Visa denial boosts MDA fundraiser attendance

More than 700 Melbourne community members attended a Magen David Adom fundraising event at Caulfield Shule on Thursday night, with attendance boosted by controversy over the Australian government’s decision to deny a visa to scheduled speaker Hillel Fuld.

The Israeli tech entrepreneur and commentator was forced to address the crowd via video link from Israel after his visa application was rejected.

Emma Lipson, MDA Australia office manager in Melbourne, said the visa controversy significantly increased attendance.

“I think it absolutely increased people’s interest. We got over 200 more people booking in from when his visa was cancelled till our event,” Lipson said.

“To be honest, with the setup and the screens and everything, it kind of felt like he was in the room with us. He’s into the high tech space. The high tech worked very well. So I actually think it really helped us.”