On Sunday evening just after 7:00 p.m., a car accident took place in Ashdod, on Ha’Atzmaut Street. Two cars impacted one another and a bystander called emergency services. United Hatzalah volunteer EMT and electric bicycle rider Tal Mor was at home building lego blocks with his son when he received the emergency alert. He quickly apologized to his son and explained that he had to go help someone in need of medical assistance. 

At the same time a few streets away, United Hatzalah EMT Shalom Oberlander was out with his wife trying to get her new shoes after the heel on one of her shoes had broken. As most stores are shut due to the lockdown it was taking a bit of time to find a store that was open. When Shalom’s communication device sounded alerting him to the car accident and then to an unconscious person on the same street as the car accident. 

 

Both EMTs ran to their vehicles, Tal his emergency e-bike, and Shalom his car, and rushed to Ha’atzmaut Street. 

 

Tal arrived in three minutes and saw that there was already an EMT at the scene of the accident. Having also received the alert about the unconscious person while en route to the accident, Tal checked in with the EMT on the scene who told Tal that he wasn’t necessary and that he should continue on to the unconscious person. 

 

Tal arrived at the address of a 65-year-old man who had collapsed in front of his children, just a minute later. Being the first EMT at the scene, Tal grabbed his medical kit from his e-bike and rushed into the apartment beginning CPR immediately after checking for a pulse and finding none. A minute later, Shalom rushed in and joined the resuscitation efforts. 

 

The duo worked in tandem alternating performing chest compressions and assisted ventilation on their unconscious patient. Over the next few minutes, three other United Hatzalah volunteers arrived and assisted in the effort, rotating in and out of performing compressions seamlessly. They were joined by a mobile intensive care ambulance team who attached a heart monitor only to find that the man’s pulse had returned. Twelve minutes had passed from the time that Tal had rushed into the apartment until the man was brought back to life. 

 

When he isn’t rushing out and saving lives or spending time with his family, Tal Mor works as Sales Manager for a manufacturing company. When Shalom isn’t taking his wife shopping or saving lives he works as a carpenter for Ikea. Both are proud members of their respective communities in Ashdod, and both assist others whenever they can.  

 

Tal and Shalom have been volunteers with the organization for a number of years and neither is a stranger to performing CPRs. Shalom explained that his turning point to become a volunteer EMT came three years ago after his grandmother passed away. “When my grandmother passed away, I knew that I wanted to spend my time helping others to hopefully prevent others from suffering the pain and loss that I went through.”

Shalom added, “My brother has been a volunteer with the organization since its inception. My entire family is involved in the medical field somehow, it is an ethos that we have grown up with. For people like me, there is something that pulls us to this field so that we can help others.”

 

Tal added, “I’ve been at a number of instances where I was involved in a successful CPR. Whenever someone has the ability to save a life and is successful at doing so, it is an incredible feeling, but in truth, anytime I can help a person it gives me a good feeling. There are many instances in which I was able to help other people that gave me an incredible feeling of knowing that I had just made a difference in that person’s life, and that is what we are here for. To make a difference and help others.” 

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