'90 Seconds': The story of United Hatzalah's founder - review

• Published date: 01 July 2023
• Author: JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The 49-year-old father of five and now a grandfather is the founder and president of United Hatzalah, who inspired thousands of volunteers to provide free emergency medical service to anyone who needs it in Israel. Based in Jerusalem, United Hatzalah has won the enthusiastic support of kings, princes, presidents, prime ministers, physicians, scientists, eminent rabbis, politicians and ordinary people. It has even served as a model for places like Dubai, Japan and several US states

Unlike ambulance services around the world, most of the trained medics and paramedics reach those who need help on well-equipped ambucycles that quickly maneuver through traffic, arriving before ordinary ambulances. Volunteers drop everything, even on holy days, in any weather and at any hour, to save people.

Who is United Hatzalah founder Eli Beer?

Coming from a haredi family, the son of an American-born bookseller and real estate man, Beer developed a keen business sense but was regarded as the black sheep of the family for not becoming a Torah scholar. But when he saw an elderly man near his home being hit by a car, blood gushing from his neck, he grabbed his kippah and shoved it into the wound, saving the man's life. Having spent many hours visiting the nearby Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center instead of going to yeshiva classes, and noticing the number on the man's arm, Beer vowed to somehow "save six million lives."

He has personally rescued countless people from death (even his own father) and delivered hundreds of babies; over the years, United Hatzalah has indeed treated more than six million people – Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druze, secular, National-Religious, haredim, men, women and children. And Beer's own wife, Gitty, and their five adult children joined the effort by becoming skilled in medical rescue and also providing psychological help to the traumatized.

At 16, after taking a basic first-aid course at Magen David Adom, he made the rounds on an ambulance but was allowed only to make out bills and was not saving anyone. He noted with frustration that the vehicles often arrived too late because of traffic, and the medics couldn't find the victim. More volunteers could reach the scene without an ambulance if they had a pager device, he thought, but MDA was unwilling to hear of it.

On the excuse of visiting cousins in Brooklyn, Beer persuaded his family to give him an airline ticket. Nearly killed by muggers on the subway, he escaped and ended up at Radio...