Frequently Asked Questions

United Hatzalah is Israel’s largest independent, nonprofit volunteer emergency medical service, providing free emergency medical response to anyone in Israel. Its 8,600+ volunteer EMTs, paramedics, and doctors respond within minutes of a call, treating and stabilizing patients before an ambulance arrives, at no cost to the patient.

This mission is carried out by volunteers who reflect the full diversity of Israeli society – Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druze, secular and religious alike – all united by the shared goal of saving lives. Volunteers provide lifesaving care on scene and then hand off to the arriving ambulance crew for further treatment and transport.

United Hatzalah receives an average of 14,400 emergency calls per week across Israel – roughly one call every 43 seconds. This figure excludes the elevated call volume experienced during periods of the war in Gaza and with Iran.

That steady volume reflects the organization’s role as a first line of response across the country, not just during periods of national crisis.

United Hatzalah volunteers live and work throughout Israel, so the closest available volunteer – not the nearest ambulance depot – is dispatched. A GPS-based dispatch system instantly identifies and alerts the nearest trained responder the moment a call comes in.

A volunteer working downtown might respond to a call from within their own office building; someone at home might be dispatched to a neighbor’s apartment. The more volunteers in a given area, the faster the response – which is why growing the volunteer network directly reduces response times.

United Hatzalah’s goal is to reach every patient within 90 seconds for time-critical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, and choking. The organization has not yet reached this goal nationwide, but is closing the gap by expanding its volunteer network, vehicle fleet, and dispatch technology.

Actual response times vary by location, traffic, volunteer density, and emergency type. United Hatzalah tracks performance down to the neighborhood level to identify exactly where additional volunteers, vehicles, or training are needed most.

No, response times vary significantly by region. Some areas are close to the 90-second goal, while others still lag well behind. United Hatzalah uses neighborhood-level and time-of-day data to identify where additional volunteers and vehicles are needed most.

Closing these gaps requires training and equipping volunteers who already live or work in underserved areas, deploying the right vehicle types, and building local volunteer communities – work that donor funding directed at specific regions helps accelerate.

United Hatzalah operates with more than 8,600 trained volunteers and a national fleet of over 1,800 emergency vehicles, including ambucycles, electric bikes, ambucars, and ambulances. Every volunteer is fully trained, equipped, and ready to respond in their own community.

Ambucycles – motorcycle ambulances equipped with essential lifesaving gear – let volunteers bypass traffic and reach patients faster than a standard ambulance can in dense urban areas.

United Hatzalah volunteers respond to the full range of medical emergencies: cardiac events, strokes, choking, severe bleeding, trauma and accidents, obstetric emergencies including deliveries, pediatric emergencies, terrorist attacks and national emergencies, and mental health crises including suicidal ideation.

Each call is classified by its chief complaint, and United Hatzalah’s dispatch algorithm sends the closest, most appropriately certified volunteer – or multiple volunteers for complex cases like mass-casualty incidents or obstetric emergencies requiring female responders.

Every donation to United Hatzalah funds lifesaving activity directly, through three channels: unrestricted gifts that fund core operations, restricted gifts directed to specific equipment or vehicles, and capital gifts that fund major infrastructure like regional command centers.

Unrestricted giving keeps the organization’s day-to-day infrastructure running. Restricted giving lets donors sponsor a specific ambucycle, electric bike, ambulance, or volunteer’s training, and receive updates on that gift’s impact. Capital and endowment gifts sustain United Hatzalah’s ability to grow over the long term.

United Hatzalah is supported by donors in many countries and, like other similar Israeli not-for-profits, our financials are complex.  United Hatzalah Israel receives funds in part from a global network of “Friends of United Hatzalah” organizations located in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Switzerland, and Australia, as well as its own fundraising and activities in Israel.  Support from these different countries reflects how UH has a truly global donor base.

Each regional “Friends of” organization is its own independent legal entity, with its own Board of Directors complying with all local regulations, and prepares its own financial statements in its local currency.  Funds raised by “Friends of” organizations are transferred directly to United Hatzalah of Israel to support its mission at the direction of the local Board of Directors.  The Boards of Friends of UH entities in various countries decide the timing of the transfers to Israel based on close coordination with United Hatzalah Israel in order to address the funding requirements in Israel as determined by UH management and approved by the Board in Israel.  United Hatzalah Israel maintains bank accounts only in the country of Israel. Transfers made from “Friends of” organizations, as well as funds from private foundations and other entities, are considered “donations from abroad.”

In 2023, United Hatzalah Israel recorded $144M (533M ILS) in total support under Israeli accounting standards: $78M in current-year revenue and $66M in restricted funds set aside on the balance sheet for donor-designated future use.

Revenue includes cash donations raised in Israel, transfers from international “Friends of” entities, government and municipal support, service income, and the required accounting value of volunteer service. Shekel figures are converted to USD using the year’s average exchange rate.

United Hatzalah targets at least 80% of every donor dollar going to charitable programs and 20% or less to fundraising and administration – the best-practice standard used by Charity Navigator. Over the past three years, more than 85% of spending has gone directly to lifesaving operations.

That spending covers training volunteers, equipping medics, expanding the ambucycle fleet, and running the 24/7 dispatch center – figures drawn from Forms 990 publicly filed by Friends of United Hatzalah through year-end 2024.

United Hatzalah tracks every donation from the moment it’s received until its intended purpose is fulfilled, using Salesforce as its CRM. Donors who fund a specific vehicle, equipment item, or volunteer receive personalized updates – over 2,300 sent in the past 12 months alone.

Whether a gift funds an ambucycle, protective vests, or a defibrillator, the donor is told exactly what their money purchased and, where applicable, which volunteer is using it and what emergencies it has been used for.

United Hatzalah’s current budget priorities include training additional volunteers, building a Resiliency Center to expand its psychotrauma program, investing in dispatch and cybersecurity technology, expanding the vehicle fleet, and strengthening regional command centers for faster nationwide response.

Capital projects underway include expanding the Jerusalem national headquarters and building new regional command centers in Sderot, Katzrin, Netanya, and Beit Shemesh – investments driven directly by lessons learned from October 7th.

Funds raised beyond immediate needs go into tracked reserve accounts – operating reserves, donor-restricted reserves, board-designated funds, or emergency reserves – used only for their intended purpose. At the end of 2024, Friends of United Hatzalah held a $23.6M operating reserve and a $10.7M endowment.

Because the endowment covers less than 1% of United Hatzalah’s annual budget at typical payout rates, the organization must raise significant funds every year to sustain operations, even as it continues building long-term reserves.

Friends of United Hatzalah’s four most recent Form 990 filings – covering fiscal years 2021 through 2024 – are published directly on the United Hatzalah website’s FAQ page for public review.

These filings provide a transparent, third-party-verifiable view of the organization’s revenue, expenses, and executive compensation.

Our four most recent Form 990 documents can be found here:

2021 990 Friends of United Hatzalah (US)

2022 990 Friends of United Hatzalah (US)

2023 990 Friends of United Hatzalah (US)

2024 990 Friends of United Hatzalah (US)

United Hatzalah Israel is governed by its Amutah fiduciary board and a seven-member Vaad. Each international “Friends of” entity has its own independent board complying with local regulations, and twelve board members across all entities sit on an International Committee that reviews UH’s budget and major activities.

The International Committee submits its recommendations to the Amutah Board in Israel, which holds ultimate governing responsibility for the organization.

Yes. The Midot Seal of Effectiveness, awarded by the SFI Group, has recognized United Hatzalah each of the last three years. The evaluation examines planning, execution, measurement, leadership, and financial management, and organizations must voluntarily apply to be assessed.

The Midot Seal is a recognized Israeli standard for certifying nonprofit efficiency, transparency, and social impact – and United Hatzalah has held it consistently.

Eli Beer is the Founder of United Hatzalah, and Prof. Ehud Davidson has served as CEO since August 2024. Davidson previously led Meir Medical Center, Soroka University Medical Center, and Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider.

Eli Beer continues to drive strategy, lead global fundraising, and serve as the organization’s chief spokesperson, while Davidson oversees day-to-day operations and management.

Eli Beer founded United Hatzalah of Israel in 2006 by uniting the country’s separate local Hatzalah organizations. A volunteer medic since age 15, he introduced the “ambucycle” – a motorcycle ambulance – and pioneered psychological first aid as part of emergency response.

Born in Israel to American parents, Eli witnessed a terror attack as a child, which inspired his path into emergency medicine. On October 7th, he directed over 1,500 volunteers responding to the Hamas attacks, personally coordinating with government, police, and hospitals. His story is told in his biography, “90 Seconds.”

After October 7th brought a surge in donations, United Hatzalah brought in an independent international firm, pro bono, to strengthen its governance and financial controls. The organization appointed a new CEO and CFO, created a new International Committee, and now requires board approval for all capital commitments.

These changes reflect a broader commitment to continuous improvement in transparency and professionalism as the organization has scaled.

United Hatzalah of Israel financial statements are audited by Lion, Orlitzky & Co., one of Israel’s leading accounting firms. Friends of United Hatzalah in the U.S. financial statements are audited by BDO. “Friends of” entities prepare local financial statements and have them reviewed and audited in accordance with their Board’s determination and local regulations and practices.