A team of volunteers from United Hatzalah of Israel, in cooperation with the Ministry of Diaspora and the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, is heading from Israel to aid the community and victims of the shooting attack that took place in a Synagogue yesterday.
The team is comprised of members of the organization’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit and will assist the families of those who were killed in the attack as well as the injured and the rest of the community by providing psychological and emotional stabilization and treatment to those who need it.
Director of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit Miriam Ballin, who is heading the team said: “We are heading to Pittsburgh in order to treat those who witnessed the attack and anyone else from the community feels the need for our assistance. We will be utilizing techniques and tools that we have developed here in Israel and have proven to be highly successful in assisting those who have suffered from similar incidents here. Additionally, we hope that our work will give the community a sense of solidarity on behalf of the people of Israel.We hope to help the congregations, schools, families and individuals affected by this tragedy. We aim to provide emotional and psychological stabilization for those suffering the after effects of this tragedy.”
As part of our international operations, United Hatzalah has been involved in disaster relief around the world since 2010. Our teams have provided medical aid in disaster areas in foreign countries that include Haiti, Nepal, the Ukraine, the United States, Jordan, and other countries.
With the introduction of our Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit in 2016, we began providing psychological and emotional stabilization and treatment domestically and abroad as well. Our teams were very active in both large hurricanes that struck the United States last year, (Harvey and Irma) and we are heading there once again to help the community of Pittsburgh weather this difficult episode. Our unit is comprised of professionals in their field and includes, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, and therapists.
The members making up United Hatzalah’s four-person team to Pittsburgh are, Ballin, Dr. of Psychology Einat Kauffman, Social Worker from Laniado Hospital Hadas Ruham, and Rabbi and Psychotherapist Avi Tenenbaum.
