An important partnership was rededicated recently. No ordinary agreement, this handshake will benefit Cote Saint-Luc (CSL) residents more than others. In fact, this one is guaranteed to save a life.
CSL’s all-volunteer Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is the only such municipal service to work hand-in-hand with the regional ambulance authority, Urgences Santé, to provide first responder services. Elsewhere, the Montreal Fire Department serves as first responders. CSL benefits from a high quality, professional volunteer emergency service for 9-1-1 health-related calls on its territory.
Many CSL residents may not realize how fortunate they are to be served by the unique, volunteer, life-saving service. In operation for nearly 60 years, CSL EMS began as a post World War II civil security operation under the banner of EMO, or Emergency Measures Organization. Through the decades it transformed into a rescue service and adjunct of the former CSL Fire Department and auxiliary public security service. However, it always kept its vocation of being ready to assist the community during medical emergencies, even educating thousands of CSL students and residents in CPR training as well as use of AED (automated external defibrillators).
Glenn J. Nashen riding aboard Cote Saint-Luc’s first Rescue Medical Fire vehicle RMF-11, 1981
Since 1980, EMO mainly focused on first response and by 1990 the name changed to EMS and its first professional staff person was hired as director. Call coverage moved closer to round the clock and hundreds of local young adults received training and certification as First Responders.
With the forced municipal mergers in 2001 CSL faced the grim reality that it would lose control of its first responder service and that it would be transferred to the newly expanded, island-wide Montreal Fire Department. A very protracted and public political campaign ensured that CSL would uniquely manage its EMS thanks to a special law adopted in the Quebec National Assembly following the demerger in 2006.
Saving EMS at the Quebec National Assembly (2007)
And through these decades our extraordinary volunteers have responded to tens of thousands of emergency calls (over 3000 per year) and saved countless lives. I’m proud to have been associated with this incredible service since 1979 and played a significant role in its evolution along with so many notable leaders and volunteers.
While, this latest agreement with the ambulance service is important for the continued operation of CSL EMS, it’s equally important to recognize the organization’s history in arriving at this point in time.
Congratulations to all the volunteers, staff and community leaders, past and present, who have worked so hard to build a first-class, life-saving service that has touched the lives of thousands in CSL and across the region.
You can find out much more about CSL EMS on this blog.
Ambulance crew attending to victim in Cote Saint-Luc
This week, former Cote Saint-Luc EMS Director Hal Newman analysed the current Paramedic shortage at Montreal and Laval’s Urgences Sante ambulance system with Elias Makos on CJAD 800.
Newman created a Facebook page The Last Ambulance as a collaborative project from Big Medicine & The Rover tracking paramedic / ambulance shortages. Their belief is that problems with the prehospital care system will only be addressed when enough people are aware of just how high the ongoing risk has become.
I could not agree more.
Newman spent many years as a volunteer with Cote Saint-Luc’s Emergency Measures Organization in the 1970s and 1980s. When I was elected to City Council in 1990 I spearheaded the transformation of the civil defence oriented EMO into a first class first-responder EMS service. Hal Newman was hired as the inaugural professional director and with passion and determination operationalized the fledgling first responder service, a model life saving organization.
With half-a-century of professional involvement in Quebec’s prehospital emergency healthcare system Newman is well qualified to speak out on the strengths and weaknesses of our regional ambulance services.
Rabbi Bright said an unknown number of Montreal and Laval families are wondering if their deceased loved ones might be alive today if it weren’t for a horrible policy from the Quebec health ministry from April 4 to September 21 of this year. The order was only cancelled, he said, in response to a request by the ambulance service’s union.
Rabbi Bright emphasized that none of his comments are meant as criticism of doctors, front line workers or paramedics.
In delivering his sermon Rabbi Bright said that the policy violated several principles of the Quebec College of Physicians. He also said that, “the Torah and Rabbinical literature are full of examples of the value placed on human life and how cautious we are to be.”
The rabbi applauded the Urgences Sante paramedic’s union for speaking up. “Clearly the medics weren’t comfortable in not taking action.”
“There is no justification for the government’s callous policy. It is disgraceful,” Rabbi Bright lamented. He went on in telling his congregants, most of whom were watching online from home, that Suburban Newspaper editor, Beryl Wajsman, called the policy, ‘state sanctioned manslaughter.‘
“We must not let fear of a virus reduce the value of human life,” the rabbi implored. “Everyone is entitled to the best treatment that medicine can provide.”
Rabbi Bright is a highly respected, intellectual and eloquent spiritual leader. He is serving in his twentieth year as clergy at Shaare Zedek Congregation in NDG. He previously served as a captain in the US Air Force.
As I stated here last week we cannot give enough thanks to our first responders. This issue shows how incredibly lucky we are in Cote Saint-Luc to have our own, unique first responder service.
I heard back from several friends at Urgences Santé on this story and I underscore that their dedication and efforts, especially during this pandemic are nothing short of heroic. Special shout out to my old friend Brian who took time to update me on the matter.
Back here in Cote Saint-Luc, I salute all of our volunteers with CSL EMS along with CSL Public Security Director Philip Chateauvert and Manager Jean-Marc Dubois. Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and the city administration have gone above and beyond in doing their utmost to protect our city. How fortunate we are to have their leadership.
News broke earlier in the week that the Montreal and Laval ambulance service, Urgences Santé, withheld cardio-pulmonary (CPR) resuscitation from some cardiac arrest victims. This policy was reportedly in effect from April through September in order to protect ambulance crews and overcrowded hospitals.
Many questions remain unanswered: How many people were affected by this policy where no attempt was made to resuscitate them? Why was this not announced to the public? Did Montreal Fire Department First Responders also abide by this plan?
We are learning that Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services was not required to abide by this highly contentious rule. CSL EMS is staffed round the clock by highly trained volunteers. CSL is the only municipality on the Island of Montreal, and pretty much in the region, to have its own life saving volunteer service. They respond to about 3000 top priority 911 medical emergencies each year.
While CSL EMS was shut down for the first few months of the pandemic in order to retrain in response protocols and equip volunteers with PPE, once back up they continued to answer all urgent calls.
“There have been no changes in protocols affecting how we assess which patients can receive CPR,” CSL Director of Public Safety Philip Chateauvert told me. “EMS continued to perform CPR on patients including those in asystole or with pulseless electrical activity as per the provincial protocols.”
This comes as a relief to residents of CSL, who have placed their trust in our dedicated lifesavers, volunteers who rush to assist at any hour of day or night and evidently even at increased risk during this unprecedented pandemic.
I called Mayor Mitchell Brownstein to commend the city for maintaining EMS and to thank our heroic First Responders. As a medic with CSL EMS and with Urgences Sante, for some three decades, I fully understand the passion and devotion that these fine men and women possess in serving the public during the most difficult of circumstances.
Mayor Brownstein has stood out among civic leaders in Quebec. He was first to call upon the government to mandate mask-wearing and has been at the forefront in keeping his city residents safe. “Our EMS is an outstanding service for all of our residents and visitors,” Brownstein told me this week. “We are so fortunate to be able to rely upon these amazing volunteers, especially during this incredibly challenging year.”
I salute our CSL EMS First Responders along with their dedicated staff, Philip Chateauvert and Jean-Marc Dubois. As well, a tip of the mask, errr hat, to Mayor Brownstein and the city administration for doing their utmost to protect our city. I may not agree with every measure (bring back vCOP!) but credit where credit is due. CSL remains a well informed community with excellent communications from city hall.
Montreal paramedics were told not not to perform CPR on some people whose hearts had stopped for five months this year, since it was seen as too risky at a time when COVID-19 wasn’t well understood.
The regional Emergency Medical Ambulance Services for Montreal and Laval, Urgences Santé, reportedly stopped performing Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation for patients in cardiac arrest last April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to protect ambulance crews (paramedics) and in order not to overwhelm hospitals a decision was made to not perform the life-saving procedure, known as CPR.
This information, only coming to light in local media reports today, is quite distressing. With hundreds of ambulance calls each day how many patients were not saved as a result of this policy? Why was this policy not disclosed at that time? Were families informed at each call? Did this policy extend to the Montreal Fire Department First Responders as well?
On a local level, did Cote Saint-Luc EMS, once back in service after being shutdown for several month, also abide by this policy? If so, how many cardiac arrest victims were not resuscitated? What were their ages?
These questions deserve answers. I hope local media will pursue this and inform the public.
As a former Emergency Medical Technician, with more than 18 years at Urgences Santé, I have great respect for our paramedics and know full well the stress they are under at the best of times. I have performed CPR some 125 times during my many years on the ambulance, in doctors’ cars and as a volunteer at CSL EMS. This policy would have weighed very heavy on my conscience as I’m sure it did for all ambulance crews this year. The desire to rush to assist those in need is intense and any prevention of such service is unimaginable. I hope all those paramedics are well. I also hope answers will be provided.
As a volunteer from the very first day in Cote Saint-Luc EMS, a crown jewel of local services that spurred me into a volunteer and political career that spanned nearly four decades, it is inconceivable that it is now closed in order to protect the health of its volunteers!
We faced uncertainty at EMS when the mega city of Montreal tried to gobble it into the new agglomeration-wide fire department in 2002. Yet we prevailed in keeping CSL EMS in local hands – a unique lifesaving service across the region and indeed throughout Quebec.
But today we face a different, unprecedented challenge. And drastic measures are necessary in very uncertain times.
EMS volunteers (Class of 2013)
Our CSL EMS volunteers are precious lifesavers but even these heroes have their limits. Without adequate training in handling patients with potential cases of COVID-19, nor essential personal protective equipment, it is far too risky to put our volunteers in harms way.
The temporary shuttering of CSL EMS is yet another reason to stay safe and to stay home. Seniors and the elderly in particular must avoid any risk to the greatest extent possible. While EMS has boasted very rapid response times, as little as 2-3 minutes in some cases, average ambulance response times hover closer to 10 minutes at best. And these are not the best of times.
I want to thank our incredible volunteers, EMS and vCOP, who have been sidelined by this horrific virus. You are our local heroes and you’ll all be back protecting our city very soon. Be well and stay safe.
March 30, 2020 – The Côte Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services and Montreal Fire Department (SIM) first responders will temporarily pause their operations, starting on March 30, 2020, at 6pm, following a decision by Urgences-santé and the Quebec Ministry of Health.
The City of Côte Saint-Luc, in collaboration with Urgences-santé, has agreed to cease EMS operations temporarily. This measure, like all others, will be reassessed daily to ensure that it remains relevant based on the situation and the needs. The Montreal Fire Department (SIM) first responders will also stop their operations.
The well-being of our patients are our primary concern. At this point, a panel of experts, regionally and at the Ministry of Health has judged it better to remove first responders in certain regions in an attempt to limit the spread of the pandemic and in the best interests of the entire population. The clinical benefit of first responder presence is simply not worth the risk involved in affecting them.
Urgences-santé paramedics will continue to respond to medical calls in Côte Saint-Luc and across the island. These paramedics have the equipment and advanced training to respond to calls from patients with COVID-19.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and Urgences-santé gives us the green light, our first responders will be back on the road,” Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said. “Until then, we need to follow the directives of the government and do what is best to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
Councillor Oren Sebag, who is the council member responsible for public safety, says this decision will have an impact on response times.
“This is the first time in our city’s history that our EMS first responders service has been interrupted,” Councillor Sebag said. “They have been such a great asset to our residents, especially recently, by providing much care and compassion every time they respond to a call. Not having them on the road will be a noticeable loss, but it will be a temporary loss.”
A group of kids took part in a day camp put on by the Longueuil police this week, where they got to learn about police work. (CBC)
What a novel idea in summer programming for kids. Sign up a group of pre-teens and expose them to first responders: police, fire, EMS, ambulance, public security and volunteer Citizens on Patrol. Teach them essential skills and expose them to these critical and life-saving services. Excite, inspire and educate them.
Would such a program be possible in Cote Saint-Luc and suburban Montreal municipalities? Would you sign up your pre-teen?
Receiving the D’Arcy McGee Medal of Citizenship of the Quebec National Assembly by (L-R) Former MNAs Robert Libman and Lawrence Bergman, current MNA David Birnbaum and Mayor Mitchell Brownstein
What a great honour in receiving the D’Arcy McGee Medal of Citizenship of the Quebec National Assembly by MNA David Birnbaum surrounded by family and friends. This annual event awards three people for their outstanding contribution to the residents and communities of the D’Arcy McGee riding.
David Birnbaum, député de D’Arcy-McGee MNA honoured three people for outstanding community service last evening at Ashkelon Gardens: Lina Fortin, me, and the late Gerry Weinstein. The winners were selected by a blue-ribbon jury of three former D’Arcy-McGee MNAs and Ministers, retired Justice Herbert Marx, Robert Libman and 20-year MNA Lawrence S. Bergman. The Victor Goldbloom Essay winner was Sarah Buzaglo, a grade 10 student at École Maïmonide.
Most of you will know that I have served in public office nearly all of my adult life. Allow me sum up this incredible journey in the form of my shift-on-duty.
Glenn J. Nashen riding aboard Cote Saint-Luc’s first Rescue Medical Fire vehicle RMF-11, 1981
Glenn J. Nashen, on duty, in Cote Saint-Luc’s second ever First Response vehicle
My shift begins. Fall of 1979. I’m a young First Responder in the Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Measures Organization. Dressed in a smart looking brown uniform, yellow stripe down the side of my pants, the alert tone rings and we spring into action, lights and siren blaring from our small red rescue-fire truck. An elderly person tumbles down the stairs at home. A car crashes into a light pole on Cavendish. Suddenly, a call for a cardiac arrest across the street. We respond to hundreds of emergencies, on every street in CSL. And that’s just the early morning.
I rise through the ranks of EMO and EMS, promoting citizen CPR training and pushing for Automated Defibrillators in public buildings and public vehicles, relentlessly championing for recognition of paramedics across Quebec, and advocating for air ambulance helicopters for the outlying regions.
Cote Saint-Luc EMO launched my side-career as an Urgences-Santé ambulance technician in 1980
It’s a busy shift and we are only in the mid-80s. My uniform changes colour, and so does the vehicle, as I find myself riding aboard yellow ambulances and doctors cars with Urgences Santé. Racing to life and death situations, performing CPR 125 times, bringing some people back to life and even delivering a baby. What a privilege. What responsibility at a pretty young age, to be in a position to make a profound difference in someone’s life during their moment of highest anxiety.
Councillors Glenn J. Nashen and Ruth Kovac enrolled at the Emergency Preparedness College of Canada 1991
My shift continues, it’s 1990, and I’m elected as the youngest member on city council. My first priority is to make cycling safer and CSL adopts the first bicycle helmet bylaw in the country! I play a leading role during major floods, the infamous Ice Storm, preparing for doomsday during Y2K, you remember year 2000!
Newspaper ad from June 2005 commemorating the 1st anniversary of the demerger referendum by the Cote Saint-Luc Demerger Committee Co-Chairs
No rest on this patrol. It’s the early 2000s and Anthony, Ruth, Mitch and I are up for the biggest challenge, to get our City back… and saving our EMS and keeping our police and our fire stations from closure.
The men and women of Cote Saint-Luc volunteer Citizens on Patrol
It’s time for a lunch break when a great idea strikes me… It’s 2005, CSL is about to be back in our own hands again, and I decide that we need to harness the energy of more volunteers to ensure CSL’s place as the safest community on the Island of Montreal. We need to enlist more volunteers, retirees, a group of neighbours watching out for neighbours. After lunch I set out on founding the volunteer Citizens on Patrol organization. We launch on Canada Day 2006. Now suited up in a bright orange polo top and in marked vans, scooters and bikes, we continue our patrol through the streets and parks and municipal facilities.
Fmr. Cllr. Glenn J. Nashen and Supervisor Mitchell Herf inaugurate the newest vCOP electric scooters
We stop to alert a resident that they forgot to close their garage door, a possible theft averted. We remind another to keep the emergency lane clear at the mall, we get the finger on that one, but that’s OK. All in a day’s volunteer work. An elderly couple thanks us for changing the battery in their smoke detector. We block a street from traffic and hold onlookers back as the fire department douses a house fire. Over to check on the home of vacationers. Then, we assist the police in looking for a missing child and we reunite the frightened youngster with their relieved parents. We feel pride and satisfaction knowing we’ve helped. We’ve made a difference. We’ve given our time but we’ve gained so much in return.
My first public council meeting as Mayor of Cote Saint-Luc, November 9, 2015
My shift isn’t quite done and yet another quick uniform change. This time for a two-month stint as mayor of CSL in 2015. What was once just a dream actually became a reality.
And as we head back to the station to wrap up this shift for today, in 2018, I can see how my my parents gave me the keys to these patrol vehicles, for this mission to Repair the World.
Receiving the D’Arcy McGee Medal of Citizenship with my parents, George and Phyllis Nashen (June 19, 2018)
So thank you mom, who just celebrated her 90th birthday and thank you dad, who is three days shy of his 95th. Thank you for these important life lessons in public service and looking out for one’s neighbour.
These lessons were also fueled by my wife, Judy, who’s always ready to give her utmost to her patients and to the community and together we are handing over these keys to our children, Nicole, Nathalie and Jeremy.
Glenn J. Nashen, Judy Hagshi with Nicole, Nathalie and Jeremy Nashen (*June 19, 2018)
So I close by again thanking my wife and children, because when my proverbial uniform went on, they knew that it meant I’d be away from the house again and again and again. Public service, and long shifts, do come at a very high cost!
My wife says this about me: My heart is in Cote Saint-Luc and Cote Saint-Luc is in my heart. I feel that way too about our beautiful province and our amazing country. And I hope that one day my tour of duty will continue and my unquenchable need to Repair the World (Tikun Olam) will take off in some new direction to make this place the very best for all of us.
Thank you as well to our incredible life-saving volunteers at CSL EMS and to our dedicated and unstoppable volunteers in vCOP.
Thank you David and our former MNAs Herbert, Robert and Lawrence for this great honour. And thank you for reading this and for “joining” me on today’s shift. I appreciate all the good wishes and support I receive from family, friends and members of the community.
Congratulations to my fellow laureates, Lina Fortin and the family of the late Gerry Weinstein
Celebrating with the Pressers (Sandie and Robert) and Fabians (Leslie, Ricki, Jamie and Sammi)
My longtime friend and fellow vCOP volunteer Mitchell Herf
Sharing the good vibes and smiles with my colleagues Stephanie Malley and Marisa Rodi
Siempre me complace celebrar con mis amigos cercanos Natalia y Pablo
D’Arcy McGee National Assembly Citizenship Medal Ceremony (Photo Darryl Levine)
Friends from way back to Bialik days, Ben Burko (and son Milo) and Gary Polachek
Mitchell Brownstein and I go way, way back. I am so proud of my friend the mayor and pleased to celebrate with him.
David Birnbaum and Glenn J. Nashen (Photo Darryl Levine)
Former Quebec Cabinet Minister Lawrence Bergman and I have had a wonderful relationship over the years. He has been a friend and a mentor.
Gracias Miguel Banet y Lulu Brenner por venir y mostrar tu amor y apoyo
Jerusalem’s United Hatzalah (Rescue Squad) founder Eli Beer spoke to a crowd in Montreal yesterday and was invited to visit Cote Saint-Luc Emergency Medical Services. The United Hatzalah is an incredible program, all volunteer driven, with a singular focus on rapid, first-response to anyone in need. Its mission and purpose is very similar to that of Cote Saint-Luc. Despite difference in size and sophistication, Beer will undoubtedly find many similarities between his group and the outstanding, all-volunteer CSL EMS. Indeed, we have much that we can learn from Beer. Here are 4 key points we should explore.
EMS volunteers (Class of 2013)
#1 Volunteers
Despite CSL’s speed in responding to its 3000 medical emergencies each year, a three-minute average response time is excellent but we should always look for ways to cut seconds when lives are at stake. I have proposed that local, off-duty-EMS volunteers be alerted of life-threatening calls, and equipped, to respond when in close proximity.
What’s more, with an auxiliary force of 80 additional members of the volunteer Citizens on Patrol, some of them (say 20) could be trained at a basic first-responder level. They too are already available, on and off duty, and nearby.
And greater adoption of citizen CPR is crucial.
#2 Transportation
CSL EMS is not an ambulance service. It is a first-responder service. As such, it must rapidly access those calling 911. It should have a fleet of smaller, faster vehicles – not heavy and very expensive ambulances. To complement its lighter, quicker vehicles, a single ambulance would suffice for full protection from the outside elements during severe weather or at large events.
Hatzalah has a fleet of scooters to get around its congested urban centres. CSL already has a fleet of electric scooters for vCOP. Why not integrate these resources, with qualified members, for quicker response when they’re already on the road or when EMS is unavailable?
vCOP patrols the park on electric scooter (Canada Day 2017)
#3 Technology
Hatzalah has uses Israeli technology pushed out via an app for its members. Such technology is now widely accessible to anyone on their mobile devices. CSL should embrace this technology by outfitting all of its EMS and qualified vCOP members so that the closest crews can respond even faster to life-threatening emergencies while EMS and Urgences Santé ambulance are en route. Again, these extra responders are even more critical when EMS first-responders are tied up on other calls and unable to respond to a life-threatening emergency.
#4 Policy
CSL operates under rules and regulations established by higher levels of authority. These rules need to be updated to take into account the local realities of CSL EMS volunteers. Medical responders ought to be granted tax credits toward their training and equipment expenses. Also, the SAAQ has developed regulations in the last few years that allow volunteer firefighters unique privileges in responding to (medical) emergencies in their own vehicles. Despite numerous evidence-based presentations by CSL, the Quebec automobile insurance board refuses to recognize the unique nature of CSL EMS volunteers, who are better trained to deal with medical calls than firefighters. Updating policies and removing bureaucratic obstacles will help save even more lives.
There is no doubt that Cote Saint-Luc is a leader in community-based emergency medical services. Its program is one-of-a-kind in Quebec and it is a proven, life-saving organization. Adopting new ways of expanding its resources, exploring new rapid-response vehicles , embracing mobile technology and updating policies will bring this organization to a whole new level.
Des décennies d’expérience comme bénévole aux services d’urgence, dirigeant professionnellement les préparatifs dans des situations de désastres à l’Hôpital général juif, 18 ans à Urgence Sante…Votre sécurité est ma préoccupation première.
À titre de conseiller responsable de la protection civile, j’ai dirigé le comité des services d’urgence de la ville qui gère les SMU, la sécurité publique et les mesures d’urgence et qui assure également la liaison avec les services de police et d’incendie. J’ai lancé à CSL le premier programme au Québec de Citoyens en patrouille. Aujourd’hui, je dirige 90 bénévoles qui patrouillent notre ville et nos parcs, jour et nuit. J’ai assumé un rôle de leadership dans la planification des mesures d’urgences lors d’importantes inondations, d’incendies graves dans bien d’autres cas urgents. Avec trente cinq ans d’implication auprès des services d’urgence de CSL, je suis la personne la mieux qualifiée pour vous représenter durant les moments éprouvants.
EXPERIENCE IN KEEPING YOU SAFE:
Your safety at home and around CSL has been my priority. With decades of experience as a leader in Emergency Medical Services and founder of volunteer Citizens On Patrol, championing Public Safety and Disaster Readiness, Police, Fire and Ambulance issues and overseeing emergency measures at the Jewish General Hospital I have ensured that CSL is the safest place on the Island of Montreal. My focus is on your safety.
I was there for you during major emergencies including the Ice Storm and am always preparing the city for the next disaster. Recognized by the Governor General with over 35 years of involvement in CSL emergency services I am the most qualified to represent you at the most challenging of times.
It was a great pleasure for Judy and me to attend the recent Cote Saint-Luc Men’s Club Evening of Entertainment benefiting Canadian Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical services and blood bank.
The ambulance and EMS scooter that had been purchased with funds raised were on display at the CSL Aquatic and Community Centre. How exciting that an ambulance marked “Cote Saint-Luc” will be on duty in the Jewish State.
We were so pleased to participate in this extraordinary fundraising effort and play a small part in safeguarding the People of Israel. Having served in CSL EMS as well as at Urgences Santé ambulance service for so many years it was even more meaningful to take part in this important gesture in support of Israel.
Thank you to Syd Kronish, President of the CSL Men’s Club, to Michael Levine, National President of CMDA and to Sidney Benizri, Executive Director of CMDA.
The Côte St. Luc Men’s Club hosted an “Evening of Entertainment” last week at the city’s Aquatic and Community Centre to raise funds for Canadian Magen David Adom for Israel.
CMDA sends ambulances and medical supplies to Magen David Adom for use in Israel.
On hand were CMDA president Michael I. Levine, Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and Côte St. Luc council members, D’Arcy McGee MNA David Birnbaum, Beth Tikvah Rabbi Emeritus Mordecai Zeitz and many others. Cantor Yossi Pomerantz, accompanied by Joseph Milo, sang; and humourist Al Kustanowitz performed.
The event also marked the donation of ambulances, medical emergency scooters and funds for medical equipment to Israel. One ambulance, displayed at the event, was donated by the Men’s Club; and by Simon and Fagey Rossdeutscher and Judith and Harry Rossdeutscher in memory of their families who perished in the Holocaust.
“Almost a year ago, I decided that as the Men’s Club is growing enormously, we should do something special for the State of Israel, where I’ve been many, many times,” said Men’s Club president Syd Kronish. “I went to see Sidney Benizri, executive director of CMDA, and for 40 minutes, he showed me what Magen David Adom accomplishes for Israel. I decided that’s for us.
“The Men’s Club took all of our smaller donations and we contributed the other half for the ambulance,” he explained. “Four of our members, including myself, each bought a medical scooter, which cost $32,000. They are already in Israel.”
The Rossdeutscher family has been involved with CMDA for more than 30 years and has donated at least several other ambulances over the years, including one dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Sidney Shoham of Beth Zion Synagogue.
Another ambulance was donated by Derek and Richard Stern and Families. Mayoral candidate Robert Libman was on hand for the event, representing the Stern family.
Benizri, who is also a Côte St. Luc councillor, was very appreciative.
“It was a pleasure working with the Executive Committee and the members of the Cote St. Luc Men’s Club for the past seven months and I am very grateful to them for undertaking this initiative, ‘Evening of Entertainment,’ to benefit Canadian Magen David Adom,’ Benizri said. “They are motivated and dedicated to the cause of helping Magen David Adom continue to offer lifesaving and humanitarian services to anyone in the State of Israel and abroad when called upon to do so.”
Benizri also thanked the Rossdeutscher family for the new ambulance, the Stern family for the other ambulance and other families for the medical scooters.
The scooters were presented to the people of Israel by Sheila and Nat Agensky in memory of Brian Agensky; by Marion and Lazarus Caplan; by Elaine and Syd Kronish; Steven, Etty, Samantha and David Kronish; and the Spector Family. As well, Harriet and Harry Fried made a major donation for medical equipment.
The balance of the gala evening’s proceeds “will be used to provide essential medical equipment for MDA Israel paramedics and first responders,” says a CMDA statement.
What a great feeling to see the Cote Saint-Luc Men’s Club emblem on this ambulance destined for Israel. Judy and I were thrilled to be able to participate and contribute in a small but meaningful way.
Magen David Adom is innovative in their ability to outfit a scooter with emergency medical equipment to respond rapidly to urgent calls even with congested streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. We can learn a lot from them.
Nashen Notes 
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