American doctors train with Israeli emergency services
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Doctors from the United States, including Michael Block of San Francisco and Jeff Covitz of the San Francisco Fire Department, are traveling to Israel to learn from Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service.
Covitz first visited Israel seeking to understand how MDA rapidly deploys ambulances and treats casualties during mass-casualty incidents, sometimes triaging, treating, and transporting 20 patients in under 15 minutes, a speed he contrasts with response times in San Francisco.
The MDA International Seminar on Emergency Response offers medical professionals an inside look at Israel’s system, which differs from the largely local EMS structure in the US. The program includes simulations, visits to MDA stations, and lessons learned from recent conflicts, including firsthand accounts from paramedics who responded during the October 7 attacks. Block, a Holocaust survivor’s son, first attended the seminar in 2019 and subsequently volunteered with MDA, eventually working alongside his son on ambulance shifts.
He returned to Israel after October 7 to volunteer as an anesthesiologist, feeling a connection to the country and a desire to support Israelis. Both doctors believe the seminar benefits a wide range of medical professionals and Covitz’s affinity group is now funding annual participation for San Francisco first responders. The next seminar will be held December 13-18, 2026.
