Joshua Tree Music Fest

high-energy main stage performances: saddle up for some splendid rock-and-roll with over-the-top theatrical rockers, Whiskerman; be mesmerized by the electrotribal force that is Trouble in the Streets; and take an extradimensional cosmic journey with Golden Dawn Arkestra.

To get a feel for the music vibe and soak up the full spectrum of styles, listen to the official May 2023 Spotify playlist.

The festival kicks off at 5pm on Thursday evening, the perfect warm-up to an action-packed weekend on the dancefloor with music rotating from early until late between the four stages. “We believe in high-quality shared experiences at JTMF. Music rotates with one stage live at a time, so you don’t miss a beat, and this May, we’re adding the after-hours House It Up silent disco DJ sets for those that want to keep dancing into the early hours.” So says festival founder Barnett English.

Just a stone’s throw from the otherworldly Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree Music Festival has been drawing music lovers to the mystical Mojave desert since 2003. The four-day festivals are immersive, communitycentric, family-friendly, and conscientiously inclusive experiences. Attendees are seasoned festival goers and first-timers alike, a passionate community coming together with a mission to experience social interaction on a deeper level and foster positive, lifechanging moments. Joshua Tree Music Festival happens each May and October. For more information, go to www. joshuatreemusicfestival.com.

Source: Jackie Devereaux

his grandfather, who was waiting for him outside.’

“I don’t remember going to sleep at all in the first few days,” says Felix, “we were in a specific area, and all of our team worked on very few hours of sleep and food - not because there was none, but because there is no time to eat and no time to waste.” We moved from place to place, from building to building, and at one point, we began a very long rescuetwo people trapped under the ruins of one of the buildings.’

Hours into that complex rescue, Felix receives a message that there is another rescue - a woman identified under the rubble not far away and in a challenging situation. “The doctor of the rescue unit asked for another senior medical person with him to make decisions, and I got there quickly. The leg of the 27-year-old woman was trapped in a complex way under the rubble, and we are debating whether to perform an amputation to rescue her. Unfortunately, time worked against us, but after consulting with a rescue officer, we decided not to amputate the leg and continue with a different rescue method. Finally, after an hour of rescue efforts, we released the portion without amputating it. The woman was in a very narrow and crowded space, it was tough to move there, but another hour passed, and we managed to extricate her alive.

The woman was rescued and conveyed for further medical treatment. Minutes later, Felix was called back to the first site, where the rescue was still underway. “We were in the middle of a situation assessment, and suddenly they ran to me and told me that they needed my help at the previous site after the teams broke in - to perform an assessment and medical treatment because the teams detected signs of life. So I entered the ruins and finally reached a man about 60 years old who was conscious. I performed medical tests, and when I realized it was possible - together with the team - we started to pull him out while he was conscious.’

Over six days and at the end of complex rescue operations, the members of the Israeli delegation, including a paramedic and director of the emergency department at MDA Felix Lotan, managed to rescue 19 people from the ruins, including a father and his children from the destroyed buildings. But on the 7th day of the mission, the delegation members were called to stop the search - the chances of finding survivors alive were very low. “We are folding our temporary base,” said Felix with mixed emotions, “It was an amazing job, and we saved a lot of lives, but we would have been happy to save many more. So I am returning to Israel to help understand how to prepare and implement the treatment methods conducted here in Turkey during the last week if, God forbid, a disaster of this magnitude will happen in the State of Israel.’

It is possible to interview the MDA representative of the Israeli rescue delegation to Turkey, the MDA Director of the Emergency Department, and paramedic Felix Lotan - who participated in the rescue operations.

Zaki Heller, MDA Spokesperson www. mdais.org www.facebook. com/mdaisrael Source: Pamela Price