R’ Dovid Walder z”l, a longtime Magen David Adom volunteer and former chairman of the organization’s Rechovot branch committee, passed away at his home in Rechovot at the age of 82, concluding a lifetime marked by decades of lifesaving work and quiet chesed.
Colleagues at Magen David Adom remembered R’ Dovid as “a humble person who did much and spoke little. A man of kindness.”
R’ Dovid was born in Yerushalayim on the first night of Chanukah, the 25th of Kislev, in 1944. After completing his studies in yeshiva, he joined the IDF and served as a combat soldier in the Nachal Brigade. He later served in the reserves during Israel’s wars. Following his marriage to Chana, the couple moved to Rechovot, where they established their home and raised their family.
His involvement with Magen David Adom began approximately four decades ago, when he volunteered as an emergency medical technician and ambulance driver at the organization’s Rechovot station.
Over the years, R’ Dovid became chairman of the local branch committee and devoted considerable effort to expanding its volunteer network. According to MDA, during his tenure he succeeded in doubling the number of volunteers, bringing both adults and teenagers into the organization and enabling a substantial increase in the number of ambulance shifts staffed by volunteers.
Beyond his emergency medical work, R’ Dovid played an important role in developing social and humanitarian initiatives throughout Rechovot and the surrounding communities.
He was among the earliest and most prominent MDA figures involved in establishing a Kimcha D’Pischa project for struggling families in the Rechovot area. What began as an effort to provide food assistance ahead of Pesach grew over the years into an established tradition, eventually expanding to provide assistance ahead of other Yomim Tovim as well.
R’ Dovid’s dedication to chesed extended far beyond Magen David Adom. For decades, he operated an organization that distributed food to families in need, contributing both his personal time and his own money to the effort.
Those who knew him said he became a dependable address for people facing hardship, quietly stepping forward whenever assistance was needed. His MDA colleagues emphasized that despite the enormous amount he accomplished for others, he consistently avoided attention and never sought recognition for his work.
R’ Dovid z”l is survived by his wife, Chana, five children, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and two sisters.
He was laid to rest at the main cemetery in Rechovot, accompanied on his final journey by his family, friends and many others whose lives he touched during decades devoted to saving lives and helping those in need.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}
