THE DEDICATION, JULY 6 2002, AMBULANCE FOR MAGEN DAVID ADOM*

A diesel-powered, all-wheel-drive Chevy van, outfitted as an ambulance by Southern Emergency Vehicles of La Grange, Ga. (pictures above), costing $60,000, will arrive in Israel by early August, thanks to the efforts of nine enterprising couples who came together in April following a suicide bombing, at a hotel in Netanya on March 27 2002, killing 20 Jews as they sat down to a Passover Seder. "With all the terror attacks, I kept telling people we have to do something," said David Margalit of New Springville. "The fund-rasing started that moment."

The group, almost all of whom were born or have lived in Israel, has raised $130,000 so far. Margalit and his wife, Dina, got together with Yaffa and Ezra Zahavi of Queens; Tova and Michael Marom and Haya and Zev Zizerski of New Springville; Annadale residents Rachel and Mark Porat, Marina and Marc Itzkowitch and Annette and Avi Rozencwaig, and New Jersey residents Shanna and Emil Gohar and Susan and Baruch Harness to decide on a project and raise the money to fund it: "We're friends who told friends," said Mrs. Margalit. "It was like a domino effect," agreed Mrs. Itzkowitch.

Jews and non-Jews contributed to the effort. The group decided on an ambulance because it was "something tangible, something you can see and feel," Mrs. Itzkowitch said."It is something that will be, unfortunately, really useful." The nine couples started the fund with their own money, then began making phone calls and visiting businesses. A fund-rasing dinner in Queens featuring Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa as keynote speaker raised $70,000.

Donors willing to contribute at least $5,000 were promised that their names would be written on the ambulance, and on July 2nd they had a chance to see the vehicle before it was trucked to Baltimore and loaded on a container ship headed for Israel. (pictures right and below)

*Text from article by Leslie Palma-Simoncek, Staten Island Advance, July 5, 2002

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