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"Good people, along the way....." wrote and sung the singer and composer Naomi Shemer - and one of them is Dr. Yitzchak Glick, an active volunteer in Magen David Adom. In a ceremony of the President's Awards for Volunteers which was held yesterday, the award was given to members of various organizations and to 12 outstanding volunteers who have played a significant role in advancing Israeli society.
"For as long as I can remember, I have believed in the qualities of the Israeli people, but the view from the Presidential Chair has revealed to me the surprising strength of the volunteer spirit found in all corners of the country, in every age group and every group of people, much more so than I ever imagined" said President Peres at the ceremony.
Dr. Yitzchak Glick was born in the United States in 1960 and lives in Efrat, in Gush Etzion. He is married and the father of five. Approximately 12 days out of every month he works a double shift in the Emergency Room in the hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. The other days of the month he volunteers in Magen David Adom.
Once a month, Dr. Yitzchak Glick flies to the US and earns his living working in the Emergency Room in a big hospital in Cleveland. A third of each month he is there, working double shifts, and the rest of the month, as soon as he lands back in Israel, he is close to his beeper and MDA Mirs machine and is on constant call for any incident or message about an emergency in the Gush Etzion area. He goes to each call in his private car, equipped with his MDA first responder kit, which includes CPR equipment, drugs and essential equipment for first aid. In his 12 years of volunteering, he generally arrives first to help those injured in road traffic accidents and victims of terrorist activities that have occurred in the area where he lives. In many cases he started treatment of patients or victims of all religions before the ambulances arrived on the scene. For example, he was called from his home in November 2002, in the middle of Friday night dinner, to help rescue and save those wounded in Hebron on their way to prayers. During his years of voluntary work he has saved scores of Jewish , Muslim and Christian people who live in the Gush on the mountain. More than once he has treated wounded people before the firing has stopped, thereby endangering his own life whilst rescuing and saving lives. Thanks to his professionalism and clear headedness in such cases, he has become well known in all the communities of Gush Etzion as the good and saving angel.
His friends amongst the MDA volunteers tell of his patient, humane and professional attitude and the feeling of security and calm he gives all those around him especially in times of terror.
MDA Director General, Eli Bin, stated that on this day, when the President of the State presents the award to an MDA volunteer, it is a day of pride for MDA that the organisation and Israeli society have been fortunate to have thousands of volunteers who give, care and have a tremendous will to help.
 
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