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Hatzalah, also spelled Hatzolah or Hatzola (/hətˈsʌlə/; Hebrew: הַצָּלָה, lit. 'rescue, relief', [hat͡saˈla]), is the title used by many Jewish volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organizations serving mostly areas with Jewish communities around the world, giving medical service to patients regardless of their religion or ethnic backround.^[1] Most local branches operate independently of each other, but use the common name. It is also often called Chevra Hatzalah, which loosely translates as "Group of Rescuers". It is the largest volunteer medical group in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

The original Hatzalah emergency medical services (EMS) was founded in Williamsburg, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, by Hershel Weber in the late 1960s.^[2] His aim was to improve rapid emergency medical response in the community, and to mitigate cultural concerns of a Yiddish-speaking, Hasidic community. The idea spread to other Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in the New York City area, and eventually to other regions, countries, and continents.^[3] Hatzalah is believed to be the largest volunteer ambulance service in the world.^[4][5] Chevra Hatzalah in New York has more than a thousand volunteer emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics who answer more than 70,000 calls each year with private vehicles and a fleet of more than 90 ambulances.^[6]

Hatzalah organizations now function in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Panama,^[7] Russia,^[8] South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom,^[9] Ukraine, and in 11 U.S. states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio.^[10]

Each volunteer is called a unit (as in, a crew of one) and is assigned a unit number that starts with a neighborhood code, followed by a serial number for that neighborhood (e.g., "Q-120" means "Queens unit number 120"^[11]).

In some areas there may be periods where coverage is not strong enough, for example on a summer weekend. When this happens, coordinators may assign an on-call rotation. The rotation may still respond from their houses, or they may stay at the garage through their shift. In such periods, Hatzalah functions closer to a typical EMS crew setup, though the dispatchers may still seek non-on-call members to respond, and there will still often be a non-ambulance responder as first dispatched, even if that responder starts from the base.^[11]

In Israel, United Hatzalah relies upon mobile phone technologies which include an SOS app and a special emergency phone number, 1221, with messages to news organizations distributed by WhatsApp.^[12]

Hatzalah's model provides for rapid first responder response times. Each Hatzalah neighborhood's response time varies. For example, in Borough Park, Brooklyn, daytime response in life-threatening emergency are between 1–2 minutes, and nighttime response times are 5–6 minutes. However, in the last few years with the implementation of Truck-1 (night on-call crews) the nighttime response in Boro Park has been shortened significantly.^[13] In the Beverly-La Brea neighborhood of Los Angeles, response times average at 60–90 seconds.^[14] In Israel, the response time is under 3 minutes.^[15]

Hatzalah is not a single organization. Each chapter operates autonomously, or, in some cases, with varying levels of affiliation with neighboring Hatzalah chapters and under a central association.^[16][17]

In New York City's Hatzalah, there is a very simple operational hierarchy. Usually, there are two or three members who are "coordinators",^[18] managing all operational aspects of the chapter.

Formally, the New York City-area "Central Hatzalah" is called Chevra Hatzalah of New York. It combines dispatch and some other functions for over a dozen neighborhood organizations, including^[17] Williamsburg,^[2] Flatbush, Borough Park, Canarsie, Crown Heights, Lower East Side, Upper West Side, Midtown, Washington Heights, Queens, Rockaways & Nassau County, Seagate, Catskills, Staten Island, Riverdale, Bergen County, and others. As each of these areas is otherwise independent, each has its own fund-raising, management, garages, ambulances, and assigned members. Rockland County, New York, and Kiryas Joel (Town of Palm Tree) branches have a centralized dispatch system as well, but their central organization is separate from the other New York State centralized functions, and they have a looser relationship with their New York State brethren, though there is a great deal of co-operation among them. Together, the combined New York State branches have grown to become the largest all-volunteer ambulance system in the United States.^[13]

In the United Kingdom, Hatzola cannot use blue lights and sirens on their private vehicles.^[19]

In New York, Hatzalah usually uses red and white lights and sirens, like normal unmarked emergency vehicles. In New Jersey, Hatzalah usually use blue lights.^[20] Since 2021, Florida law has permitted faith-based volunteer ambulance services to operate, allowing Hatzalah response vehicles to use emergency lights and sirens.^[21]

In Israel, Hatzalah volunteers often use their own private vehicles, and have to have their own private malpractice insurance. Hatzalah’s private vehicles are not recognised as Emergency vehicles and thus may not have sirens or revolving lights.

In Toronto, Hatzalah uses green lights, having the same legal status as volunteer firefighters who also use green lights in their vehicles.^[22]

Some Hatzalahs worldwide^[23][24][25] run public relations campaigns related to safe drinking on Purim, fire safety on Chanukah, and during Passover preparations.

A number of items that are either unique to Hatzalah, or that are relatively unusual for an EMS, include:

Most EMS rely on crews with scheduled shifts operating from a known location. Due to its members and the communities they serve usually living in proximity, Hatzolah relies little on scheduled crews and stations, and, rather, has all service members on call 24/7 and members responding from wherever they are.^[26]

Hatzalah was predicated on the consideration of cultural challenges, especially with regard to halakha (Jewish law) and communities that only speak Yiddish or Hebrew.^[27]

At times, there have been difficulties in dealing with outside organizations, including other first-responders.^[28][29]

On February 20, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission granted Chevrah Hatzalah's request for a waiver to obtain calling party numbers (CPN), even when callers have caller ID blocking.^[30] In the United States, this type of CPN blocking waiver is normally only given to 911 call centers, but Chevrah Hatzalah does not receive calls through 911. Other Hatzalah dispatch numbers, including other New York State Hatzalah groups, do not have this waiver, but some are working on it.

An example of those operating in uneven,^[31] or otherwise especially challenging situations^[32] is Catskills Hatzolah, handling the swelling summer crowd.^[33]

United Hatzalah's relationship with Magen David Adom, however, is strained, and MDA has banned its members and volunteers from also volunteering in other rescue organizations, including Hatzalah.^[34][35]

The Chevra NYC Central affiliates boast an excellent relationship with New York City and New York State agencies.^{[36][verification needed]}

Hatzalah was the subject of controversy as articles in the New York Post^[37][38] and JEMS Magazine^[39] criticize the organization for its practice of not allowing women to join. A group of Orthodox women founded an organization called Ezras Nashim, an all-female Orthodox Jewish volunteer EMT ambulance service.^[40] They cited the need for modesty and sensitivity to the needs of fellow Orthodox women, with the goal of preserving women's modesty in emergency medical situations, especially childbirth: "This is a woman's job. Historically, women have always delivered babies in traditional Jewish values, pointing to the Hebrew Bible Book of Exodus, where the first midwives were women, Shiphrah and Puah."^[41][42] "In our community, women also have a very strong motivation to seek female doctors", said their lawyer, Rachel Freier, a Brooklyn Civil Court Judge and Haredi Orthodox Jewish mother of six.^[43]

Hatzalah members were among the first responders at the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks on September 11, 2001.^{[44][45][46][better source needed]} Alongside other rescue workers, Hatzalah volunteers rescued, treated, and transported victims.^[46]

Hatzalah was not dispatched by the city's 911 system, and a print-out of the 911 job from FDNY EMS does not list them as responding units.^[47] However, audio recordings exist of Hatzalah's own dispatch, including members calling for help during the collapse of the first tower.^[48] There are also well-known photos of destroyed Hatzalah ambulances^[49][50] and the destroyed cars of Hatzalah members, in the aftermath of the attack.^[51]

Hatzalah chapters across the United States continued to service Jewish communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization saw a 250% increase in emergency calls during the pandemic.^[52] In addition to medical response, Hatzalah worked with rabbis and community leaders to communicate to Jewish communities the need for self-isolation and the implementation of safety precautions.^[53][54] Multiple Hatzalah chapters donated ventilators and masks, as well as other vital personal protective equipment, to local hospitals in need of the equipment.^[55][56]

On 24 June 2021—ten days after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the law that would allow Hatzalah in Florida to operate^[21]—Hatzalah of South Florida's (HSF) Baruch Sandhaus was one of the first paramedics on the scene of the Surfside condominium collapse, providing triage care to survivors and families. HSF, which was on-site for the duration of the rescue and recovery operation, initiated calls to Magen David Adom and the Israel Defense Forces search and rescue team (part of the Home Front Command), later providing medical and rehab support to them as well as the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department and United Hatzalah.^[57][58] HSF treated sixty patients on-site.^[58]

Chapters of the organization exist in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Panama, England, Israel, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, and in the United States. The chapters in each neighborhood or city operate independently, though in many cases, affiliations and levels of co-operation do exist between neighboring chapters.^[16][59]

In March 2026, four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire in London.^[60]

• Shomrim (literally, "Watchers"), neighborhood security force
• Chaverim (literally, "Friends"), roadside assistance squads
• Chesed Shel Emes (literally, "Kindness of Truth"), body recovery and burial assistance
• Misaskim (literally, "People who Get Involved"), services for the care of the dead and the needs of mourners
• ZAKA or "Zihuy Korbanot Ason" (literally, "Disaster Victim Identification"), identification of victims of terrorist, accidents, or other disasters

• Hatzolah EMS of North Jersey
• Hatzolah Kiryas Tosh of Canada
• United Hatzalah of Israel Official website
• Hatzolah Darom of Ashdod, Israel
• Hatzalah of Michigan
• Hatzolah of Los Angeles
• Hatzalah of Chicago
• Hatzalah of the Jersey Shore
• Hatzolah of Sydney, Australia
• Chevra Hatzolah of Melbourne, Australia
• Chevra Hatzolah of Mexico City
• Hatzolah of Johannesburg, South Africa
• Hatzolah of Zurich, Switzerland
• Hatzolah of Antwerp, Belgium
• Hatzola North London, England
• Hatzola Manchester, England
• Hatzola Edgware, England
• Hatzolah Emergency Air Response Team, Inc. (Hatzolah Aviation Division)