Archives: Stories
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United Hatzalah Volunteers Assist Israeli Hospitals in Emergency Preparations Amid Renewed Iranian Threat
As Israel moves into emergency readiness following renewed Iranian hostilities, United Hatzalah volunteers have been assisting hospital and medical centers across the country with critical preparation efforts designed to help protect patients, medical teams and hospital operations. According to recent Israeli media reports, hospitals nationwide have been instructed to relocate key operations and patient care Read more
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United Hatzalah on High Alert as Israel Faces Renewed Iranian Missile Threats
As renewed hostilities between Israel and Iran place civilians across Israel under threat, United Hatzalah has mobilized its nationwide emergency medical network and Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit to respond to both physical injuries and emotional trauma sustained during missile alerts and at impact sites. Even before the first reports of escalation with Iran, United Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Raanan Dagan
The Scene Was Already Moving At around 10:40 in the morning, I was in a meeting in Karnei Shomron when the alert came in. Alert: Serious shooting attack at a gas station near the entrance to Kochav Yair. As a United Hatzalah paramedic, there are moments when your body reacts before your mind has the Read more
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New Replacement for EpiPens at United Hatzalah
For decades, the EpiPen has been synonymous with lifesaving intervention in moments of severe allergic crisis. Its very name became shorthand for urgency, accessibility, and the thin line between life and death. Originally developed in the 1970s by Sheldon Kaplan and approved for public use in 1987, the device was adapted from military auto injectors Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Yisrael Kama
The Brit She Didn’t Want to Miss At United Hatzalah we’re used to emergency calls. Car accidents, falls, cardiac arrests, allergic reactions, and countless other crises that demand immediate response, day and night. But this call was about something different. It was about fulfilling someone’s final wish. A quiet, deeply human need to be present Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Moshe Weizman & Elishiv Mizrachi
The Call We Never Expected We answer calls all the time. But there are those calls you never expect and will never forget. A few weeks ago, the phone rang. It wasn’t from the United Hatzalah Dispatch Center. It wasn’t even for an emergency. It was from an unknown number and had a very unfamiliar Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Yuda Widawsky
Three Shocks Before Seven O’clock I was supposed to be teaching a refresher training course for United Hatzalah volunteers. Just another routine training for our medics to ensure that they have the necessary muscle memory to respond to emergency calls. Readiness, protocol, and teamwork. Instead of standing in front of a classroom, I found myself Read more
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Collision of Celebrations
What began as a night of joy for two families took an unexpected turn on a quiet street in Bnei Brak. A vehicle transporting a newlywed bride and groom home from their wedding was involved in a traffic accident with another car returning from a bar mitzvah celebration. United Hatzalah volunteer medics were dispatched to Read more
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Diary of a First Responder: Dr. Shlomo Gensler
Parks and Compressions There are some calls that, even in the middle of the adrenaline rush, you know will stay with you long after the sirens fade and the scene quiets down. Today’s call was one of those. I received the emergency alert on my United Hatzalah device: “Middle aged man collapsed in a public Read more
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Modern-Day Ruths and Naomis: The Women of United Hatzalah, Breaking Barriers and Saving Lives
As Jewish communities around the world prepare to celebrate Shavuot, the holiday of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, and Muslim communities prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, something meaningful is unfolding here at United Hatzalah National Headquarters. Two holidays. Two faith traditions. One shared mission – Saving lives. On Shavuot, Jews read Read more