For Americans, Nazareth brings about many thoughts, especially at this time of year: the story of Jesus and the place where His ministry began.
The power of this place is not lost on Yasmeen Mazzawi, a volunteer paramedic with Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency services system. But for her, Nazareth means, first and foremost, one thing — home.
Yasmeen, an Arab Christian. She grew up in Nazareth, located in northern Israel, about 70 miles south of Lebanon. She graduated from Nazareth Baptist School and her family still resides there. Yasmeen works in Haifa, about an hour from Nazareth.
Paramedics and EMTs from every facet of Israeli society serve with MDA: Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Bahai, religious and secular. They are committed to saving the lives of all in Israel. This commitment leads them into the heart of danger, treating every patient with dedication, dignity, and professionalism.
Mazzawi was encouraged to serve by her parents, Fadoul and Suzanne Mazzawi. “My parents always told my siblings and me that we are the ambassadors of change! And that we were born to make a stamp on this world – this sentence went with me…” She remains a volunteer paramedic to this day, one of 34,000 volunteer paramedics and EMTs who serve with Magen David Adom.
“I grew up in a loving home, on values of accepting the other and loving the other,” Mazzawi said. “We do not judge anyone for their religion, race, color, or language. We have only one goal: saving lives. That means accepting people no matter who they are.”
While still in high school, Mazzawi made a remarkable and costly decision that reflected her faith and the values of MDA. She visited Auschwitz.
“I worked with Jewish people, and they were talking during Holocaust Memorial Dayabout things I did not understand. How could I work with people, and I do not know their history? This history is important to spread to my community and to those who do not really know about it – to bridge the gap between us, and help people talk together. What better way than to start with myself and this journey?”
Mazzawi took a week off school to travel with the MDA youth delegation to the infamous German concentration camp and extermination center in Poland, where more than 1.1 million men, women, and children, almost exclusively Jewish, lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.
Throughout the war, Yasmeen has continued to serve with Magen David Adom. She was called to cities that had been hit with rockets, but she remained focused on serving and saving lives. “It was scary to go to those places, but I turned to my faith for strength,” Yasmeen said. “Sometimes the situation was quite chaotic, and I definitely faced fears, but I kept focused on how best to serve the injured and frightened around me. Keeping my attention on how to serve helps me through.”
During the war, she and her colleagues have bravely gone toward the towns under attack, not hesitating to place themselves in danger to save lives in Israel. “It does not matter who the person is or what they believe; our first goal is to make sure they are cared for and receive the best medical attention,” Mazzawi said. “I am so grateful for Magen David Adom and the service that we provide to help all who need help. It is a calling and a privilege.”
“Even when the sirens face and the adrenaline settles, I carry the moments; a hand I held, a life we saved, or just a small comfort we offered someone in their most vulnerable moment.” -Yasmeen Mazzawi
To learn more about Magen David Adom, visit: savinglivesinisrael.org.
Photos provided by and used with permission from Infinity Concepts.
