American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) has received a $25 million gift from the Atlanta-based Marcus Foundation to help Magen David Adom (MDA) build a critically needed new national blood center in Israel. The grant is the largest-ever benefiting MDA, Israel’s 86-year old national ambulance, blood-services, and disaster-relief agency.

The new building, to be named the Marcus National Blood Services Center, will be located in Ramla, in central Israel. The center will be a safe, underground, and secure complex, complete with sophisticated ventilation systems in the event of chemical attacks, but also housing state-of-the-art laboratories and blood-processing units.

The new blood center capital campaign is the most ambitious fundraising project in MDA history, with a goal of raising $115 million for construction of the new blood center. With the Marcus Foundation gift AFMDA has now raised $72 million toward the goal of building the new facility.