US synagogue volunteer guards learn mass casualty response from Israeli medics

A group of volunteer synagogue security guards in the United States has participated in a specialized training course led by medics from Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA). The program is designed to prepare volunteers for managing terror-related incidents and mass casualty events. During the training, participants practiced emergency techniques, including the application of tourniquets and scene management under crisis conditions. According to the organizers, this partnership was established in response to rising security threats against Jewish communities worldwide, drawing on Israel's extensive field experience in dealing with terror attacks. Benjamin Erbs, senior vice president for training and security at the Community Security Service (CSS), emphasized that the primary goal is to empower guards to provide life-saving first aid in the critical minutes following an attack, before official emergency responders arrive. The course, held in Westchester, New York, focused on MDA's 'First Seven Minutes' protocol, which is designed to manage chaos at the scene of an attack. Volunteers learned how to control severe bleeding with minimal equipment and how to perform triage. This collaboration comes as Jewish communities in the US have faced an increase in security incidents in recent years.