(Courtesy of United Hatzalah) On June 28, United Hatzalah of Israel and WineDown, the wine-tasting game created by Shari Alter, hosted a singles event in Englewood with Aqua E Grano Kosher pizza at the home of Shari and Dr. Bobby Alter. The event was focused on bringing singles together and inviting them to become a part of the activities of Friends of United Hatzalah in Englewood and the surrounding New Jersey/New York region. The event was extremely successful in engaging this community and increasing awareness and support for the organization.
“We had an amazing response,” said New Jersey Regional Director of Friends of United Hatzalah Miriam Tennenbaum. “People were excited to come out and be a part of something bigger. We had to cap numbers due to space limitations but we saw there was tremendous interest and are already planning another similar event for later this month in Long Island. Participants had a wonderful time while learning about the lifesaving activities of United Hatzalah in Israel. We are grateful to United Hatzalah’s tri-state regional board members Shari and Bobby for their generosity and friendship with United Hatzalah.”
Among the special guests was Gavy Friedson, who in addition to being the director of international emergency management and a global ambassador for United Hatzalah, is also one of the organization’s ambucycle EMTs. Friedson discussed the organization’s involvement in the mass casualty incident that took place at the end of April in Meron, and was able to give a firsthand account of what it was like responding to medical emergencies in Israel’s Negev and the Gaza periphery under rocket attacks, as he had been one of the first responders in the region during the recent conflict with Hamas. Friedson also briefed the guests regarding United Hatzalah’s activities on the ground in Miami as part of the Israeli relief efforts following the collapse of the Champlain Tower in Surfside.
In appreciation of their continued support of the organization, Friedson presented the Alters with a beautiful plaque thanking them for their support and recent ambucycle donation. “Any donation of an ambucycle is near to my heart,” said Friedson, “as that is the vehicle which I used for many years in order to respond to medical emergencies. Whenever I am in Israel, including my most recent trip during the rocket attacks from Hamas, I use this vehicle to help me respond to medical emergencies faster and provide faster emergency care.”
“There are so many ways to get involved and help United Hatzalah achieve its mission, which is saving lives in Israel,” Tennenbaum told the gathered crowd. “One way is through our upcoming fundraising event, the second annual ‘Race to Save Lives’ 5K run ( www.savelives5k.com ) that will be taking place in August. The work that United Hatzalah does is of the utmost importance to those who need our help, and all of our services are provided to the patients and their families free of charge. Any involvement, big or small, goes directly to fund our lifesaving operations as the organization is 100% funded by donations.” For more information on how to get involved with United Hatzalah in the New Jersey area, please contact her at [email protected].
