The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the September 5, 2024, edition of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent:
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| Mosab Hassan Yousef Photo Credit: Tint Photography |
A capacity crowd gathered at Chabad of Cherry Hill on Aug. 15, where they heard from Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose father was a founder of Hamas’ political wing.
At one time, Yousef was imprisoned by Israel for over two years for his activities with the terrorist organization. He ultimately became an important undercover asset for Israel, and the intelligence he provided helped prevent suicide bombings, foil assassination attempts on Israelis and unmask terrorists.
The event in Cherry Hill benefitted Magen David Adom, the national emergency medical response and blood services unit for the state of Israel.
“The IDF protects the borders of Israel and Magen David Adom really protects everything within the borders,” said Dawn Saidel, associate director of major gifts for American Friends of Magen David Adom. “If there’s a terrorist attack, a car accident, somebody is suffering from anxiety, Magen David Adom is there.”
In the weeks leading up to the event, the organizers had to contend with some last-minute logistical challenges.
The event was originally going to be hosted by Cherry Hill resident and Chabad of Cherry Hill member Meir Rozalis and was set to feature two Magen David Adom paramedics from Israel — one Jew and one Arab. Yet those plans changed about a week prior to the event.
“We were going to talk about how Jews and Arabs live together, work together and come together for Magen David Adom, for the common good of the state of Israel,” Saidel said. “Because of the situation in Israel, Magen David Adom decided it was best for everyone to stay in Israel and be prepared for whatever may come.”
At that point, there were 150 people registered to attend the event in Rozalis’ backyard. The organizers pivoted and were able to get Yousef to join them as the keynote speaker.
“He cares so much about Magen David Adom and the work that it does,” Saidel said.
They sent out one email announcing the change, and within hours they were up to 300 people registered. The surge in the number of attendees led them to change the venue six days before the event and Chabad of Cherry Hill offered their building.
Rozalis thanked Chabad of Cherry Hill “for opening their home.”
“It wasn’t their event, and they just said, whatever you need, do it here,” he said.
Rozalis, who described himself as “Israeli and American,” got involved with Magen David Adom after Oct. 7 and worked to bring the community together to donate ambulances. “It’s an organization that’s easy to give to because you know the reward is that every day they are saving lives,” he said.
As for Yousef’s presence at the event, Rozalis said that “people were cheering for him the whole time.”
“We brought someone who is so related to Hamas at a time when Israel has been at war with Hamas for almost 11 months after what they did to us,” Rozalis said. “It impacted people and was so relevant … People got confirmation from someone who had been on that side that Hamas is the most evil organization ever.”
At the event, former Deputy Consul General Israel Nitzan led a discussion with Yousef, the author of the bestselling book “Son of Hamas” and the newly released “From Hamas to America: My Story of Defying Terror, Facing the Unimaginable, and Finding Redemption in the Land of Opportunity.”
The conversation centered around the threat of terrorism and his journey that took him from Hamas to becoming an outspoken defender of Israel.
“The program was an educational event that brought people together for a good cause,” Rozalis said. The event also honored Magen David Adom medics who saved lives during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, including those killed while saving others.
Over $150,000 was raised at the event. Those funds will go toward helping enhance Magen David Adom’s fleet of rescue vehicles and provide emergency equipment and training for medics serving in Israel’s border communities.
Saidel said the event was also an opportunity to underscore the critical role that Magen David Adom plays in Israel, which she noted not everyone is aware of.
“We are actually helping the IDF by giving them blood and transfusing blood right in the battlefield, which has saved so many lives of IDF soldiers,” she said.
Saidel also spoke about the Marcus National Blood Services Center in Ramla, Israel, noting that three floors of the blood center are shielded underground to preserve it from cyber-attacks, terror attacks and earthquakes.
She also discussed Magen David Adom’s milk bank. “Some nursing mothers donate milk for babies who are in the hospital, who are preemies, whose mothers can’t nurse,” she said.
“After Oct. 7, all these mothers came together to donate their breast milk for kids whose mothers were called up to the reserves, who were killed, unfortunately, in battle, who were taken hostage.”
According to Saidel, Magen David Adom doesn’t get any funding from the state of Israel — most of its funding comes from the United States and societies around the world. “People feel like they don’t know what to do to help Israel in a very concrete way, and that’s why people are turning to Magen David Adom.”
“Since Oct. 7, the people have stepped up, and it’s so beautiful … We have the organizations doing the big events, but people are also trying their best to initiate things,” Rozalis said.
Rozalis thanked the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey for everything it has done since Oct. 7, both for Magen David Adom and Israel in a general sense. “They have just been amazing and the best partner that we could have,” he said.
“At a time when there is so much pain and tragedy in Israel, I am particularly moved by the passionate support of the Cherry Hill community,” Saidel said. “Magen David Adom medics are there for all who need help, without regard for religion or ethnicity. This event showed that they are deeply appreciated in return.”
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