Lawrence, New York philanthropists Martin and Riva Oliner dedicated a new ambulance to the Binyamin community of Beit El on Wednesday, in a ceremony attended by Beit El Mayor Shai Alon, Magen David Adom's Deputy Director, and prominent public figures.
Magen David Adom Deputy Director Uri Shacham told Arutz Sheva "We're dedicating today a new ambulance in Beit El, thanks to the generous contribution of the Oliner family from Lawrence in New York. This ambulance is going to replace the existing ambulance in Beit El, and will serve the people of Beit El and the surroundings in life-threatening situations."
"The ambulance has state-of-the-art medical technology. It has the most sophisticated defibrillator in the world, which allows a specialist doctor in Tel Aviv to provide the medical crew with instructions and supervision, so although the doctor is not present on the scene, he actually is present by giving remote guidance and supervising what they are doing."
Riva Oliner, who donated the ambulance with her husband Martin, told Arutz Sheva, "It's magnificent; it's new, it's clean. No-one should need it, however we're so glad it's here. In the United States we donated an ambulance and our good friend's child's wife went into premature labor. They took her in our ambulance and she successfully had twin girls. So we hope we bring you the same good luck and your community should grow and life should continue with a great big smile. It's a pleasure."
Shacham noted that "every time we dedicate an ambulance we wish that this ambulance will serve only to transport women in labor or that it will serve in an Independence Day ceremony, and will never be used for treating emergency medical conditions. Nevertheless, this is another tier in our system that will ensure the continuation of emergency life services in the State of Israel by Magen David Adom."
Religious Zionists of America co-President Martin Oliner, who donated the ambulance, said "It's significant as we begin to celebrate the 70th year that we've accomplished so much - so much that's unimaginable, unequalled; we've grown and grown and grown. But fundamentally we have to understand that we've got to continue to be focused. We certainly are a nation with tremendous innovation, a start-up nation; but that really isn't the most important part of who we are. What we are is that after 1,900 years we have Jerusalem, we have Judea and Samaria, we have a spiritual life that we have to focus on. We can't focus on the mundane; we have to focus on what's important: the mitzvot, and who we are as Jews, and remember always that we need to be unified and together."
Oliner connected his life-saving donation with that theme: "We have to make sure that every Jew is safe, every Jew takes care of another, that we are together, that we are unified, that we have smachot (joyous occasions), and that this ambulance is used to have more and more children, and to deliver those healthy babies to all of us as we grow and continue in G-d's path with growth, and with simcha, and with a chag sameach."
Ya'akov (Ketzeleh) Katz, one of the founders of Arutz Sheva and Beit El, spoke at the dedication: "People don't know but Marty was for many, many years the Mayor of Lawrence. We need your experience not only for one ambulance, but in the future, we are building our new municipality building, and hope you'll come to live with us."