A moving visit took place today at the United Hatzalah headquarters, when the founder of the “Hatzalah” organization in the United States, Rabbi Hershel Weber, arrived for a special tour with his sons Naftali and Meir. He was greeted by Eli Beer, President and Founder of United Hatzalah, and Lazer Hyman – VP and Head of Volunteers and Operations.

During the visit, Eli Beer shared with Rabbi Weber the story of United Hatzalah’s establishment, referring to the parallels between the path Rabbi Weber pioneered in New York in 1966 and the challenges faced during United Hatzalah’s early days in Israel. “When you established Hatzalah in the US, they warned you not to do it because of the ambulance monopoly – yet you chose to go against the current. Today, it’s impossible to imagine a Jewish community without Hatzalah,” Beer said. “We in Israel also received warnings, but today it’s unimaginable how we managed without United Hatzalah. Since establishing the organization, we’ve responded to more than 7 million emergency calls, and your inspiration contributed to the establishment of dozens of additional organizations.”

During the emotional meeting, Eli Beer shared with Rabbi Weber the moving stories of how United Hatzalah volunteers saved many lives during the war that broke out on Simchat Torah 5783 (October 2023). Beer told Rabbi Weber, “All these lives saved are thanks to you and the enormous enterprise you established almost 60 years ago.” Rabbi Weber burst into tears of emotion when he heard this from Eli Beer and asked to hear more about the tremendous life-saving operation in Israel. Rabbi Weber expressed deep emotion at seeing the extensive activities and innovative technologies used by United Hatzalah, especially the advanced professional technologies of the national dispatch center.

Later in the visit, VP Lazer Hyman presented the “Koach Hatzalah” (Power of Rescue) unit which was established for Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) volunteers in United Hatzalah. The project coordinator Bentzi Spitzer elaborated on the activities currently being developed to allow all Haredi volunteers to continue saving lives while meticulously maintaining their religious standards.

At the conclusion of the special and moving visit, United Hatzalah President Eli Beer presented Rabbi Weber with a special token of appreciation – a silver ambulance model with his name, in recognition of his groundbreaking contribution to saving lives throughout the Jewish world.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)