Dvir Adani is a free-spirited man living in the heart of Tel Aviv and volunteering with United Hatzalah. Before the Corona outbreak, Dvir hosted parties for the public in Tel Aviv, but amidst the corona restrictions, Dvir has been serving as a full-time EMT.
The 30-year-old Dvir joined United Hatzalah in his late teens, making this his 12th year of service. Dvir volunteers as an ambulance driver and spends his time driving patients to and from Coronavirus hotels all over Israel, often making multiple trips in one day. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has driven more than 100 patients.
With his vibrant purple hair and multiple piercings, Dvir does not look like a guy who grew up in a Haredi home, but he did, in Jerusalem. He got married and had two children before deciding that he wanted his life to head in a different direction. But he remains very fond of his Haredi roots
Being part of many communities with a variety of religious practices gave Dvir a unique ability to connect with anyone, regardless of their background. He says he is a people person and can naturally identify with many different people. Dvir uses this skill when driving his ambulance to make his patients feel more comfortable.
A few weeks ago, Dvir was driving an entire family from a distant city to the corona hotel in Bnei Brak. Unfortunately, something happened to their reservation, and the family was forced to return home. The little children were very disappointed. Dvir knew he had to do something to lift their spirits, so on the way back, he stopped at a gas station and bought the kids candy and chocolate which immediately put smiles on their faces. The parents insisted on paying him back, but Dvir explained that they were the ones giving him a sense of fulfillment he couldn’t find anywhere else.
“I love all people, no matter what race, ethnicity, or religion,” Dvir said. “When I first moved to Tel Aviv, I knew no one. Today, I’m walking down the street and I know everyone that I pass and I greet them all warmly. These skills help me with my party business in Tel Aviv and are a great benefit in my volunteering duties in United Hatzalah as well.”
“United Hatzalah is made up of so many different types of people, coming from many religious backgrounds, and I am able to connect with them all,” he says, adding, “The same holds true for our patients. Being able to easily connect with others is so important for the kind of work I do in the medical field because when someone feels comfortable and familiar with the person aiding them, they are more open to receiving help in the first place. The treatment goes better and the person feels better. And in the end, I am the one who benefits from it.”
“Just yesterday, I was transporting a young Haredi man to a Corona hotel,” Dvir recalled. “When he saw my colorful hair and overall demeanor, he grew shy and distant. Then I began to discuss Gemara with him. That was my education growing up and I am very fond of it, and he immediately loosened up. By the end of the drive, we parted ways as friends.”
“On a different drive, I ended up singing Chassidic music while the man in the back played along on his recorder. These people are in a bad spot right now and the least I can do is help them and try to make them feel good while transporting them where they need to go,” he related.
Dvir’s life’s philosophy may appear euphoric, event unrealistic to many, but Dvir lives his life this way and his message to us is, “Don’t judge anyone by the way they look or what religion they follow. Try to connect with who they are as people and you’ll receive so much back from them, it would be well worth the effort. After all, we are all the same at heart,” he said.