Archives: Stories
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Sometimes Our Patients are the Furry Kind
Not all of our patients walk on two legs. This morning, within seconds of a missile attack in the Gush Dan area, United Hatzalah volunteers were already racing to multiple impact sites across Central Israel. Amid the chaos, sirens, and shattered glass, one call for help stood out. On one of the impact scenes, our Read more
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Diary of a United Hatzalah First Responder: Tomer Segev
Between the Commotion and Cameras Dear Diary, It has been around 48 hours since the missile impact in Dimona, and I am only now beginning to calm down from the incident. Not physically, but emotionally. The noise, the chaos, the constant feeling of being pulled in ten different directions. I am finally able to quietly Read more
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Rescue on Route 433: United Hatzalah Medic Saves Driver during Medical Emergency
A routine drive along Route 433 turned into a lifesaving intervention when United Hatzalah volunteer medic Oren Cohen identified a vehicle driving erratically. His United Hatzalah training and instinct immediately kicked in and within seconds he prevented a fatal incident. “I noticed the car swerving dangerously across lanes, and I was immediately suspicious,” Oren Cohen Read more
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United Hatzalah Stands in Solidarity with the Hatzola of Northwest London
News of the cowardly, mid-night attack in Golders Green has sent shockwaves through Jewish communities around the world. This iconic London neighborhood, a thriving center of Jewish life in the heart of London, has once again been targeted by antisemitism and terrorism simply because of the identity of the population that lives there. We are Read more
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President Herzog Visits Missile Impact Sites in Dimona and Meets United Hatzalah Psychotrauma Volunteers
For the past three weeks, Israelis have almost become accustomed to the sights of destruction and carnage left by the scars of missile strikes. This morning, we awoke to those sites in Southern Israel in the city of Dimona made famous for being the home to the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Piles of rubble from Read more
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From North to South, Israel Under the Grip of Operation Roaring Lion
Night stretched into morning across much of the country. From the south, still reeling from devastating strikes in Arad and Dimona, to the dense urban center of Gush Dan, and further north, the impact of Operation Roaring Lion continues to be felt nationwide. Unrelenting sirens sound in waves, sending families rushing for shelter. Within moments, Read more
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Two Strikes, One Night: Inside United Hatzalah’s Response to Mass Casualty Missile Attacks in Southern Israel
On Saturday night, as sirens shattered the quiet that had settled over southern Israel at the end of Shabbat, United Hatzalah volunteers did what they have done time and again since the start of Operation Roaring Lion. They did not hesitate. They ran toward the danger. Within minutes of two separate direct missile strikes, United Read more
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The Sound of a Baby’s First Cry That Defies the Siren
For the past 18 days, since Operation Roaring Lion brought Israel to a standstill, the sound of a siren has become a constant presence. It pierces through our phones, interrupts television broadcasts, and echoes from air raid systems in every community across the country. It halts meals, catches you with shampoo in your hair mid Read more
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Side By Side Saving Lives
This Shabbat my wife Yael and I signed up to be the on-call United Hatzalah medics for our area. It was Yael’s first time taking a Shabbat shift. Thankfully it wasn’t a particularly busy shift, but it was still meaningful. Over the course of Shabbat we went to the bomb shelter three times, once during Read more
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From the Classroom to the Front Line: A Teacher’s Mission to Save Lives
On most days, Aviya Yahav stands at the front of a classroom, guiding her students through the logic and structure of mathematics. However, when the emergency call comes through, equations and proofs are put to the side and out comes the orange vest and medical kit. For the past seven years, Aviya has volunteered as Read more