Michael Bloomberg said on Monday that he would donate nearly $44 million to Magen David Adom, Israel’s nonprofit emergency medical service, after the Hamas attacks on civilians and soldiers on Oct. 7.
The former New York City mayor and billionaire philanthropist said he planned to match contributions he solicited through an email appeal for the American Friends of Magen David Adom. The total amounts to an $88 million gift, the largest in the American organization’s history.
“America has always been a friend to Israel and I am encouraged that so many of us are stepping up to help our ally during these challenging times,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “It is important to show the world that we are united in our condemnation of Hamas and committed to protecting the health and safety of all Israelis.”
Magen David Adom, often known as the Israeli Red Cross, functions as Israel’s emergency medical system, blood bank and disaster response organization. The new funds will help buy ambulances, medical equipment and ballistic vests and helmets for emergency workers, said Catherine Reed, chief executive of American Friends of Magen David Adom. Last week, the organization airlifted 17 new ambulances to Israel and plans to ship more in the coming days.
Mr. Bloomberg has supported the organization for several decades, giving several million dollars to finance an emergency medical station and blood donation center in Jerusalem named for his late father, William H. Bloomberg. He also funded a health center at Hadassah University Medical Center dedicated to his mother, Charlotte R. Bloomberg.
Still, his latest contribution is a significant expansion of efforts from a donor who has largely focused his giving on domestic issues, including gun control, immigration and urban policy.
Mark Lebow, the chairman of the American Friends of Magen David Adom and a longtime associate of Mr. Bloomberg, reached out to the former mayor shortly after the attacks to ask for a financial contribution. The scale of the response to his request for matching gifts surprised Mr. Bloomberg and his team, who initially anticipated raising perhaps a quarter of the total, according to Mr. Bloomberg’s aides.
Over the 11 days of their appeal, nearly 34,000 donors gave. The giving spanned the country, from large donors funding ambulances to children hosting bake sales and lemonade stand fund-raisers, the organization said.
“I don’t think we ever imagined the match would be something like this,” Ms. Reed said. “This is quite a transformational gift.”
