Or like the volunteers of Yad L’Achim, who dedicate themselves to rescuing from the West Bank Jewish women married to abusive Arab men, as well as the sons and daughters of these women.
Or like members of Operation Dignity, providing financial and other assistance to refugees of Gush Gatif (Gaza) and to families displaced during the recent war with Hizbullah in Lebanon.
All of those organizations have American chapters and supporters. And in community after community in North America one finds volunteers on whose shoulders rests the fate of Jews and non-Jews alike. Hatzolah, the organization of paramedic first-responders known for rushing to the scene of terrorist bombings in Israel, has numerous branches in the U.S. and Canada. The group has received accolades and awards from mayors, governors and senators for their work. Here is what a Hatzolah volunteer is made of:
Four years ago, on the night Chartered Accountant [and Toronto resident] David Rosenzweig was killed, a twenty-six year old volunteer from Hatzolah – Toronto’s Jewish Emergency Response Service – was among the first responders to that terrible scene at Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue.
From the moment he arrived, Hatzolah paramedic Eli Horowitz went to work on David Rosenzweig. He remained at David’s side throughout the night, accompanied him by ambulance to hospital and then stayed on with David’s family, paying particular attention to his children. Hours later, Eli returned to the scene to retrieve David’s blood from the pavement. Such was the dedication of Eli Horowitz.
Eli Horowitz – 30, father of three, husband, friend and tireless volunteer – died last month in a freak boating accident, together with his father-in-law. And because he had no life insurance, friends across Toronto have set up a fund to help his family. According to the fund’s website:
Every member of every Shul in Toronto is being asked to help in whatever way he or she can. Tax-deductible donations of One Thousand Dollars or more would be much appreciated, but any contribution, large or small, will help the fund reach its ambitious goal and will be graciously accepted.
Contributions to The Eli Horowitz Fund can be made on line by credit card at: www.ehfund.com. Checks payable to “Beth Jacob V’Anshei Drilz” can also be sent and tax-deductible receipts will be issued for all donations.
As this season of rejoicing ends, it is good to recall the stories of our gedolim described in Tanach and Talmud. The remind us how critical personality and character are to the survival of the Jewish people. It is also necessary to celebrate and extol the katanim as well – the volunteers of Friends of the IDF and Yad L’Achim, individuals like Eli Horowitz and countless, mainly nameless, other Jews who have elevated their spirits and souls on behalf of God and in so doing have elevated the Jewish people.
Each in his or her own way is an indispensable link in the chain of Torah transmission and in the ultimate triumph of the Jewish people. And each stands as irrefutable evidence that it is the People of the Book that the Book is all about.