Erev Yom Kippur is usually a day of preparation.
Across Israel, families are finishing last minute errands, preparing for the fast and getting ready for the quiet that will descend across the country as Yom Kippur begins.
For United Hatzalah medic Yehuda Arad, the morning began much the same way.
Yehuda lives in Nahliel, a community roughly ten minutes from the Neve Tzuf area. Earlier this morning, his United Hatzalah pager alerted him to a developing situation. A terrorit shooting incident not too far from his home. In fact, he happened to be even closer to the area, taking care of some final preparations before Yom Kippur.
While the details of the developing story were vague, Yehuda’s dedication was steadfast and determined. He knew someone needed his help and that was all he needed to know. He immediately changed his plans and off he went to the scene of the emergency.
“When we arrived, the scene was still active and there was still gunfire,” Yehuda recalled. “We had to wait until it was safe enough for us to approach the wounded man.”
Once they were able to move forward, Yehuda and the other first responders reached a man in his 30s inside his vehicle. He had suffered penetrating injuries and was in critical condition.
There was no time to lose.
“We immediately began treating him, controlling the bleeding and doing everything we could to stabilize him,” Yehuda said.
The wounded man was subsequently evacuated in critical condition to Beilinson Hospital.
For Yehuda, what began as an ordinary Erev Yom Kippur morning became another reminder of what it means to be a United Hatzalah volunteer.
There are days when most of the country is preparing to stop. Days when families are heading home and the streets are beginning to empty.
But medical emergencies do not follow the calendar. Even on Erev Yom Kippur, United Hatzalah’s thousands of volunteer medics remain on alert, ready to leave whatever they are doing and respond when someone needs them most.
