As this year draws to a close, I find myself returning again and again to the emotions and humanity that inevitably surface when an emergency strikes. A mother’s feeling of helplessness when her child is in the grip of a life-threatening allergic reaction. An elderly man who loses his independence when he slips and cuts his head in his own bathroom. The fear that ripples through a family when someone they love collapses suddenly during a quiet walk in the park or has a car accident doing errands in the middle of the day. In those moments, everything narrows to a single point. A person in need, requiring someone’s promise and commitment to provide professional and compassionate emergency care.

For our more than 8,000 Heroes in Orange at United Hatzalah, these are not abstractions. These are the human faces and real lives they encounter every day, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and always free of charge. When these moments are multiplied hundreds of thousands of times over the past year, they tell the true story of who we are and why we exist.

It has been a year defined by extraordinary growth, profound challenge, and renewed purpose. Across Israel and far beyond its borders, our volunteers answered the call guided by the same simple principles that have always shaped our mission. Be there fast and first. Be professional and compassionate. Be there for everyone.

Here at home, the pace and scale of emergencies have not slowed. From routine medical calls to complex multi casualty incidents, our volunteers responded day and night in cities and villages alike. Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze communities all received the same care delivered with professionalism forged through constant training and with humanity grounded in the understanding that when a life hangs in the balance, nothing else matters.

This year also marked a significant leap forward in how we save lives. We introduced a new tool that reflects our belief in innovation with purpose. The Ambuscooter is a compact, agile emergency response vehicle designed to reach patients even faster in dense urban environments. It does not replace our ambulances or existing response units. It strengthens them. It is another layer in a growing ecosystem of rapid response solutions built around a single truth. Seconds save lives.

Yet innovation is never only about technology. It is about people. Every new vehicle, every new system, every advancement matters only if it enables our volunteers to work better and safer. That is why we invested so heavily this year in training. Advanced medical skills, mass casualty preparedness, psychotrauma response, and scenario-based drills are now central to our expansion. Our volunteers bring extraordinary commitment. Our responsibility is to ensure they are always prepared. We train not to get it right by chance, but to ensure we never get it wrong when it matters most.

Beyond Israel, our impact was felt across borders. Our psychotrauma and crisis response team deployed internationally to support the Australian Jewish community following a devastating act of terror. That mission was not about exporting Israeli experience for its own sake. It was about strengthening local systems, standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in their darkest hour, and helping communities regain stability, dignity, and hope.

This year also underscored the power of partnership and shared responsibility. In the United States, we held three major gala events that brought together supporters from across the Jewish world and beyond. The Miami Gala stood out not only for its scale, but for what it symbolized. A community thousands of miles away standing firmly with Israeli volunteers on the front lines. Philanthropy is rooted not in abstraction, but in measurable impact. This support was echoed in the United Kingdom and across Europe, forming a global commitment focused on building a stronger, more resilient organization.

The results are already visible. More vehicles on the road. More volunteers trained. Faster response times. And ultimately, more lives helped.

Still, success is never a reason for complacency. As we look toward 2026, our goals are ambitious because the need is real. We plan to expand our fleet of emergency vehicles, increase our network of volunteer medics, deepen our training programs, all with the goal to respond to medical emergencies within 90-second of receiving the call for help.

We are also investing in the future of emergency response. Young volunteers, new technologies, predictive systems, and smarter deployment models will shape how lifesaving care is delivered in the years ahead. Our mission remains unchanged. Our methods must continue to evolve.

I often say that United Hatzalah is not merely an organization. It is a promise. A promise to a mother whose child needs urgent care. A promise to our volunteers who rely on our support to keep responding. A promise to a global community that trained professionals will drop everything, regardless of who you are or where you live, when help is needed.

This year, thanks to our dedicated supporters around the world, we honored that promise. The orange vests will keep moving. The sirens will keep sounding. And our volunteers will keep showing up. Quickly. Everywhere. For everyone. And free of charge.