Baltimore native Ira Gewanter was recently named director of major gifts for the Mid-Atlantic region for American Friends of Magen David Adom. He is the first individual to serve in this position in the region, which covers Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
Magen David Adom is Israel’s emergency services system, providing the Jewish state with ambulance and paramedic services. It also oversees, processes and distributes blood for the country’s national blood bank, among other services.
In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, the American Red Cross presented Magen David Adom with the International Humanitarian Service Award for standing for the “humanitarian values of human dignity, respect, [and] compassion.”
In his new role, Gewanter will solicit philanthropic support for the organization.
Most recently, he served as director of corporate partnerships at The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore. He designed and built the federation’s corporate sponsorship campaign, increasing revenue by strategically cultivating corporate clients and fostering relationships with business and philanthropic leaders.
Gewanter previously served as a sales and marketing account executive at Jmore and as an account supervisor for the idfive marketing and advertising agency in Baltimore.
“I am honored to play a leading role in supporting Magen David Adom, an organization whose core values start with promoting tolerance, friendship, cooperation and true peace among all people — providing emergency health services to any individual in need, without discrimination,” said Gewanter. Despite challenging times in Israel, he said supporters of the Jewish state should “play our part in pushing back against despair by reinforcing the sanctity of life.”
Said Samuel Konig, director of strategic philanthropy for the Northeast region for Magen David Adom: “We are thrilled to welcome Ira to MDA. His passion, kindness and effectiveness align perfectly with our organization’s mission to save lives. I look forward to working with him and having him as part of our family.”
A graduate of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, Gewanter and his wife, Zoe Reznick Gewanter, live in Northwest Baltimore and have a son and daughter.
A lifelong baseball enthusiast, Gewanter serves as board member of Israel Baseball Americas, the North American partner of the Israeli national team that competes at the World Baseball Classic Tournament and the Olympics.
An avid reader and comedy fan, Gewanter has contributed as a freelance journalist to a variety of media. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in English with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a post-graduate screenwriting certificate from the New York Film Academy.
For information about American Friends of Magen David Adom, visit afmda.org.
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