More than 600 attendees walked down the red carpet as they entered midtown Manhattan’s chic Cipriani ballroom on Wednesday evening in support of American Friends of Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service with more than 35,000 first responders.  

The venue was made to look like a swanky Israeli shuk, with stands serving dishes inspired by popular Israeli fare, including amba (pickled mango sauce) and passion fruit short ribs, Yemenite-Hawaiian mashed sweet potato, chermoula-marinated branzino — and pints of Goldstar beer to wash it down. 

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was honored for his contribution of $44 million earlier this year to MDA. A spokesperson for the organization declined to disclose the amount raised through Wednesday’s event. 

The gala was Magen David Adom’s first in New York in several years. It was also the group’s first major event since Gilad Erdan assumed the role of global president, following four years as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. 

“From the peaks of the Golan Heights to the Red Sea in Eilat, our volunteers strengthen every Israeli’s resolve,” Erdan told the crowd. “We thwart our enemies’ plans with every life we save. MDA is the backbone of Israel’s resilience, and we are an unstoppable force for good.”

“Every ambulance, every piece of equipment, every drop of blood – it all translates into Israelis protected, families intact, futures secured,” Erdan continued. “We may not all wear the uniform, but make no mistake — by standing with MDA, you become a frontline defender of our people.” 

“Sometimes serving on the front line comes at a cost,” Erdan said, recognizing MDA medics murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7 and the ensuing war, including Amit Man, a 22-year-old paramedic killed while treating patients at a clinic in Kibbutz Be’eri. 

The reception included several speeches by high-profile figures, including “The Vampire Diaries” actor Nathaniel Buzolic and Miss Israel 2021, Noa Cochva, who is also a combat medic. Emmy Award-winning actress Debra Messing hosted the reception. 

Messing said that since Oct. 7 she has been “compelled to use whatever platform I had as a weapon in the fight against antisemitism.”