Hatzolah, Hebrew for “rescue”, was started in Williamsburg, New York in 1965, for the purpose of responding to the unique cultural and religious needs of the Jewish community and improving pre-hospital emergency medical care.

Over the years, Hatzolah has grown into the largest volunteer ambulance service in North America. In fact, Hatzolah members were some of the first EMS personnel to arrive at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Hatzolah has chapters in cities throughout the country and world including California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Hatzolah has been instrumental in the saving of thousands of lives and in the assistance of others in their times of need.

Main Line Hatzolah is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to rapidly respond to the emergency medical needs of the Philadelphia-area Jewish community. Main Line Hatzolah complements existing local services by providing rapid, high-quality care within minutes of being dispatched.

Main Line Hatzolah EMTs provide care and comfort, remaining with patients until the arrival of medical personnel of equal or greater training who will assume responsibility for treatment, and transport the patient.

Main Line Hatzolah is an affiliate of Central Hatzalah of New York, the oldest and largest Jewish emergency-care volunteer organization in the world.

Main Line Hatzolah was started to help during those few precious minutes during which immediate and proper care may have a significant impact on patient outcomes.

Main Line Hatzolah members will be in our schools, shuls, community institutions, and neighborhoods. Each member will have the skill and equipment to quickly begin stabilizing patients until further emergency medical resources arrive on scene. Since our members are local, we may often be there within one to three minutes of the call to our dispatchers.

Additionally, injured or ill community members at times are uncertain whether medical attention is necessary or are reluctant to seek care because they are underinsured or uninsured. Main Line Hatzolah members may already be on scene or called when community members are hesitant to dial 9-1-1. A rapid assessment by a Main Line Hatzolah Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) can convince the patient to seek definitive care sooner than they would have otherwise. Seeking care sooner often leads to better outcomes.

Main Line Hatzolah members are trained in both emergency medicine and Jewish law, and with an understanding of the unique needs of the community, are sensitive to cultural considerations and can advise patients to seek hospital treatment when they may not otherwise. For instance, a Hatzolah member’s explanation of the severity of a patient’s symptoms may alleviate the fear of desecrating Shabbos and inspire keeping the mitzvah of preservation of life, a form of patient advocacy that can only be provided from within the community.

If one is faced with a life-threatening emergency or even the possibility of a life-threatening emergency, call 911 and Main Line Hatzolah.

Our EMTs are trained to assess and begin life-saving treatments until additional resources arrive to provide advanced care, and to transport the patient to the hospital for further treatment.

Yes, Main Line Hatzolah is not a substitute for non-emergency medical care or consultation that should be directed to your regular medical provider(s).

Additionally, Main Line Hatzolah does not provide medical transportation. Our goal is to provide immediate care and serve as a bridge until additional personnel arrive and assume patient care.

EMTs are not trained to diagnose medical conditions. For example, a baby having difficulty breathing may be having an asthma attack, croup, pneumonia, epiglottitis, or a host of other possibilities. Determining the cause is not within our scope of practice. That is something to be determined by doctors. What we can do is try to ensure the baby is receiving adequate oxygen and is stabilized until additional resources arrive to transport the baby to a hospital.

Main Line Hatzolah volunteers are both nationally- (NREMT) and state-certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Additionally, Main Line Hatzolah volunteers will have further training to equip them to professionally and sensitively handle emergency situations that may arise in our community.

All Main Line Hatzolah volunteers will also be required to learn and understand the Jewish laws that apply to delivering emergency medical care.

Yes. Continuing education and training is mandatory, and enables us to continually provide the best care possible. Each EMT is required to attend periodic continuing education classes and/or drills, which ensures their skills are current and ready when called upon in an emergency.

Yes. As part of our goal to improve outcomes of medical emergencies, Main Line Hatzolah will offer members of the community the opportunity to take safety classes. Such instruction might mean the difference between life and death in certain cases of emergency.

• Basic first aid and choking instruction
• Basic CPR
• AED instruction
• Bleed management
• Stroke awareness

These life-saving courses can be arranged to be taught both during the day (especially helpful for mothers with young children in school) and in the evening for community members who have jobs during the day or are enrolled in classes.

These courses will help you know how to best react to a variety of unexpected emergency situations ranging from kitchen accidents to more serious situations such as life-threatening heart attacks.

If you are interested in learning more about organizing one of the above classes, please email us at info@mlhatzolah.org.

There are many obvious reasons as to why it is inappropriate to talk about any patient care, condition, etc. The most important reason is the federally-mandated HIPAA law, which legally forbids any medical provider from revealing any information about a patient to anyone. This is an extremely challenging issue, especially because of the familiarity between EMTs and our community at large.

Please do not ask any Main Line Hatzolah volunteer about a patient’s condition or a call, even if some in the community are generally aware of what transpired.

Main Line Hatzolah is a community organization operating under the auspices and direction of its Rabbinical Board and Board of Directors. We are an affiliate of Central Hatzalah of New York, the oldest and largest Jewish emergency-care volunteer organization in the world.

No. Main Line Hatzolah does not charge any fees for providing its emergency patient care.

Main Line Hatzolah is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization funded only through private donations. One hundred percent of every dollar donated funds Main Line Hatzolah’s operations, which includes equipment, training, and operational costs.

All Main Line Hatzolah personnel are unpaid volunteers.

Yes! Main Line Hatzolah is completely dependent on having local residents volunteer to provide coverage in our community.

We are always seeking new local volunteers to assist, and can help provide necessary training and support. Our program aims to provide the best coverage possible so that volunteers are always available to respond quickly within any of our neighborhoods, and within/to local schools, shuls, community institutions, and businesses, at any hour of the day.

To apply for membership click here.

To apply for membership, please email us at: info@mlhatzolah.org

Call or text Moshe Starkman: 301-254-9660

You can also email info@mlhatzolah.org for more information.