Roman Firas, the Head of the East Jerusalem Chapter of United Hatzalah, is a father of four and a dedicated United Hatzalah volunteer, hailing from the town of Ein-Rafa, located near Jerusalem and next to Abu Gosh.

On Monday, October 9th, 2023, in the midst of the current war between Israel and Hamas militants, a missile landed on a home just across from the popular main street of Abu Gosh, where in peaceful times, many Jewish and Arabs alike frequent the flavorful eateries. 

A 25- year old man was severely injured in the missile attack, and Roman was the first volunteer to arrive at a scene of chaos. Roman understood right away that the young man was not a stranger, but a good friend. His family has a bookstore where Roman regularly visits.

Roman treated the young man for 15-minutes until two other volunteers arrived. First being Ayman Ibrahim from Abu Gosh and immediately after Eliezer Taib from Kiryat Yearim. It took time for the ambulance to arrive to bring the young man to the intensive care unit of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, where he underwent numerous surgeries and is now in stable condition and recovering. 

“I came back home truly drained, physically and emotionally. How did we get to such a situation?” said Roman.  The people of Abu Gosh and Ein-Rafa are in shock, scared, and filled with anxiety. We have had too many missiles falling on this area.”