Head of Israel’s largest all-volunteer emergency medical response organization to speak
United Hatzalah, Israel’s largest all-volunteer emergency medical response organization, will present an evening of inspiration with founder and president Eli Beer on Mon. Aug. 25 at 7 pm This event is free of charge registration is required
Beer began to work at his family’s book and real estate businesses at the age of 13 and began to volunteer on ambulances at the age of 15, twice a week. At the age of 17 he realized that a more flexible system had to be established to improve response time in case of emergencies. United Hatzalah (UH) is the world’s fastest volunteer emergency medical response network. Its 8,000 volunteers throughout Israel—men and women, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze— deliver critical emergency care for free to anyone who needs it, regardless of race or religion, in under three minutes (often in 90 seconds in major cities). UH had 1,700 volunteers. who were active in southern Israel on October 7 and UH continues to actively support Israel.
Beer has been awarded numerous prizes and acknowledgments across the globe for innovative and lifesaving work. In 2023 a book, 90 Seconds: The Epic Story of Eli Beer and United Hatzalah, was published on his life. That came only three years after he nearly died from COVID-19.
In the book Beer talks about being a helpless five-year-old boy watching a bus blow up and dreaming of being able to help people, to establishing UH. Published by ArtScroll and written by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer, the book details how Beer and some friends made his dream a reality
“I really hope that this book is read by many people and that it inspires them to push through whatever challenges they are facing and achieve their dreams, especially children,” he said at the launch. “Children have so many dreams and people are always telling them it can’t happen. People said the same to me. I want everyone to read this book so that they understand that childhood dreams can happen and that anything is possible.”
90 Seconds is the story of how a boy who failed in school and went on to create the world’s fastest and cheapest private EMS service. The story tells of life-changing and life-saving technological innovations such as the “ambucycle.” It is the story of how lives were saved and dreams came true due to determination, vision, self-sacrifice, compassion, siyata diShmaya (Heavenly assistance) – and of course Chutzpah.
In Montreal, Beer will be sharing powerful stories from the ground in Israel, along with insights into the lifesaving innovations that continue to shape United Hatzalah’s impact across the country. It promises to be an inspiring evening. You can register directly [here].
Courtney Rubin is the Regional Director for United Hatzalah in Canada and Florida.