Itzik (53) and Amir Amzaleg (25), a father and son, who recently celebrated a special and extraordinary occasion when they both took the stage at the graduation ceremony of Magen David Adom’s (MDA) paramedics course and received the certification. Afterwards, they went out for their first shift together on a MICU.
In 1981, Itzik Amzaleg, a resident of Avigdor, came to MDA as a volunteer, and has since fallen in love with the organization and held a variety of positions over the years. Today, Amzaleg is a paramedic and acting manager of the MDA station in Kiryat Malachi.
Recently, both Itzik and his son Amir both graduated from MDA’s paramedics course. Amir, a resident of Ashdod, began his career in the organization at age 15 as a youth volunteer. Now, he is the acting manager of the National Dispatch and First Responders Dispatch at MDA’s National Operations Center in Kiryat Ono.
On the stage during the ceremony at the exciting occasion, Itzik and Amir, a father and son, became MDA paramedics and recently even worked their first shift together.
Itzik shared his thoughts on the special occasion saying: "Working with my son has showed me how responsible and dedicated he is. He sticks to his goals and loves his job. I am very proud of him and happy that we are able to work together. This is not something that every father and son gets to do, and that made our first shift very special."
On the shared responsibility and experience, Amir added: "We manage to make a complete separation during the shift during which we work professionally and regardless of being family. Despite this, the experience is great and we have a lot to talk about at Shabbat dinners. We manage the situation together, come with good spirit, and desire to help others."
"The last word is of Dad, of course, who has been in the organization for 40 years and has years of experience, but we work very well together. When we travel together in an ambulance, the feeling is very special - not something that happens to everyone."
In 1979, the Ministry of Health granted Magen David Adom the authority to train and certify paramedics in the State of Israel. Forty-one years ago, on June 25, 1980, the first course certified the first 18 paramedics in the country. Since then, Magen David Adom has trained 3,578 paramedics, including all paramedics in the Israel Defense Forces, universities, hospitals, the National Service and members of hesder yeshivas who work daily to save lives with professionalism and dedication.
Of all the paramedics trained in the State of Israel in the past 41 years, MDA currently has 1,162 paramedics from all populations and communities in Israel, including Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druze, new immigrants and secularists, secular, national-religious and ultra-Orthodox, including 918 employees and 244 volunteers, including 34 National and Civil Service volunteers.