The Magen David Adom emblem

The Magen David Adom is Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Star of David". The Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael) is the land that made up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. ... Jump to: navigation, search Map of the British Mandate of Palestine. ... There are six main districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mehozot (singular: mehoz) and thirteen sub-districts known as nafot (singular: nafa). ... Cities in Israel, by district: // Northern District See also North District of Israel. ... Jump to: navigation, search Jerusalem and the Old City. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Main article: Israel. ... 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The Star of David The Star of David (Magen David in Hebrew or Mogen Dovid in Ashkenazi Hebrew, Shield of David, Solomons Seal, or Seal of Solomon) is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. ...

History

The Magen David Adom organisation was formed in 1930 as a volunteer outfit with a single branch in Tel Aviv. After opening branches in Jerusalem and Haifa, it was extended nationwide five years later, providing medical support to the public and the Haganah. In 1950 the Knesset passed a law making MDA's status as Israel's national emergency service official. Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Jump to: navigation, search Jerusalem and the Old City. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Haganah (Hebrew: Defense, הגנה) was a Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine during the British mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948. ... The Knesset (כנסת, Hebrew for assembly) is the Parliament of Israel. ...

Current Status

The MDA's staff of 1200, plus 10,000 volunteers, operates 95 stations which in turn operates a fleet of over 700 ambulances nationwide. It serves as an auxiliary arm of the Israeli military during times of war. Ambulance An ambulance is a vehicle designated for the transport of sick or injured people. ...

Involvement with the Red Cross

Since its creation, Magen David Adom has been denied membership in the International Red Cross (IRC) since it refused to replace its red Star of David emblem with a red cross. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ... The Star of David The Star of David (Magen David in Hebrew or Mogen Dovid in Ashkenazi Hebrew, Shield of David, Solomons Seal, or Seal of Solomon) is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. ...

The official reason for the denial of membership is concerns about symbol proliferation; at the same 1929 conference which granted use of the Red Crescent and Red Lion And Sun, a limitation was placed on acceptance of any further emblems. (The "Red Star of David" symbol was not submitted to the ICRC until 1931).

Similar concerns of India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the former USSR regarding the use of non-Hindu and overtly religious symbols were also dismissed by the ICRC, but their national bodies chose to adopt the Red Cross as their official emblems in order to gain entry. Jump to: navigation, search A Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural systems of Bharat (India) and Nepal. ...

Critics of the IRC assert discrimination since Turkey, Iran and Egypt were granted membership in 1929 while using the Islamic Red Crescent as their emblem, citing the same concerns about the cross. Doctor Bernadine Healy, then president of the American Red Cross, also rejected this argument in a March, 2000 letter to the International Herald Tribune, "The international committee's feared proliferation of symbols is a pitiful fig leaf, used for decades as the reason for excluding the Magen David Adom - the Shield (or Star) of David." In protest, the American Red Cross has withheld millions in administrative funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross since May 2000. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ... A WWII-era poster encouraged American women to volunteer for the Red Cross as part of the war effort. ... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a committee of Swiss nationals and probably will be so as long as the ICRC exists. ...

Despite the continued lack of official recognition, since the mid 1990's, there has been extensive and growing co-operation between the MDA and the ICRC including inter alia.: A 2.2 million US dollar spend on strengthening ties between the two organisations, the signing in 2004 of a 2 year co-operation statement, the permanent placement of an ICRC co-operation officer in MDA headquarters, and extensive support of the MDA's blood bank activities. In addition, there are bilateral cooperation agreements between MDA and a number of national Red Cross societies.

Within the ICRC, there is ongoing work to approve a new, truly universal emblem free of religious, ethnic, or political connotation. The current contender is dubbed the "red lozenge", as it is a red square frame tilted at a 45 degree angle. It is hoped that MDA and other relief societies previously denied full membership into the Movement may adopt this symbol in addition to their pre-existing emblems, making them eligible for full membership. The third Protocol Emblem will go into effect after final approval by the Geneva Conventions, establishing a solid foundation in International Law for its use and recognition. Note that relief societies already using the red cross or crescent need not adopt the new emblem.

External links

• Hatzolah Israel Affiliate of Magen David Adom that provides first response to medical emergencies.
• MDA, USA - A Support Site in English
• MDA Israel (in English)
• MDA Israel (in Hebrew)
• ICRC page discussing relationship with the MDA
• MDA page discussing relationship with the ICRC
• American Red Cross page discussing relationship with MDA
• IRC Discrimination, Jewish Virtual Library
• Canadian Court Denies Charity Status of Israel's Red Star of David