New Ambulance in Beit Chaggai Dedicated May 8, 2025
Tonight I realized how lucky I am to be part of Hatzalah Judea & Samaria. Sometimes it gets depressing. It’s difficult to learn of terror attack after terror attack; car accident after terrible car accident. Take a look at our posts….that’s what you see. That’s what we experience. And that’s why we were founded. To […]
Rosh haShana – Appreciation
It’s hard to believe how the High Holidays are all-of-a-sudden here, when it seems that just moments ago was summer. It is still hot. We are still obligated to wear masks in public. I guess I thought that magically, the Corona problem would disappear by chaggim time. I was wrong. While the world news on […]
9/11…..My memories
Today is 9/11. I see the photos on my Facebook feed. I read the posts. The memories. I try to scroll past them all. But I can’t. I see friends’ accounts and slowly, slowly, I am sucked back 19 years to that morning on the 33rd floor of Liberty Place, where I was working as […]
Solving Problems
This week in Israel, school began. It is always on September 1st here. And this year was no exception, despite the Corona crisis and new challenges. As the kids scrambled to gather their books and parents did the same, I as usual was late. It’s not that I don’t care about school – I do, […]
Good Friends
This week has been tough. My son crashed the car into a horse, so we are without a car. My son is ok, and that’s the important thing. But it was scary. Our washing machine broke, and the fix-it man broke something while fixing it, so we are still without a machine. Our kitchen […]
Build. And look ahead.
Big families. They are all around me. In Susya many families have six, seven, and eight children and that is normal. We have five. Small for Susya! Whenever there is a chag, we feel it. Whenever there is summer vacation, we feel it. We feel alone. Like immigrants. Tonight, a family rented the […]
Always Be on the Giving Side
I recently had a long conversation with a wise friend of mine. I was complaining. Complaining about what, I can barely remember. But I was whipped around when she said “may we always be on the giving side.” What a great sentiment. That’s a novel goal. I stopped complaining immediately. And realized the privilege I […]
The Nine Days
This week, began the 9 Days. This is known to be a “dangerous” time for Jews no matter where they are. Here in Israel, and in a religious community, it is very clear. The pool is closed. Nobody listens to music. No parties. No meat. No wine. No weddings. No movies on the grass. 2000 […]
Summer nights
About a year ago I watched a movie called Interstellar. It was about a man who went into space to find a new world, because earth was burning up. He had a wife and a young 10-year-old daughter when he left. When he finally found her again, she was an old woman. He had missed […]
Summer in Israel
This summer, like the past 9 summers, I am the Susya pool lifeguard. Everyday my day starts at 6:30 when I greet swimmers; and continues throughout the day. Our summers here in Har Hevron are slow and easy. Not much goes on. That is a blessing. In the summer of 2017, right at the very […]
Building up Our Land
This past week we have been busy. We dedicated a Security Room in Alei Zahav in the Southern Shomron, we installed emergency equipment in Ir David in the Old City of Jerusalem, we dedicated a Library in Kerem Re’im in Binyamin, and we conducted a sophisticated training exercise at the Abu Dis checkpoint, where terror […]
A sure thing
What’s a “sure thing”? This week in Israel, beaches are open, swimming pools and restaurants, life seems normal. Summer is upon us and plans are being made. But just like that, in one day, 100 students were infected in a Jerusalem school. Subsequently, dozens of schools were closed, and thousands of students and faculty were […]
COMPASSION during Corona
COMPASSION That’s what Rescuers Without Borders is good at, among other things. During normal times, here in Israel’s areas of conflict, we are at the ready when emergencies occur be it car accident or terror, heart attack or going into labor. We are there and we are sensitive. NOW – in this time of massive […]
Bouncing Back…
This week, life is feeling normal. There is an average of 15 new cases of coronavirus daily. 1-2 dealths a day. The numbers are decreasing on all fronts Corona-wise and we are suffering from a massive heat wave. It’s always something! Stores opened up and we went to Beer Sheva. Boy, what an adventure! The […]
10 Ways Israel is Fighting the Coronavirus….and Winning
People are asking me, “How did Little Israel get it together in just 6 weeks?” and “How did they flatten the curve so fast?”
I’ve compiled a short list, and summarized the highlights here:
- Quarantine requirements started very early and were taken seriously.
As early as February people arriving to Israel from Italy were directed into 14 day isolation. Soon afterwards, all incoming flights had the same directive, and people adhered to these rules.
- Government tracking. Early on, the Ministry of Health set up an online form for all isolated people, which included infected persons and also travelers who had been abroad. This data led to several apps that were developed for tracking infected people. Individuals were contacted and directed into isolation.
- Emergency Medics kept the hospitals clear; The emergency rescue systems, Magen David Adom and Rescuers Without Borders, working in full coordination, responded to all calls with speed and professionalism. Nobody went to the hospital on his own. All symptomatic people called 101 and waited for a medic to arrive, survey symptoms, administer the Covid-19 test, etc. This allowed the hospitals to work effectively, treating patients. There was no overcrowding and no shortage of equipment or staff.
- Testing Centers were built, which led to early detection – The Ministry of Health built mobile testing centers so people could pull up in their cars, get swabbed, and get results quickly. All this was done in early days of the virus. Early detection sent thousands of citizens into quarantine, limiting the spread of the virus.
- The IDF and other volunteers delivered food – Our young soldiers took part in many “unconventional” tasks from building hospitals in underground parking lots, to delivering food to homebound families in Haredi neighborhoods. Other organizations and private businesses, volunteered as well, delivering games, gifts of encouragement to hospital staff, and more. We had our own “Bravo” campaign and donated cosmetics to the nurses, food cards to the medical staff, and more to keep up morale. Neighborhoods with high infection rates were locked up and soldiers delivered food and medicine, while paying special attention to the elderly who were often living alone.
- Our airlines brought home stranded Israelis from abroad. As Corona hit various countries, flights were cancelled worldwide. Our Israeli airlines El-Al and Israir brought Israelis home at no charge, from Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Australia, Italy and Spain and more places at no charge. These were “rescue missions”. Upon arrival the travelers went into 14-day quarantine. This was a tremendous effort that brought pride to Israel and gave moral support to the entire country. The round trip flight to Peru was a record-breaking 44 hours long.
7. Hotels for quarantine – the Government turned hotels into quarantine centers. Passengers arriving to Ben-Gurion Airport were transported directly to these hotels where they stayed for 14 days with food, entirely free of charge.
8. Ventilators – The innovators behind the Iron Dome converted their factory to a ventilator manufacturing center. Thus, Israel did not suffer a shortage of this life-saving equipment, and was able to produce more.
9. Keeping the rules – Israelis had strict rules to follow. Malls and schools closed; no crowds allowed; No praying in a group. Everyone had to stay 2 meters apart and within 100 meters of home. No guests for Passover seder! This was the toughest for some, who had never been alone before on this special night. What did we do under these orders? We sang from our sidewalks, from our balconies and porches. Communities came together, even though physically apart.
10. Our Leaders – our Prime Minister, led us through this Corona crisis with strength and heart. Almost every night he spoke directly to us. People eagerly anticipated Bibi’s talks, where he explained the science, the statistics, what everything meant. He encouraged us to be strong, to care for our elders, calling them “grandma and grandpa” and making it personal. He did not use fear, he used love. This worked.
Now, we are on our way out of this crisis.
Kol haKavod to the strong people of Israel!!
AIPAC Exhibit 2020 – Success!
In addition to learning about our work, we offered visitors courses with our medic, Eyal, in CPR. But the more popular course was the “15-Second Challenge” where we allowed visitors a chance to tested our anti-ballistic blanket, the Armadillo. This turned out to be pretty competitive. Friends raced against each another, to see who could get covered in under 15 seconds. We had people waiting in line for that!
New Bimbulance in Hevron Donated by Sheldon and Dr. Miriam Adelson Foundation
A generous donation from the Sheldon and Dr. Miriam Adelson Foundation will beef up our effectiveness in Hevron…..with our new electric mini ambulance….the “bimbulance.” Hevron, where we have approximately 80 Jewish families living side by side with 250,000 Arabs – many hostile. Our IDF has 300 men there working round the clock. Our emergency medics […]
Natalie in the US February 2020….check it out
Come see me in any one of the places I’ll be stopping before and after AIPAC…. talking about our daily live in Yehuda and Shomron, the important work of our First Response Medics. Here’s the schedule: donate now!
We’re going to AIPAC!!
FIND US in the Village on Sunday and Monday…..we’ll have a medic with us giving courses during the day… TRAIN WITH OUR ISRAELI MEDIC Learn first aid used in the field everyday – get your own badge when you’re done! 11:00 Cardiac arrest response; Learn how to respond as we do every day. 1:00 Armadillo […]
Mission Report: Ethiopia
SSF conducted a mission in Gondar, Ethiopia, a few weeks ago. Objective: Offer medical assistance to the locals. 600 patients were seen and treated by SSF doctors. SSF also conducted a first aid training course for 63 medical students and the Chief of Pediatrics of Gondar hospital. This one-week mission was very busy, and it […]
Man of the year!
walla ANG from alevy/SSF on Vimeo.
Terror survivor, rescue representative continue US tour
Survivor of Neve Tzuf massacre tells 1,000 women in Miami how Rescuers Without Borders helps terror victims in Judea and Samaria. The survivor of a brutal terrorist attack and a representative of Rescuers Without Borderscontinued their tour of the US after speaking to a crowd at a private New York home where they prayed for the victims of […]
Michal Salomon Visits Englewood on Behalf of Rescuers Without Borders
(Courtesy of Hatzalah) A spillover crowd filled the home of Andrew and Leah Harary of Englewood for a presentation by Michal Salomon, who saved her five children from a terror attack that took the lives of her husband, Elad Salomon, and his father and sister, Yosef and Chaya Salomon. In a recent hearing, the terrorist […]
Prayer for victims at Rescuers Without Borders event in NYC
Survivor of Neve Tzuf massacre addresses crowd at event for Rescuers Without Borders, which treats residents of Judea and Samaria. The New York home of Andrew and Leah Harary was packed with people who arrived Monday evening to hear Michal Solomon, survivor and heroine of the Neve Tzuf massacre of July 2017. Michal spoke as […]
Survivor of West Bank attack tells her story in Englewood
Michal Salomon put her year-old twins to bed upstairs at her in-laws’ home and came down to the living room to play with her three older children before the guests were due to arrive. On that Friday night in July 2017, she and her husband, Elad, Elad’s sister, and their parents had prepared refreshments for […]
Beverly Hills hosts Ayalet Shaked and Rescuers Without Borders
Representatives of Rescuers Without Borders (RWB – (formerly Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron), an Israeli organization that provides emergency response and first aid to the communities of Judea and Samaria, joined Knesset Member Ayelet Shaked for a community gathering at Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills on Nov. 29. Attending the event were RWB Development Director Natalie Levy Sopinsky, Beth […]
A story of terror and rescue
Survivor of Halamish massacre recalls how Rescuers Without Borders paramedics were first on the scene after brutal attack. On the night of July 21, 2017, Michal Salomon was enjoying Shabbat dinner with her family in the town of Neve Tzuf (Halamish) in Samaria when a terrorist burst into the house and stabbed to death her husband, […]
Humanitarian Aid Mission in Bangledash
SSF, the international arm of Rescuers Without Borders, sent a delegation of doctors to Bangladash on a humanitarian aid mission to help the Rohangae tribe. There, more than 500 patients and wounded were treated in refugee camps with very difficult conditions. Over 50 children suffering severe malnutrition were treated by the staff. “I’ve been a […]
Lending a Hand in Mexico After Earthquakes
Together, with the help of local doctors, the delegation established a field hospital, that has already treated dozens of injured locals. The doctors have expressed immense gratitude towards the delegation and towards Israel.
Israeli aid group saving lives in Caribbean island hit by Hurricane Irma
‘Every patient or resident that sees us says “Thank you Israel, you Israelis got here first.” It’s a great honor,’ says Fernand Cohen-Tannoudji, the head of the delegation from Israeli organization Rescuers Without Borders to the island of Saint Martin.
Hurricane Irma: Hope After Disaster
“Without my experience in the IDF, I wouldn’t have been capable of a project like this,” says Fernand Cohen-Tannoudji of Rescuers Without Borders, who led a team of locals after Hurricane Irma.
Israeli Team First To Arrive On St. Martin Amidst Irma Destruction
The Israeli humanitarian aid organization Rescuers Without Borders (Sauveteurs Sans Frontieres) has distributed over 1.5 tons of food and medical supplies to the residents of the hurricane struck Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
International Team on Ground During Hurricane Irma
In 2014, our international counterpart, SSF, along with Israeli medical volunteers, established a medical aid and emergency relief station in Guadeloupe. We have been proud to have helping hands on the ground since 2014, but today, we see the dire importance of our Guadeloupe team.
Rescuers Without Borders Distributes Emergency Kits to Nurses
Rescuers Without Borders handed out 10 emergency first-response medical kits for nurses in the Shomron. These kits were specifically designed for nurses to use in their communities when the clock is ticking and lives are at stake.
SOS Hatzalah
SOS Hatzalah is an application of emergency and first-aid operation which connects immediately of people in need of a rescue (or witnesses of an accident) with professional and/or volunteers rescuers located nearby (500 meters in urban areas and up to 15kms in rural areas). In the process of a DOUBLE alert, SOS Hatzalah allows users […]