Sad success
Last month, 19-yr-old Dvir Schnerb was severely wounded close to the Binyamin community of Dolev. His sister Rena was murdered and his father moderately wounded. This week he was released from the hospital and completed his EMT training at Magen David Adom.
Dvir gets his tabs
The emotional ceremony, attended by the Schnerb family and senior MDA management marked the end of training for tens of young volunteers who will begin to volunteer on MDA ambulances all over Israel. Dvir Schnerb completed his training less than two weeks after the terrible attack.
The lead instructor of the course, MDA Senior EMT Shlomo Perel is a relative of the Schnerb family. Shlomo was also the first medical provider to arrive to the scene two weeks ago and treat the victims. This evening, emotions ran high as Shlomo and his students completed their course, and amongst them his relative, Dvir.
Dvir Schnerb said at the ceremony: “Today we are finishing a course which we all began for one reason- the desire to save lives. We never really think about who our patient is, what their life has been like until now, or what their life will be like after. But this week, I learned that saving lives is not only saving what who our patient was, but it’s also saving their future. I save the entire life he is going to live, the children and grandchildren he will have, and the good things he will go on doing. An entire world. All of this is in our hands. We are saving all of that.
Today, we join the MDA family. This is an honour, a tremendous responsibility and today I truly understand the tremendous honor that it is. I want to use this moment to say thank you to all of the medical professionals who saved my life. You all gave me a gift, the gift of life. I promise to use this gift to be the best I can be. MDA decided to dedicate this course in memory of Rena. Rena saved lives in her own way. She saved souls by teaching, by kindness and by volunteering. I think that the connection between saving both the soul and the body is something that we, the caregivers must take with us.”
Lead Instructor Senior EMT Shlomo Perel was first on the scene of the terror attack.
He said: “Dvir Schnerb less than two weeks ago went on a hike with his father and sister, to Dani Spring in the Binyamin Region. Next to the spring, was an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by terrorists, which ended up murdering Rena Schnerb, of blessed memory, the daughter of Rav Eitan and Dvir’s sister. Rav Eitan and Dvir maintained a cool head and professionalism in the critical moments following the attack. Unfortunately, Rena’s injuries were incompatible with life and we were able to save Rav Eitan and Dvir my dear family. To see Dvir standing here today, alongside his friends from the course, is emotional, powerful and not to be taken for granted.”
MDA Director General, Eli Bin added: “Dvir today did the impossible by completing your EMT training a mere 11 days after the terror attack. He did this alongside tens of other yeshiva students who completed their EMT training during their summer vacation to become EMTs in Israel’s National Emergency Medical and Blood Services Organization. Dvir and his father Rav Eitan proved themselves in the moments following the attack in which Rena Schnerb was killed. We will always remember Rena. And you, the dear Schnerb family will always be part of the MDA family.”
