American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA)

American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) serves as the sole authorized fundraising and advocacy organization in the United States supporting Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical, ambulance, and blood services organization and its official representative to the International Red Cross. Founded in 1940 as the American Red Magen David for Israel (ARMDI), AFMDA raises funds and awareness so that MDA’s tens of thousands of paramedics, EMTs, and first responders—both volunteers and staff—have the training, ambulances, equipment, and medical supplies needed to treat all injured and ill people in Israel, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

MDA is a world leader in mass-casualty response and EMS technology, treating and transporting nearly one million people to hospitals every year, while also collecting, testing, and distributing blood to the IDF and Israel’s hospitals, and responding to disasters at home and abroad. Because MDA’s Red Cross-affiliated status precludes it from accepting general governmental operating support, it relies heavily on donations, including major contributions from AFMDA and its network of donors across the United States.

AFMDA engages American donors through regional offices, blood drives, fundraising campaigns, missions to Israel, and educational programming that connects American Jews and the broader public to MDA’s lifesaving work, particularly highlighted during periods of crisis such as the ongoing emergency response following October 7, 2023.