Donor Story: Bernard "Bernie" Kaplan

Having lived in Israel for more than five years (1972-1979), Bernie knew firsthand the need and impact of Magen David Adom. In 2000, he and his wife Natalie contacted AFMDA and made a gift to the building of MDA’s Bloomberg Station in Jerusalem. Bernie used money from his Donor Advised Fund to fund the sponsorship of three rooms at the facility.

That was the first generous step Bernie would make of many to help save lives in Israel. He donated Life Support Ambulances in 2007, 2012, and 2015. In 2019, he wanted to pay for his fourth ambulance through his IRA - and dedicated it to the memory of Natalie, who had recently passed away.

"I paid for that ambulance through my required minimum distribution (RMD) because I needed to take the money out of my IRA and this way, I didn't have to pay taxes on those funds. It was a win win," said Bernie. "My goal had been to dedicate this ambulance in Israel with my entire family - the ambulance got there for Pesach, but because of the coronavirus we had to postpone the celebration and get it into service."

Bernie found the charitable rollover process straightforward and the forms very easy to fill out. Most important, he could help Israel in a significant way. "How could anyone afford to pass up anything like this?" asked Bernie. "You can avoid paying taxes on your RMD and do a mitzvah by supporting lifesaving work in Israel!"