Hatzolah of Los Angeles Holds 1st Dinner!

LOS ANGELES, CA [CHI] — In the beginning of the month Hatzolah of Los Angeles held its first Dinner, celebrating 10 years of service to the Los Angeles community. The dinner honored Rabbi & Mrs. Uri Mandelbaum, Dr. & Mrs. Martin Kay and Mr. Alex Friedman, who donated the first three ambulances to Hatzolah respectively.

The dinner was attended by over 400 people and represented a cross section of the Los Angeles community and included dignitaries such as Los Angeles City Fire Chief Millage Peaks, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby, Beverly Hills Fire Department Chief Timothy Scranton, and Los Angeles County Sherriff Lee Baca.

A special award was made to California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joseph Farrow for his constant support of Hatzolah on the State level who said “Hatzolah is the only ambulance company that consistently passes its yearly inspections on the first try; it typically takes a few inspections to pass and remain in service”.

The Israeli Consulate presented an award to Hatzolah for their dedication to Los Angeles and for always being available to assist Israeli citizens here in Los Angeles who may be in need of care while they’re visiting. Ms. Yehudit Galillee highlighted a story of a time when a Hatzolah member accompanied a pregnant patient to Israel on a moments notice so that she could accompany her deceased husband to his burial in Israel; her doctor would not clear her to fly unless she was accompanied by a trained medical professional. The Hatzolah volunteer boarded the flight with 2 hours notice then returned to Los Angeles the following day, “This is the dedication we have come to expect from Hatzolah, it’s reassuring to know they’re there for all of us”.

Other dignitaries included State Assemblyman Mike Feuer, LA City Councilman Paul Koretz, , LA City Controller Wendy Gruel, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, Special Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security Frank Quiambao, Deputy Mayor Homeland Security, Public Safety Eileen Decker, LAPD and LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

The entire evening was made possible due to the efforts of Rabbi Yehuda Fegin, Mr. Yisroel Zev Rechnitz and Mr. Irving Bauman.