United Hatzalah of Israel and Hatzolah of Los Angeles are banding together for a gala event held in honor of the volunteer heroes who save lives every day. In what is being titled “The Heroes of Hatzolah Gala,” both organizations will be saluting the volunteers who put their own lives on hold to save the lives of complete strangers. This event is the first time that the local Los Angeles emergency medical services (EMS) organization Hatzolah and the Israeli national EMS United Hatzalah are teaming up and working together.
The event will take place at the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom in Beverly Hills, California on Wednesday, September 14th. The emcee of the evening will be David Weiss. The event will honor Siona and Mansoor “Elie” Alyeshmerni with the Champion Award and Chelsea and Matthew Schames with the Young Leadership Award.
Like many Iranian Jews, Siona and Mansoor “Elie” Alyeshmerni were fortunate to have been able to leave Iran in their formative years. The couple moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and, from the very beginning of their new lives in LA, became actively involved at Sinai Temple. Elie served as president of the Temple’s prestigious Men’s Club and today is the Temple’s Vice President of Administration. It was at Sinai Temple that Siona and Elie began to appreciate the significance and value of being involved in many Jewish causes. Hatzolah has a special place in the Alyeshmerni’s hearts, as they have seen first-hand how heroic volunteers make a difference for so many and act as a true inspiration to all.
Chelsea and Matthew Schames were born and raised in Los Angeles. Both are passionate about giving back to their community and to Israel. The couple takes active roles on two prestigious Boards of Directors and volunteer countless hours for their children’s school. Chelsea and Matthew are the proud parents of Brandon and Alexandra, and they constantly strive to instill a love for Judaism and a passion for serving the community in their children. The Schames are the living embodiment of the word “community.” By accepting the Hatzolah Heroes of Hope Young Leadership Award, Chelsea and Matthew hope to inspire not only their children but also their family and friends to serve our community organizations.
Both Hatzolah of Los Angeles and United Hatzalah of Israel provide fast and free emergency medical services (EMS) in every community in which they serve. Both organizations incorporate dedicated and highly trained volunteers and arrive at the scene of any medical emergency within minutes. Both organizations are dedicated to providing the highest quality of medical care while maintaining the utmost level of professionalism and compassion for each and every patient. In an emergency, every second counts, and both organizations count on their volunteers to be at the ready 24/7 in order to help.
“The volunteers sacrifice so much of their time, effort and energy in order to make sure that complete strangers remain healthy and safe,” said Eli Beer, the Founder and President of United Hatzalah. “It is time we give back to them. We at United Hatzalah are excited to be working together with Hatzolah of Los Angeles in order to help recognize the volunteers of both organizations. We look forward to working together with this wonderful group of people many more times in the future.”
David Bacall, who is an EMT and critical incident stress management counselor (CISMC), as well as the Chief of Operations and spokesperson for Hatzolah of Los Angeles, said, “I am ecstatic for this Gala. It is a really unique partnership and event, a first of its kind. The Gala will save lives both in LA and in Israel, and will honor the heroes who volunteer for this work, not for themselves, but for all of us.”
