MEDICAL INITIATIVE BACKED BY MUSK FOUNDATION AWARDED ISRAEL’S SHIELD OF VOLUNTEERING

NEW YORK – Israel’s Ministry of Health is awarding its coveted Shield of Volunteering Award to the MiluEm program for saving lives during a period of unprecedented emergency. MiluEm was one of the medical missions of the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation’s (AJCF) Emergency Medical Assistance Program for Victims of Mass Atrocities, an endeavor only made possible through a generous charitable grant received from the Musk Foundation.

Following the brutal and indiscriminate violence against civilian lives in Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel’s Ministry of Health reached out to the AJCF for assistance in supporting the country’s healthcare system. The AJCF coordinated the deployment of physician volunteers from the United States and around the world to reinforce medical centers in Israel. Over the ensuing months, more than 250 volunteer doctors participated in over 400 medical missions, providing crucial medical care across various specialties such as emergency medicine, ICU, trauma, anesthesia, and reconstructive surgery.

“The AJCF is extremely thankful to Elon Musk and the entire team at Musk Foundation for partnering with us to help make this lifesaving program possible,” said the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Chairman Simon Bergson.

“We are extremely proud of all the efforts made by the physicians who participated in our Emergency medical missions and are humbled by the multitude of specialists who left their work and families behind to answer Israel’s call in its darkest hour,” said Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony.

“It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to work with such incredibly great people and healthcare providers – both in Israel and abroad – who are dedicated wholeheartedly to the State of Israel and its citizens,” said MiluEm Director Dr. Ari Greenwald who will be accepting the award on behalf of his organization. “I am eternally grateful to Elon Musk and the AJCF community of donors who supported MiluEM volunteers from day 1, enabling us to be there for our Israeli brothers and sisters in the aftermath of October 7. Without them, none of this would have been possible. Each of them have a share in this award and the life-saving work that MiluEM continues to do moving forward.”

The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the lessons of the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. For more information, visit: ajcfus.org

MiluEM is a network of 250+ experienced volunteer emergency medicine specialists from around the world committed to helping and supporting Israel’s emergency medicine community during times of crisis and beyond. For more information, visit: miluem.com