Institution

Hatzolah (Hatzalah) הצלה

The volunteer ambulance organization founded in Williamsburg that spread across the Jewish world.

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Hatzalah (also Hatzolah or Hatzola, "rescue") is the name used by many Jewish volunteer emergency medical services worldwide. The original Hatzalah was founded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, by Hershel Weber in the late 1960s, to speed up emergency response and to serve a Yiddish-speaking Chasidish community in its own language and customs.

The idea spread to other Orthodox neighborhoods in New York and then to other cities and countries. Local branches mostly run independently but share the name. Hatzalah is believed to be the largest volunteer ambulance service in the United States. Each volunteer is a "unit" with a number that starts with a neighborhood code, and responders often come straight from home. Hatzalah members were at the September 11 attacks and the Surfside collapse, and helped hospitals with equipment during COVID-19.

Sources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatzalah
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Last updated: October 20, 2026. Spotted an error? Let us know.

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