On June 7th, 1930, Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency response service, was founded.Dr. Meshulam Levotin established Magen David Adom, which means “Red Star of David” in Hebrew, as a volunteer emergency response organization for Tel Aviv's Jewish community. Branches in Jerusalem and Haifa quickly followed, and five years later, the service was nationalized and expanded to serve all Israelis’ regardless of background. In 1950, the Knesset passed legislation to officially make Magen David Adom the national emergency response service for Israel. Magen David Adom is still primarily run by volunteers. The minimum age to volunteer is just 15 years old. Collectively, the 26,000 staff members and volunteers are available for more than one million hours each year. Since 2001, the MDA Overseas Program has brought volunteers from around the world to Israel to spend two months working with ambulance crews.Since 1930, Magen David Adom has responded to countless emergencies and saved countless lives.