Archives: Stories
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Holocaust and Hatzalah: United Hatzalah’s Connection to Our Past
As Jews and non-Jews around the world observe Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, our collective memory turns to the countless stories of the Jews of Europe and North Africa who were hunted and nearly exterminated by Nazi Germany during World War II. The siren that brings an entire country to a standstill is but Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Leizer Hyman
Pesach Emergency in Bulgaria There is a certain ease to celebrating Pesach away from home. There is no traditional spring cleaning, no kashering of the kitchen. Instead, there is an almost unfamiliar sense of calm that accompanies a holiday rooted in slavery. This year, my family and I found ourselves in Bulgaria for the Chag. Read more
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Forty Days of War: A Resilient Nation
For forty days and forty nights, Israel lived between sirens and uncertainty. The familiar rhythm of daily life was repeatedly interrupted. Operation Roaring Lion tested the country’s capacity to endure, adapt, and continue. Now, as alert levels ease across much of the country, a cautious calm has begun to take hold. There is a collective Read more
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From Pharaoh to Tehran
Why the Iranian Regime Refuse to Let Go? Lessons to Learn from Passover’s Miracle. For more than 3,000 years, the Jewish people have marked Passover not only as a story of liberation, but as a lesson in how history unfolds when power, arrogance, and destiny collide. The Exodus was not a single moment. It was Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Akiva Kaufman
Labor and Missiles It was just after dawn when the first call came in. Erev Pesach. One of the busiest mornings of the Jewish year. Most people were thinking about the Seder, about last minute preparations, about getting through the day in time to sit down with family that night. And then, in a single Read more
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A United Hatzalah Medic Arrives at the Scene of a Missile Strike and Finds His Father Alive
When Yossi Ampal received the emergency alert this morning, he did not fully understand what he was heading toward. A seasoned volunteer medic with United Hatzalah, Yossi responded as he always does. The call came over the radio, and within moments he was on his way to the scene. This time, it was a reported Read more
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Standing Together: Boca Raton’s Katz Hillel Day School Helps Strengthen Israel’s Emergency Response
In an emotional ceremony held this evening in Israel’s southern region, an area increasingly referred to as the “Envelope of Israel” (Otef Yisrael), United Hatzalah unveiled a newly dedicated ambulance that will serve the very communities once devastated by the October 7th attacks. More than two and a half years after that horrific day, Israel Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Linor Attias
Fragile Resilience Since the outbreak of war a month ago, I have learned to measure time differently. Not by the clock, but by the space between sirens and emergency alerts. By those brief stretches that allow something resembling normal life to exist. By how quickly I can shift from one role to another. A mother. Read more
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Let Our Chametz Go, Even in Wartime: United Hatzalah Sells Its Chametz Ahead of Passover
This year may feel different from those that came before, but as Passover 5786 approaches, the ritual sale of chametz continues without interruption. In keeping with longstanding tradition, United Hatzalah Founder and President Eli Beer met with Israel’s Chief Rabbis, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic, to carry out the sale of the organization’s chametz in accordance Read more
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Our Eyes in the Sky: How United Hatzalah’s Drone Unit Is Redefining Emergency Response
In the chaotic aftermath of a missile strike or disaster, every second carries weight. When the dust settles, uncertainty can fill the air. For first responders arriving on scene, the challenge is immediate. Where are the victims? Is the structure stable? Are our first responders safe to reach those who need our help? Increasingly, the Read more