The Hebrew Academy of Marlboro, NJ donated a life-saving emergency vehicle to United Hatzalah of Israel. The vehicle, known as an ambucycle (motorcycle-ambulance), is the organization’s flagship vehicle used by emergency medical service (EMS) first responders in Israel enabling them to arrive at the scenes of medical emergencies quickly and safely.
The seeds for this community fundraising effort were planted last spring when Dan Reich, an alumnus of THA, donated an ambucycle to United Hatzalah at a ceremony at the school. During the dedication ceremony, students conducted a special presentation followed by a short talk about the organization’s activities by Gavy Friedson, the organization’s Director of International Emergency Management and Global Ambassador.
During this ceremony, Yoti Golan, Head of School, was inspired to initiate a campaign on behalf of the school to raise the $36,000 needed to purchase an Ambucycle.
The funds were literally raised one penny at a time. The grassroots campaign included students bringing in change from home for tzedakah collections on Fridays and mini fundraisers. Everything, however, changed on October 7, 2023. In an effort to do the most good, THA supercharged its fundraising efforts in order to bring them closer to reaching their goal of purchasing an ambucycle. In just a few short weeks, the money raised brought them closer to their $36,000 goal. Yet another fundraiser was conducted by the PTO, this time as part of their Mishloach Manot program, where the community was invited to donate to the school’s Hatzalah fund.
It was shortly thereafter that Dan Reich, recognizing how close the school was to the finish line, once again, generously stepped up to donate the additional funds THA needed, and on Thursday, March 21, 2024, while in Israel, he presented United Hatzalah with a donation for a THA Ambucycle from THA. (pictured)
According to Yoti Golan, “In Judaism, life is the most holy thing that exists; the Talmud teaches, “He who saves a single life, saves the entire world.” At The Hebrew Academy , the students are taught this Jewish value while the United Hatzalah puts it into practice.”
United Hatzalah’s community-based emergency medical service (EMS) model proved to be an indispensable resource during the chaotic first few hours of the October 7th attack, saving the lives of hundreds of Israelis when other rescue agencies were reeling.
For information about The Hebrew Academy, contact Linda Glickstein at linda@thanj.org.
