At the beginning of the week, United Hatzalah held an event for first responders in the city of Uman in recognition and appreciation of their life-saving work during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the event, the active volunteers were given certificates of appreciation and new defibrillators were given to many of the volunteers that will help them to save more lives in the city and region.
Rabbi Yaakov Jan who heads the Breslov community in Uman participated in the event along with the Director of the Jewish Institutions in Uman, Rabbi Peretz Krahan. Also in attendance were the Director of United Hatzalah in Ukraine, Rabbi Hillel Cohen, representatives of the medical staff in the city Natan Golan and Dudi Rapaport, and Vice President of United Hatzalah, Lazer Hyman, who traveled from Israel in order to be a part of the special event and show the organization’s appreciation for the volunteers who have been active in the city year-round.
At the event, it was announced that another EMT training course will begin promptly in the city in order to strengthen the emergency medical service (EMS) response in the region. (Registration is still open for those interested in signing up with the head of the United Hatzalah branch in Uman, Rabbi Mates Shapira.)
Additionally, the organization announced that it will set up an ambulance system in the Breslav community to provide service in and around the city. It was announced that a campaign will soon be launched to finance the purchase of an additional ambulance which will help quickly evacuate those who need emergency medical care to the nearest hospitals.
Also present at the award ceremony was Guy Tal, head of the United Hatzalah branch in Ukraine, Nati Ostari, head of United Hatzalah’s activities in Uman and Ukraine, Rafael Tobol, CEO of the Uman Express travel company, Yitzhak Ohayon, CEO of Faichela, heads of the Zion-Jerusalem and Givat Ze’ev branches, and Miki Cohen, director of the United Hatzalah Jerusalem branch.
Laser Hyman, vice president of United Hatzalah, spoke to the volunteers and said, “Your efforts over the past two years of going above and beyond the call of duty have been greatly appreciated. Your dedication to providing an emergency medical response to the community of Uman and the surrounding area is a sign of true ahavat chinam (selflessly loving one’s fellow). As volunteers, you devote your time to help others whenever medical assistance is needed and fulfill the mission of United Hatzalah in providing the highest standard of medical care that is both fast and free.”
Rabbi Yaakov Jan also blessed the work of the volunteers who rush out whenever an emergency occurs and said, “The life-saving activities of the United Hatzalah volunteers in Uman and the rest of Ukraine begin when the emergency occurs and continue for the entire time that the patient is hospitalized all the way until their release. The dedicated volunteers accompany the patient to the hospital, assist with any language barrier there may be, and closely monitor the patient’s medical treatment throughout the process to make sure that they are receiving the highest level of care possible. It is truly a Kiddush Hashem.”
The organization wishes to thank its hosts, the Wine Cellar, the Landau Hotel, the Hasidic Kibbutz Hotel, and the Uman Express travel company for their contributions to the event.
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