Image by AMDA

— A record of nearly $14 million was raised by the American Friends of Magen David Adom at a Los Angeles gala.

Some $5 million of the total raised Tuesday at the Red Star Ball to support the services of Magen David Adom in Israel, an official Red Cross affiliate, came from a single donor, Maurice Kanbar, the creator of Skyy vodka. Some of the money will go to build a new blood services center in Israel.

The event honored David Suissa, president of Tribe Media, which publishes the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, with the Humanitarian of the Year Award; Stanley Black, founder and chairman of Black Equities Group, with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Black’s grandson, Zach Zalben, senior vice president of Black Equities Group, with the Next Generation Award.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Merrill Moses, a three-time U.S. Olympic water polo player and 2008 Beijing silver medalist, introduced Yarin Ashkenazi, an Israeli soldier who was nearly killed in a terror attack, and Yair Schussheim, the MDA paramedic who saved him and helped him work toward recovery.

In addition, family members of MDA youth volunteer Netanel Litman, 18, and his father, Rabbi Yaakov Litman, who were killed last year in a West Bank terror attack, also were recognized. They were driving in a car with five other family members to the Shabbat pre-wedding celebrations of their daughter and sister when they came under fire.

Dvir Litman, 16, was presented an honorary uniform by MDA Director-General Eli Bin and a group of paramedics in honor of his work to save his family in the aftermath of the attack.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount