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The birth of Shachar Shaul—Ariella (28) from Moshav Bnei Darom—marks the beginning of a moving story. Late at night, she began experiencing labor contractions, which grew stronger by sunrise. In the morning, she asked her husband, Evyatar, to drive her to the hospital. During the drive, they realized the birth of their firstborn daughter was closer than they thought, and Evyatar called MDA’s 101 emergency hotline, which dispatched an intensive care ambulance. Within minutes, the MDA team, led by Modiin Station Manager Paramedic Saar Shai, along with senior medic Sigal Zadok and EMT and ambulance driver Osnat Ben David, arrived at the location where Evyatar had stopped his car. They began medical checks and prepared to transport Shachar to the hospital. During the drive, Shachar went into active labor, and the MDA team delivered her baby in the ambulance.
After the birth, the paramedic shared with the new parents the story of Itamar Shemen, an IDF combat medic and MDA volunteer from Modiin Station, who fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip. The ambulance in which their daughter was born had been dedicated to his memory. Saar asked the new parents if he could take a photo and later shared it with Itamar’s parents. “It’s always moving to help bring new life into the world. It’s even more special that it happened in an ambulance dedicated to the memory of our colleague Itamar Shemen,” shared Saar. “I wanted to let Itamar’s family know that the ambulance bearing his name not only saves lives but also brings new life into the world and to share with the new parents who Itamar was.”
When Shachar and Evyatar thought about a name for their newborn daughter, they remembered Saar’s words about Itamar. In a touching tribute, they decided to name her Tamar, after him. “The birth of Tamar was nothing short of a miracle. We felt divine protection every step of the way. We were the first to give birth in the intensive care ambulance dedicated to Itamar Shemen’s memory. Itamar volunteered at the MDA Modiin Station, from which the ambulance was dispatched, so our Tamar is also named in his memory. We heard about Itamar’s optimism, kindness, and courage in saving lives until his last moments. We hope that our Tamar follows his path and brings light to the world,” the new parents shared.
Earlier this week, the new parents, along with baby Tamar, met with Itamar Shemen’s parents, Dorit and Assaf, as well as the MDA team who delivered Shachar, with the ambulance in the background bearing Itamar’s name. Shachar and Evyatar, Tamar’s parents, shared about the encounter: “Meeting Itamar’s family was incredibly emotional. It brought closure for us. When we thought about a name for our daughter, we looked up information about Itamar to see if we connected with him. Today, what we read became real, and we felt like we got to know him more personally as his loved ones shared about him. Meeting them only strengthened our decision to name our daughter Tamar in his memory. It’s a great honor for us.”
