On July 10, the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County (RCBC) widely distributed a letter declaring that it cannot support the creation of a Hatzalah network in Bergen County. The RCBC’s letter is the latest stage in the debate between advocates of local Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Teaneck and Bergenfield, who support the existing volunteer emergency medical service that serves all residents of Bergen County, and advocates of Hatzalah, who support the creation of a volunteer all-male emergency medical service to serve the Jewish community specifically.

The RCBC’s letter was signed by more than two-thirds of its members, and it emphasizes the kiddush Hashem that is created when Volunteer Ambulance Corps members work with the broader non-Jewish community. The letter is printed in its entirety here.