A new documentary titled Tel Aviv 911, aims to provide a firsthand, behind-the-scenes account of a paramedic volunteering at Israel's national emergency medical services Magen David Adom.
The documentary follows 22-year-old Martin Himel and is produced by Canadian media icon and VisionTV Executive Producer Moses Znaimer.
Tel Aviv 911 will introduce Canadian audiences to MDA, the only EMS in the world that seamlessly integrates 25,000 staff medics with 29,000 trained volunteers - from teenagers to seniors - to provide effective initial treatment from basic life-support to first-aid.
"Another suicide bomber walked in here and killed eleven people, and wounded fifty. Those suicide bombings also brought a pressing concern for EMS services in Israel," says Himel in the documentary.
Znaimer and Himel have worked together for over a decade to produce documentaries on important subjects not often covered by mainstream television channels.
Himel's previous work includes a four-part documentary series called "Jew Bashing: The New Anti-Semitism addressed the rise of Anti-Semitism in Canada, U.S., Europe, and the Middle East," "Unit 8200," which focused on the cyber security work of former Israeli Intelligence Corps unit members, and others.
Himel's documentary "Blasphemy" examined classic and contemporary secular and religious cases where a particular belief or point of view results in "cancelation" and condemnation of those who support it.
Tel Aviv 911, meanwhile, introduces a diverse group of MDA workers and volunteers: from Abba, a 72-year-old volunteer medic, to Yael, a young old observant Jewish woman, and Areen, an observant Muslim. Their work with MDA shows how staff and volunteer medics come together and transcend national, religious, and age barriers in order to help the sick and wounded.
"I’ve retired. I can’t spend all my days sitting at home, going to the beach. My mission in this life is to help people. And the best way I know in order to help people is through Magen David Adom," says Magen David Adom volunteer Abba.
Canadian viewers will also learn about the revolutionary MDA GPS app that locates volunteer first responders who can reach an emergency within minutes, often before the professionals arrive.