patients
in the in the very clinic. The security, the security
(08:53):
group was protecting the clinic. She was for seven hours,
she was treating victims. She could have sled, she could
have flee, she could have hired. She didn't do this.
She said, I'm staying here, I'm providing medical care to
whoever you need, because this is the spirit of Magenda
vida Dome. And eventually hermasters came into the came into
(09:15):
the clinic and killed everyone in there. I think this
is so tragic because at the end of the day,
the spirit of Magendo Vida Dome, the spirit the Israeli spirit,
is of compassion, of providing hope for for people and
having the notion that Hamas theorists didn't care for human life,
(09:36):
regardless of you who you are. It stands in totally
totally opposed to what Magenda vida Dome represents.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
And this is something that we carry with us in
the In the months sense, I'm sure things have been
hard with the with the word going on. Can you
tell me about the challenges you are faced since October seven, we.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Are dealing with the challenge of a multifrontal war. We
have to maintain our preparedness level in the south because
what's going on in Gaza, and we have to be
prepared for anything develops in the north. Although although some
people are not so aware of it, but there is
a war in the northern border of Israel. The entire
(10:21):
communities were evacuated, so there are no civilians that are injured.
But Tisbala is constantly targeting both villages and the cities
that are on the border, and in the last few
days even more remote communities, not only by missiles but
also by anti tank weapons and by they call it
(10:41):
suicide dronees because they send drones with explosives and this
puts OUR teams in danger. Still having to maintain the
high level of preparedness in order to provide medical attention
to whoever we need, including the ideas. And another challenge
is one one hundred and fifty thousand Israelis that have
(11:02):
been evacuated from their home. They need medical at tension.
They have medical emergencies, regular medical emergencies. So we are
doing whatever we can in order to make sure that
we tackle those challenges that we haven't seen before.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Yeah, but I find it amazing that you said you
were founded in nineteen thirty after the Palosinian riots of
the twenties, and then now you really are looking at
all the borders of Israel, like you know, after the
Wars of sixty seven or seventy three, where you were
attacked on all fronts, and now you're not just worrying
about Gaza that area. You're serving all of Israel and
(11:41):
in all of the people of Israel, not just the
Jewish people, but the Palisinian Israelis and the Christian Israelis.
This is something that's embedded in our organizational DNA. We
serve everyone, regardless of their religious affiliation, regardless of they are,
what what their ideas, or what their their beliefs are.
(12:05):
If somebody needs help in the state of Israel, Magendo
Vida Don't will be there for him. And on the
organizational level, we say, anybody that is I would say
committed for life saving is more than welcomed into into
our organization. So Drew's Bedouins, l Orthodox, Jews, Secular, just
(12:28):
everybody working together for the sacred mission of life saving
in Israel.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And I think this is something that puts Magendavida Don't
in the middle of the Israeli consistence. The name of
the organization in Magendavida Don't in Israel. We actually say
Magenda Vida don't is Israel.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
To me, that's so inspiring that that you all are
really reaching out and building bridges among all Israelis. As
we close here, you have a message for a Christian audience,
they stand for Isral What do they need to know
with what you are facing?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
First and foremost, I would like to think, are Christian
supporters not only on behalf of Maganda Vida Doo, but
on behalf of me as an Israeli on behalf of
my family. I want to call upon people to continue
their support. To know that when you support Magenda Vida Doom,
you support much more than an organization. You support an
(13:21):
ide of coexistence of continuous Jewish and Christian lives in
the state of Israel. And I urge you to come
and visit the Holy Land. I know some people say, well,
it's a war zone, I might go, but let me
tell you this. Jerusalem is completely safe. Nazareth is completely safe.
(13:43):
Actually I grew up near Nazareth and my house is
about fifteen minutes. I go there each each weekend to
have a very good foot The Seal of Galilee is
completely safe. And when you come and visit Israel, take
time and visit Maghendavi the Dome. See how we are doing.
(14:03):
We are doing everything that we can for the people
of Israel, exactly like our supporters are doing everything they
can for the State of Israel.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
This just can so inspiring. Thank you Eric from again
the Vidio Dome.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Thank you so much, Hill, thank you so much for
having and bless you all to the Alaba, thank you
very much.
Hello, and welcome to Nourish Your Biblical Roots Special Edition.
I'm Caleb Burrows of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
I'll be your host for today's podcast. We're broadcasting from NRB,
the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. During our time here, we're
talking with special guests on a variety of topics, especially
as they relate to Israel, the current situation over there,
(00:29):
and the work of the Fellowship Today. I'm honored to
have on the podcast Uri Shakam, chief of staff for
Magan David Adome, Israel's national emergency Service Hebrew for Red
Star of David mcgon. David Adome is truly on the
front line, so when any emergency occurs in Israel, so
it's emergency crews we're able to save many lives. On
(00:50):
October seventh, and in the many difficult days, weeks, and
months since today to discuss the life saving work being
done and the steep price being paid by the brave
men and women of McGan David Adom, we welcome Uri Chican.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Thank you, Caleb, and I to all our audiences and viewers, well,
thank you for being here, Thank you for having me
so early.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
First, let's tell our listeners the history of MDA. How
long has it been around? What do you do?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well? It did? Magendovida Dome. I'll call it for short NDA.
It will be easier for all of us perfect. We
were established in nineteen thirty ninety four years ago actually
when riots happened in the State of Israel, Okay and
Jews were attacked, and so people in Tel Aviv back then,
the young city of Tel Avision back then, decided to
(01:38):
form an organization that will prove wide rapid response for
people in medical distress or in medical need. And if
you look up through the history of the thirties and forties,
Magendovid the Dome is walking step by step with the
formation of the State of Israel. We actually trained the
people of the Haganah the basis for the formation and
(02:00):
all the big recursory to that idea exactly. And for
the idea, we established the blood the blood bank in
the mid thirties, and we collected blood up until the
establishment of the State of Israel. So when the State
of Israel was formed, it actually had an emergency medical
services organization, well established blood services that was well established,
(02:22):
and this is how we walked step by step together
with Israel's history, there's the development of the Magendo Vida
Dome throughout the wars, throughout terror times, throughout all the
happy occasions, but the less happy occasions. Wherever people in
Israel needed someone to be there for them in medical distress,
Magenda Vida Dome was there and is there for them. Wow.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
So ninety four years, ninety four years me, you all
were there for the establishment of modern Israel. You were
there and ready to serve the people of it, the
people of Isuel. And you were there on October seventh.
Can you tell me about that.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I'll take a step a step back and I'll talk
about October six when if you ask me on October six,
did anybody ever said to Magenda vidadom, you should be
prepared for the most vittle terror attack that ever happened
in the state of Israel, for the invasiasion of thousands
(03:18):
of Hamasteres into Israel. To have Magenda vidad doom for
hours and hours under under fire, I would say this
is an invented scenario. Nobody is prepared for this. Nevertheless,
Magenda Vita dom basis its capabilities, its response capabilities upon preparedness.
(03:39):
We are constantly prepared for war, for earthquakes, for natural
and man made disasters. So when October seventh happened, we
were prepared, maybe not for the specific scenarios, but we
had the fleet of fourteen hundred ambulances. We had our
(04:00):
team members, which is three thousand staff members, but thirty
thousand volunteers. We have thirty ten volunteers for each one
staff member. And when we first heard the parriage of
rockets going out, everybody understood that this is something that
(04:20):
is out of the ordinary. Very early that day, fifteen
minutes after the attack started, we actually called upon all
our volunteers, told them, please come to the stations and
man the entire fleet of fourteen hundred ambulances, because this
is what the State of Israel has in order to
respond to emergencies. Now, we weren't sure that the South,
(04:43):
that the rocket attack in the south were the main issue.
We thought this might be a diversion. We thought that something,
maybe something is happening in the north. So we had
to make sure that we have enough ambulances meant in
order to respond both to the South and to the
end to the not So in a matter of an
(05:04):
hour or two hours, we had the entire fleet man doubts,
and so this.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Was like mothers, fathers, sons, daughters all being called from
home to be volunteer.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Indeed, now it was Saturday, since where people many many
of our volunteers are our religious service exactly, so they
left everything and they came to the station, but not
only them. I think what's unique about Magenta Vida Don't
is that we incorporate anybody in Israel that is interested
in life saving. So you can on one ambulance you
(05:36):
can find a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim working
working together. Everyone came, nobody had a doubt, nobody even
questioned the need, and they were the first one to
encounter the wounded. Because Magendavillo Don't people are based in communities,
in their own communities, that they respond for their own communities.
(05:59):
So when masterists invaded the keyboard scene in Ghaza Envelope,
there were Magenta Vida Dome there providing assistance to their neighbors,
family and their friends exactly exactly. So the first, the
first line of defense of life was Magentavida doom people
at the the communities. The second live of defense, this
(06:21):
is This was something that we weren't preparing for. It
was Magentavida Dome ambulances reaching out for junctions for main
roads that had theroists in them, stopping at the place
where they were injured people or were or where people
from Nova festival were brought. And they were actually operating
(06:42):
field hospitals on the main roads. Yeah. And the third
line of defense was Magenta Vida Doom stations. We have
dedicated equipment in our station, special storage in case of
an earthquakes, so we'll have medical equipment to do this.
On October seventh, we said, okay, we have the equipment,
(07:04):
we have the main powered but unfortunately we have terrorists
running around around streets of cities in Israel, so open
up field hospitals also in Magendo Vida Doome stations. So
those three lines of events were actually treating thousands of people,
saving lives of hundreds of them. And as I mentioned,
(07:24):
this has happened without any preparation, without nobody getting ready
for this, and in the middle of Shabbat, in a
Jewish holiday, So these were't even.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Soldiers or law enforcement that were armed. These were emergency
crees who were setting up in the middle of a
warzone to a drop of a hat exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
And you know what, we base our response on the
assumption that a humanitarian eight people are protected. Nobody, nobody
is targeting an angulance, Nobody is targeting a medical or
or a paramedic. And we had riots in the state
of Israel back on May twenty twenty two and Magendevida
(08:06):
don ambulances were going through the riots. Everybody was opening,
opening the way, letting the letting them go because everybody
knew that Magentavida Don't is a symbol of life saving.
But a masterists on October seventh didn't have any kind
of three. Although our people felt secure at the beginning,
(08:30):
some muss terrorists targeted both the ambulances and Maganda Vida
don't people. We actually that day we lost ten paramedics
on the line of duty. One of them was killed
in Erri while she was while she was treating patients
in the in the very clinic. The security, the security
(08:53):
group was protecting the clinic. She was for seven hours,
she was treating victims. She could have sled, she could
have flee, she could have hired. She didn't do this.
She said, I'm staying here, I'm providing medical care to
whoever you need, because this is the spirit of Magenda
vida Dome. And eventually hermasters came into the came into
(09:15):
the clinic and killed everyone in there. I think this
is so tragic because at the end of the day,
the spirit of Magendo Vida Dome, the spirit the Israeli spirit,
is of compassion, of providing hope for for people and
having the notion that Hamas theorists didn't care for human life,
(09:36):
regardless of you who you are. It stands in totally
totally opposed to what Magenda vida Dome represents.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
And this is something that we carry with us in
the In the months sense, I'm sure things have been
hard with the with the word going on. Can you
tell me about the challenges you are faced since October seven, we.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Are dealing with the challenge of a multifrontal war. We
have to maintain our preparedness level in the south because
what's going on in Gaza, and we have to be
prepared for anything develops in the north. Although although some
people are not so aware of it, but there is
a war in the northern border of Israel. The entire
(10:21):
communities were evacuated, so there are no civilians that are injured.
But Tisbala is constantly targeting both villages and the cities
that are on the border, and in the last few
days even more remote communities, not only by missiles but
also by anti tank weapons and by they call it
(10:41):
suicide dronees because they send drones with explosives and this
puts OUR teams in danger. Still having to maintain the
high level of preparedness in order to provide medical attention
to whoever we need, including the ideas. And another challenge
is one one hundred and fifty thousand Israelis that have
(11:02):
been evacuated from their home. They need medical at tension.
They have medical emergencies, regular medical emergencies. So we are
doing whatever we can in order to make sure that
we tackle those challenges that we haven't seen before.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Yeah, but I find it amazing that you said you
were founded in nineteen thirty after the Palosinian riots of
the twenties, and then now you really are looking at
all the borders of Israel, like you know, after the
Wars of sixty seven or seventy three, where you were
attacked on all fronts, and now you're not just worrying
about Gaza that area. You're serving all of Israel and
(11:41):
in all of the people of Israel, not just the
Jewish people, but the Palisinian Israelis and the Christian Israelis.
This is something that's embedded in our organizational DNA. We
serve everyone, regardless of their religious affiliation, regardless of they are,
what what their ideas, or what their their beliefs are.
(12:05):
If somebody needs help in the state of Israel, Magendo
Vida Don't will be there for him. And on the
organizational level, we say, anybody that is I would say
committed for life saving is more than welcomed into into
our organization. So Drew's Bedouins, l Orthodox, Jews, Secular, just
(12:28):
everybody working together for the sacred mission of life saving
in Israel.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And I think this is something that puts Magendavida Don't
in the middle of the Israeli consistence. The name of
the organization in Magendavida Don't in Israel. We actually say
Magenda Vida don't is Israel.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
To me, that's so inspiring that that you all are
really reaching out and building bridges among all Israelis. As
we close here, you have a message for a Christian audience,
they stand for Isral What do they need to know
with what you are facing?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
First and foremost, I would like to think, are Christian
supporters not only on behalf of Maganda Vida Doo, but
on behalf of me as an Israeli on behalf of
my family. I want to call upon people to continue
their support. To know that when you support Magenda Vida Doom,
you support much more than an organization. You support an
(13:21):
ide of coexistence of continuous Jewish and Christian lives in
the state of Israel. And I urge you to come
and visit the Holy Land. I know some people say, well,
it's a war zone, I might go, but let me
tell you this. Jerusalem is completely safe. Nazareth is completely safe.
(13:43):
Actually I grew up near Nazareth and my house is
about fifteen minutes. I go there each each weekend to
have a very good foot The Seal of Galilee is
completely safe. And when you come and visit Israel, take
time and visit Maghendavi the Dome. See how we are doing.
(14:03):
We are doing everything that we can for the people
of Israel, exactly like our supporters are doing everything they
can for the State of Israel.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
This just can so inspiring. Thank you Eric from again
the Vidio Dome.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Thank you so much, Hill, thank you so much for
having and bless you all to the Alaba, thank you
very much.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.