List of Hatzolah chapters

This is a list of Hatzolah chapters. Hatzolah is an all volunteer Emergency medical services organization staffed by Jewish Orthodox Emergency medical technicians and Paramedics. Locations where chapters are situated are listed alphabetically by geography.

Each neighborhood or city in Hatzalah operates independently.^[1] There are some exceptions, where there is a tight affiliation with neighboring Hatzolahs, a loose affiliation of neighboring Hatzolahs, or some other basic level of cooperation.

Argentina

• Buenos Aires (covering Once Neighborhood, Flores Neighborhood)^[2][3]

Australia

• Melbourne^[4]
• Sydney^[4][5][6]

Austria

• Vienna

Belgium

• Antwerp^[7]

Brazil

• São Paulo (covering Jardim Paulista, Higienópolis, Bom Retiro)^[8]

Canada

• Montreal, Quebec^[9]
• Kiryas Tosh, Boisbriand, Quebec^[10]
• Toronto, Ontario^[11]

Israel

An Ichud Hatzalah rapid response scooter parked in Geula, Jerusalem.

Hatzolah in Israel on the national level exists as two different organizations: Tzevet Hatzolah and Ichud Hatzalah (rendered in English as United Hatzalah). Hatzolah Israel was the original organization under the leadership of David "Duki" Greenwald, in 2006 Ichud Hatzalah was launched as competing organization with Hatzolah Israel, which eventually led Hatzolah Israel to declare bankruptcy. Many Hatzolah Israel volunteers who were dissatisfied with the actions of Ichud Hatzalah's leadership objected to joining the organization and launched their own organization called Tzevet Hatzolah (loosely translated to TEAM Hatzolah).

While Tzevet Hatzolah volunteers provide both emergency first responder care and emergency transport utilizing Magen David Adom ambulances, Ichud Hatzalah only provides first responder care and rely on Magen David Adom for emergency transport. Each of the organizations has many local chapters, and provides coordinated response for larger emergencies or extra coverage across multiple localities.^[12][13]

Additionally there are several smaller Hatzolah organizations which operate on the local level. A partial list can be found below.

• Beit Shemesh (unaffiliated; only service to provide both first response and ambulance transportation) ^[14]
• Har Nof (unaffiliated, named HaChovesh instead of Hatzolah)^[15]
• Gush Dan (out of Bnei Brak, greater Tel Aviv area, including: Ra'anana, Herzliya, Netanya; unaffiliated)^[16]

Mexico

Chevra Hatzalah Mexico was founded in 1997 by Mr. Chaim Silver. The branch is run by the Syrian-Sephardic community under supervision of Mr. Abraham Levy who is the CEO. It has 70 full-time volunteers, seven ambulances and six locations (five bases and a headquarters). It also has access to a helicopter and air transport. All dispatchers are Volunteer EMS for immediate intervention and instructions, some of them certified in Advanced Critical Care Medicine and Emergency response, actually working for prestigious Mexican Hospitals and National Medical Centers. Volunteers have plenty of experience in Trauma and Internal Medicine emergencies, having training in the Mexican Red Cross´s Ambulance Center. The branch covers the Jewish areas of Tecamachalco, Bosques, Polanco, Interlomas, and the weekend resort city Cuernavaca. It has full-time operating bases in three major Jewish areas, having its Central Base in Tecamachalco, a dense populated Jewish area in Mexico City.^[17]

• Mexico City^[18]

Russia

• Moscow^[19][20]

South Africa

• Johannesburg^[4][21][22]

Switzerland

• Zurich^[23]

United Kingdom

• North London^[24][25]
• North West London^[26]
• Edgware

London's Hatzalah itself is split into three sister organisations, one operating in Golders Green area known as Hatzola North West, and the other base in Stamford Hill known as North London Hatzola, with the newest addition in Edgware.

• Gateshead^[26][27]
• Manchester^[24][28]

Ukraine

• Kiev

United States

California

Los Angeles has a chapter which provides Basic life support level care and relies on the Los Angeles Fire Department for Advanced life support paramedic care and transport. On August 31, 2009 they began direct transport of patients to area hospitals using their own ambulance.^[29]

• Los Angeles^[30] Covering Hancock Park/ Fairfax, Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood/Beverly Hills, and Valley Village/ North Hollywood.
• San Fernando Valley^[31]

Connecticut

The Orthodox community in Waterbury, CT, centered around the yeshiva there, has its own Hatzolah.

• Waterbury, CT^[32]

Florida

Since January 2010, Miami-Dade has a chapter that provides Basic life support response and relies on Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department Miami Beach Fire Rescue Department for Advanced life support paramedic care and transport.

• Miami Covers areas of unincorporated North East Miami-Dade County, as well as select portions of the city of North Miami Beach, the city of Aventura, the city of Surfside, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor, and central Miami Beach.^[33]

Illinois

Hatzalah Chicago provides first responder coverage for Lincolnwood, Peterson Park, Skokie, and West Rogers Park.^[34]

• Chicago^[34]

Hatzalah of Chicago purchased 2 ambulances and they now transport.

Maryland

Baltimore started a Hatzalah in 2007 as a first-responder-only service with transport to be done by Baltimore City ambulance units. Currently, Hatzalah of Baltimore does maintain a fleet of four ambulances, and provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) services to the Northwest Baltimore community provided it is in their response area.^[35]

• Baltimore^[36]

New Jersey

New Jersey has many Hatzolah organizations throughout the State. Each NJ affiliate maintains its own emergency phone number, dispatchers, and radio frequencies. While they are not officially connected, as with NYC Hatzolah, many of them are nevertheless loosely affiliated, sharing classes or working at each other's events. On occasion, all six state divisions have worked together to provide joint event coverage or to share training classes.

Per New Jersey law, volunteers with proper permits may equip their cars with blue flashing lights and electronic airhorns, but not red flashing lights, nor sirens. Coordinators' ("officers'") personal vehicles, and any vehicle owned by a squad with a 'No Fee' license plate, are permitted the use of red flashing lights and sirens; not all branches make use of these allowances. Paramedic (ALS) units in New Jersey are only run by hospitals, per state law. The limitation to BLS is not just for Hatzolah and other volunteer agencies: all New Jersey "911" municipal-run EMS services are also limited to BLS. However, see Lakewood below for a special exception.

• Jersey Shore This chapter covers the areas of Deal, West Deal, Long Branch, Eatontown, Alenhurst, Ocean Township, and additional Jersey Shore communities during warmer months.^[37] This is the only Sephardic-run Hatzalah in the United States. (Mexico City, Mexico also has a Sephardic Hatzalah.)^[38]
• Elizabeth/Hillside

Hatzalah of Union County, with "U-prefix" unit numbers. Union County is geographically and organizationally separate from Union City. With three active ambulances, "the U" also responds to nearby towns including Linden, Union Township, Roselle and Roselle Park, and even to businesses in Newark where slow EMS response may allow the Hatzalah ambulance to complete the 12-14 minute trip from Elizabeth or Hillside before a Newark city crew arrives. In early 2014, efforts were started to have "in-house" responders answer calls within the confines of the City of Newark but this service has yet to go "live". Hatzalah of Union County also covers the Jersey Gardens Mall, Newark Liberty Airport, and nearby stretches of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Two ambulances are located in the greater Elizabeth/Hillside area and the third is located in Roselle.

• Edison/Highland Park

Hatzolah of Middlesex County http://www.hatzolahmc.org/, with "MC-prefix" unit numbers. Middlesex County is a county located in North-Central New Jersey. It launched on November 16, 2014. At this time, their primary areas of response are Edison (including Raritan Center), Highland Park, Piscataway, and portions of East Brunswick. For events in various hotels, they have responded to Somerset as well.

• Lakewood

The largest branch in New Jersey, with "L-prefix" unit numbers. Unique to New Jersey, Lakewood has a Paramedic (ALS) unit. The ALS unit is owned and run by MONOC, but the Paramedics are also Lakewood Hatzolah members, and the ambulance was donated by Hatzolah Lakewood to MONOC. This unusual arrangement meets New Jersey's strict hospital-based ALS rules, while giving Hatzolah its own ALS coverage. Also unique, Lakewood has its own Rescue (extrication) unit.

• Lakewood Township^[39]
• Newark

Hatzalah of Newark EMS http://hatzalahofnewark.org/ with the "N-prefix" unit numbers went live in 2015 and provides BLS service to the Newark community and surrounding areas including Newark Liberty International Airport. ALS services when needed are dispatched by the local hospital.

• Passaic/Clifton

Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton EMS. The neighboring cities have a contiguous Orthodox Jewish community, with most of the community and its institutions on the Passaic side. Likewise, Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton, with "P-prefix" unit numbers, covers both parts of the community, but is primarily based in Passaic, with some members and management in Clifton. This Hatzolah is geographically near Union City, and can provide extra coverage for them. Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton has 30 active members, 20 dispatchers, two active ambulances and a third on standby, for a community of about 2,000 households.

• Passaic/Clifton:
  • Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton EMS^[40]
• Union City

Hatzolah of Union City http://www.hatzolahuc.com/, is run out of Mosded Sanz-Zviel, which is the center of the Chasidic community in Union City. It is the only Chasidic Hatzolah in New Jersey. Union City is located in Hudson County, and is not related to Union County. Union City uses VHF radios, while all other New Jersey chapters use UHF radios.

• Union City^[41] (unrelated to Hatzolah of Union County)
• Union County,^[42] sometimes referred to as Hatzalah of Elizabeth (unrelated to Hatzolah of Union City)

New York

Canarsie/Mill Basin
The Canarsie/Mill Basin chapter was originally just the Canarsie division. As the Canarsie Orthodox neighborhood declined, and the Mill Basin one grew, Canarsie started taking more calls and members from nearby Mill Basin, and is now primarily a Mill Basin operation. Canarsie/Mill Basin also covers nearby Georgetown. There are parts of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Mill Basin that border Madison/Midwood/East Midwood, so there is some overlap in coverage with Flatbush.

Catskill Mountains
^[43] This chapter is part of Central Hatzalah of New York City. While the Catskills have a year-round operation, the vast majority of their activity is in July and August, when summer residents arrive.

Fleischmanns^[26][44][45]

Kiryas Joel^[26][46]

Monroe, NY
The Chasidic community in Kiryas Joel (Monroe), NY has a chapter. Uniquely, it operates separately from all other New York State Hatzolah organizations.

New Square
This chapter is a breakoff from the Rockland Hatzoloh chapter. Uniquely, the chapter has female Certified First Responders who respond to calls involving obstetrics related emergencies.

New York City Central^[47][48]

A Lower East Side Hatzalah ambulance, New York.

This chapter has sixteen local divisions which share rabbinic counsel, radio frequencies, central dispatch and lobbying, but have separate fundraising and management.^[49] Catskills, the Five Towns, and Yonkers are the only areas outside of New York City covered by NYC chapters. The chapter has a central dispatching network with teams of 2 volunteer dispatchers working in tandem. Each dispatch team works several hours on a shift. The chapter also uses a mobile command center for dealing with large events. New York City chapters include Boro Park,^[50] Canarsie/Mill Basin, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Lower East Side, Midtown, Queens, Richmond, Riverdale, Rockaways/Lawrence, Seagate, Staten Island, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Washington Heights, and Williamsburg.

• Borough Park^[51] This chapter covers Kensington, Bensonhurst, Sunset Park and sometimes Ditmas Park.
• Canarsie. This chapter covers Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, and Mill Basin, and based in Mill Basin^[52]
• Crown Heights^[53]
• Flatbush. This chapter covers the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, East Midwood, Madison, and Gravesend. The extended area includes Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Ditmas Park, and Kensington, and occasionally Bensonhurst.
• Lower East Side Manhattan (below 34th Street)
• Midtown Manhattan
• Queens,^[54] including Great Neck and JFK Airport
• Richmond, Staten Island. This chapter covers the neighborhood of Willowbrook.
• Riverdale.^[55] This chapter covers Riverdale, parts of Yonkers, in Westchester County, and extended regions of the Bronx.
• Rockaway – Nassau County^[56]
• Rockaway/Lawrence. This chapter covers the Rockaways and Lawrence, Arverne, Atlantic Beach, Bayswater, Belle Harbor, Cedarhurst, East Rockaway, Far Rockaway, Hewlett, Inwood, Kennedy Airport, Lawrence, Long Beach, North Woodmere, Rosedale, and Woodmere.
• Sea Gate
• Staten Island
• Upper East Side Manhattan (34th street to 125th street Central Park / 5th Ave to East River)
• Upper West Side Manhattan,^[57]
• Washington Heights
• Williamsburg (founding chapter)^[58]

Rockland County^[26][59][60] This chapter is unaffiliated with the New York Central Hatzolah. It has distinct rabbinical oversight primarily due to several large Hasidic communities affiliated with Rockland Hatzolah.

Westchester County^[26]

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's Hatzolah has limited service, providing first responder aid only in the Northeast area. Hatzolah of Philadelphia transports are provided by calling in either Patriot Ambulance, or, when the situation warrants, 9-1-1. Patriot Ambulance is a local paid ambulance service owned by a community member. Its owner has also provided Philadelphia Hatzolah with financial assistance, training, and medical guidance to ensure excellence and continuity in patient care. Philadelphia has nine responders, all state certified. Some members are full-time professional EMTs or Paramedics.^[61][62]

• Philadelphia (limited service in the Northeast)^[61][63]

See also

• Hatzolah

References