Millburn shul contributes to a Magen David Adom ambulance
On September 8, after nine months of planning, a life-saving Magen David Adom ambulance was manufactured and readied for shipment to Israel. That was thanks to Millburn’s Congregation B’nai Israel congregant Arthur Fredman of Millburn, the shul’s men’s club, and its staff.
Mr. Fredman, a 40-year CBI member, an MDA supporter, and a former member of the volunteer Millburn-Short Hills First Aid Squad, was deeply affected by the murderous raids Hamas carried out on October 7. “On October 8, the idea screamed at me to do something special, something specific, something beyond the usual monetary contribution. I was personally impacted and needed to do something.”
Because of that commitment to do something that would make a difference, he decided to buy and ambulance for the MDA. By including outside donations, he made it a community project.
His mission began in mid-October, when he met with MDA executive Samuel Koni. He reached his goal in January, and as a result, a brand-new vehicle would be assembled at a GM plant in Indiana. Nine months later, the ambulance was at the B’nai Israel parking lot, waiting for its next stop — Israel. Soon it will be off again, this time to Baltimore, where it will be put on a ship that will take it through the Mediterranean to Israel.
CBI’s men’s club contributed significantly to the project, sending all profits from its big fundraiser/Chanukah dinner to the ambulance project, as well as directing other funds toward it.
About 100 people were at the shul for the dedication, including MDA representatives and Hebrew school students. The program was organized and led by the men’s club president, David Touger, and David Sotnick, with support from CBI staffers. Both Mr. Touger and Mr. Sotnick recently returned from performing volunteer service in and around the Gaza envelope, and they talked about their experiences and intentions, which include a goal to replace one of the MDA vehicles destroyed in Israel.
The inscription on the new ambulance reads: “Presented to the People of Israel by the Fredman family of New Jersey-New York and Men’s Club, Congregation B’nai Israel, Millburn, NJ.”
According CBI’s rabbi, Ari Eisenberg, an MDA supporter, the gift of an ambulance is “a gift of life, a gift designed to save lives, in yet another act in fulfillment of our sacred requirement of tikun olam.”
“It is a great honor to include this presentation as a key part of our shul’s 100th year centennial celebration,” Mr. Touger said. “Indeed, Congregation B’nai Israel has benefitted this community and Israel greatly during the past century.”
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