The connection between the Noiman family and MDA began when the father of the family, the late Zvi, began his journey in the medical world as an army medic and strove to infect his family members with a love for assistance, giving and mutual help.
This is how the volunteering family-tree of the Noiman family, all residents of Gush Etzion, is divided: the older brother Haim (51) volunteers together with his two children.
His brother Israel (31) is a Senior MDA EMT and has been active in the organization for 17 years. Shifi (46), is Haim and Israel's sister, has been in MDA for about two years and her two children are active volunteers. In addition, Orit (another sister to the Noiman family) has three children who also volunteer at MDA. Yael, another sister, has a daughter who volunteers in MDA, as does Yael's husband Hanan.
Haim (51) first caught the life-saving bug, and has been volunteering in the organization for 35 years. For him, the most important this is to give to others. Haim has four children. His two eldest boys – Or (20) and Shalem (18) volunteer in MDA, and his 12 year old still dreams of the day he can be a youth volunteer as soon as he turns 15.
Haim shared: "It's a lot of fun and a great honor to be part of a family that gives so much of itself to do good and help others. My father was an army medic and instilled in us from a young age to do good and save lives. Two of my sons joined MDA as youth volunteers, and the three of us are now involved in doing good at home. A few years ago I donated a kidney to someone I didn't know, and I still serve in the IDF Reserve's Commando unit as a medic."
Haim's brother Israel (31) has been in MDA for the past 17 years. He started his way in the organization as a youth volunteer, following his elder brother and his late father, and recently became an MDA employee. "My elder brother Haim swept me along all the time to MDA. As soon as I was old enough I joined as a youth volunteer and fell in love with helping others and saving lives. As a child I used to see Haim with a response bag and running from one call to the next. The rest of the family followed us, and since then, we are one big, happy, life-saving family."
Israel spoke about them being together: "Looking on from the side people think that it's difficult for us. But we see it differently – as a joint family mission and something to be proud of. Each time another member of the family joins MDA, we make sure to mark the event of another Noiman in the long chain of volunteers. We once had a shift with five members of the family, which was very special, and then we got to the hospital to visit my late father who was hospitalized at the time. He was very proud of us and asked to keep up the good work."
Shifi Cohen, a teacher and resident of Efrat also volunteers in MDA, along with two of her children, Ori (21) and Arbel (19). In Shifi's case, the volunteering came from her children. Her eldest son Ori started volunteering at the age of 15, and was soon followed by Arbel. "MDA was the topic of conversation for many years at our family table. It reached a point where I had to find out what everyone was talking about, so I signed up for the EMT course. The family greeted me with a lot of love and encouraged me, and all of a sudden I was addicted too, and started to understand what it was all about. The family helped me study for the exams and improve, and my first shift was with my younger brother Israel and my son Ori. Every so often I'll meet another Noiman when I'm on shift, and it's a very special moment – we meet while doing good for other people and saving lives together. I see my children helping others, and I learn a lot from them. It's a very powerful and empowering moment as a mother."
Ori, her eldest, added: "Volunteering as a family makes it a big, special experience for all of us, and also for our patients who discover that we are family. They are excited along with us. It's not easy to come back from my military service straight into an MDA shift, but I won't pass up the opportunity. I'm very proud of my mother and the rest of the family, and these are very special times for us."
Shifi's son Arbel (19) has been volunteering for almost 5 years as an EMT, and despite being at a pre-army college, still continues to volunteer. Along with his regular ambulance shifts, Arbel prepares and accompanies trainers in MDA's youth organization across Israel. Arbel teaches first aid courses to the youth, preparing the next generation of MDA.
Orit's three children, Matanel (25), Adiel (20) and Talia (16) also volunteer in MDA. Adiel, who started as a youth volunteer, is in a combat unit in the IDF, but still goes back to MDA when on vacation and at weekends.
Yael's daughter Tzipi (17) is also a youth volunteer and does regular shifts on the ambulances and Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICUs). Her father Hanan (38) also recently joined as a volunteer on the ambulances. Hanan, who is a high school teacher, leads a project that sees the students combine emergency rescue subjects. Hanan completed the course with them, and volunteers with his students on the ambulances.
Haim's eldest son, Or, recently completed MDA's Paramedic Course, and is now a fully qualified paramedic. He completed the course while studying in a Yeshiva, as part of a program designed specifically for those in Yeshiva, and then join the IDF as combat paramedics.
"The greatest thing in the world is to do something good for someone else," summarized the family. "Giving and doing for others isn't just a slogan. It's a way of life."