Bar Mitzvah Boy Saves Lives on Israel Tour

June 29th 2011

You’re never alone when you’re surrounded by family . And while traveling in your home away from home on your Israel tour, within 2 to four minutes, someone will be there to help you out.

When a bomb or an accident ( Gd forbid) occurs on Israel soil, the Jewish response, focused on allievating pain and supporting others in need,  is immediate, through an independent, non for profit, unbelievable organization called United Hatzalah of Israel.

When I say two to four minutes, that is unbelievably and yet quite literally the average time it takes a Hatzalah member to perform How do they do it?

More than 1500 volunteers across the country, trained and certified EMTs, doctors, and paramedics, are on call twenty four hours a day, equipped withemergency and communication equipment  to respond at any moment. The secret, Hatzalah divulges, is that their volunteers are ordinary citizens, students,  and workers strategically located all around Israel and in every sector of society.

This previous year, United Hatzalah volunteers treated 180,000 people, and responded with alacrity to 120,000 emergency calls. All of this, free of charge to the wounded, based on the good will of concerned citizens.

But even the  most well intentioned and trained Israelis cannot be of much service without their equipment. Which is where we see the incredible interwoven relationship that American Jews have with their brethren in the Holy Land and the opportunities that even young adults barely reaching maturity can be a part of Jewish survival.

Hatzalah’s website, http://hatzalah.tsel.org, includes a story of one, precious American boy named Jesse Can, who decided to donate a trauma and medical kit with a defibrillator to this organization, with the intent of raising further awareness of Hatzalah.

Another powerful story on the website details the wish of Gabe Low, who donated an ambucycle to Hatzalah in honor of his bar mitzvah. For those of you not privy to the lingo, an ambucycle is exactly what it sounds like; an ambulance on a motorcycle, with the important ability to weave through the intensity and balagon-ness of Israeli traffic.

While so many teens celebrate their big occasion with humongous parties (which are good too!), there are also a vast array  opportunities in Israel to give back to the Jewish community, connecting with good-will organizations while on your Israel

tour.

Yasher koach (continuing strength) to all those teens  like Gabe and Jesse who have stepped up to the challenge.