French tourists filled up Israel's beaches this summer, and the Magen David Adom emergency service took advantage of this momentum in order to introduce them to Israel's life savers.
The lifeguard called the bathers on his loudspeaker, and French tourists flocked to an improvised MDA station for a quick cardiopulmonary resuscitation lesson and an introduction to the organization's activity.
MDA's French desk has been operating across France since the beginning of the summer in a number of projects aimed at introducing the organization's activity to the country's Jews. Throughout the summer, however, the number of participants among France's Jewish community decreased gradually. An inquiry revealed that a significant number of them had left for a visit to the Holy Land.
MDA then decided there was no better place to get hold of the French tourists than at their favorite site of recreation – public beaches. Ten volunteers deployed on Tel Aviv's Bugrashov Beach and invited the tourists to take a quick CPR and first aid lesson.
French learning CPR on Bugrashov Beach
The lifeguard used his loudspeaker to let the French tourists know that "Magen David Adom invites the French-speaking public to a first aid training session. Your way to invest half an hour in saving lives. Magen David Adom will be happy to see you left of the lifeguard's hut. Admission is free of charge."
After this announcement, which surprised many of the French tourists, dozens of bathers rushed to the area near the lifeguard's hut to take part in the MDA activity. Four training sessions were conducted in the area, including an introduction to the organization and a quick CPR lesson.
"The activity was a great experience," said Natalie, a young tourist from France. "We learned how to apply artificial respiration to a drowning person and how to massage his heart. I don't feel confident in doing the CPR yet, but learning how to save lives is definitely useful."
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