what's the point of having many, different emergency organizations? is hatzolah better equipped or trained to save a life than magen david adom? at best, the haredi groups are just as good, so what's the point? in matters of piquah nefesh, even the haredim must do whatever possible to save a life, because it is more important than (almost) any other mitzvah. it is simply wrong to risk a life for sectarian reasons.

The point is that they get to the scene faster-thus increasing the chances of the wounded person. I have witnessed this more than once as i'm sure others have too.

The fact is that Hatzolah volunteers arrive on scene much sooner than MDA, usually more than 5 minutes quicker. That means that Hatzola saves lives. Not because they are Haredi, but because there are thousands of volunteers all over. When the word goes out over the radio, a volunteer is usually close at hand. I sensed a touch of ant-haredi in this article. I hope I am wrong. That would mean that YNet chooses death over Haredi. They have chosen to lie rather than be pro-haredi but this is the first time they are pro-death rather than pro-haredi. It is a disgrace that an article on Hatzola doesn't contain a single sentence describing the amazing work they do or praising what they have done.

sorry folks, it is a fight over money. but i am curious, what is the salary for the top guys, the guys who rake in the gelt? any one know??

Everyone is talking about saving lives as fast as possible and all you can think is money? If G-d forbid your family was in a terror attack would you accept the Hatzola coming earlier and saving lives or would you ask first how much money they make. People like you disgust me

The hatzolah group will finally crumble because just like in america hatzolah has been about just filling your car with led lights to speed around town for fun and erev shabbos and breaking local laws. and I truly wonder just like #4 says how much does the top guys rake in scamming all the tzedakah money they get. what ever happened on relying on mada and local usa city ambulance corps they definelty existed before the repulsive hatzalah.

It's free - call it ma'asering their time! These guys get up in the middle of the night; leave Shul in the middle of Kol Nidre; leave the table in the middle of the Pesach seder and more - for no compensation other than knowing that they are saving lives. They even buy their own equipment.

Anytime "volunteer" organizations get into trouble, it's time to open up their books and see where the money is going. Why are they losing money? What is it being spent on? Is it being spent wisely, let alone properly? Yes, most or all of them volunteer their time, but if there is a money crisis it's time to make informed decisions - which means there has to be an accounting of where they're spending their resources and what they're doing. And yes, in times of economic hardship it does make sense to pool resources under one umbrella. Logic seems to point to MDA being that umbrella, and the various Hatzollah groups being responsible and working together to save lives. And yes, MDA has to be responsible too. Can MDA and the different groups do the accounting themselves honestly, or does the state comptroller have to be called in to help?

Somehow, people love to confuse a good deed with MONEY. Having risked my own life to pull somebody out of a burning car as a result of an auto accident, money was the last thing on my mind. From what I have seen, the only thing on somebody's mind in that circumstance is rescue without inflicting further damage to the victim. While I personally am not a member of any heredi group, not even orthodox, I find those herediim who do offer immediate aid to be praised, not denigrated. They are in essence aiding the MDA and should be recognized in that effort. Question; how much is the life of one person worth??

But are doing a great job .

As a wife of a volunteer I am shocked at both the article and many of the negative responses. These are volunteers who are on the run 24/7 to assist anyone in need. They leave jobs, family gatherings, shul. sleep... there function is to save lives while awaiting an ambulance- which can take over 20 minutes to arrive!!! That is exactly why it was started in places like New York , Lakewood and Israel. As with any large organization there are people working in the offices and making a salary to keep things going so smoothly. MDA also fundraises as well as gets money from the government. But they don't have the volunteers responding to emergencies in their local- rather they have ambulances with mostly volunteer staff doing shifts- so Hatzala is needed to cover until the ambulance arrives. Instead of criticizing those who help criticize those who want a share in the donations and are jealous of Ichud Hatzalah's good work and are trying to stop it. Would you take there place instead?

Great, we don't have enough money to waste it on competing groups. MDA is the central authority and should be held accountable for it, as it is not a private affair run by some lunatic rabbis, who mostly hate the Zionist entity.

I wonder if hatzolah members wouldnt do the job if they couldnt show off with there beepers on shabbos showing off like some macher with the disco lights on the car and lets not forget the expertise hatzolah who responded to a call in ny and killed a firefighter a well known hatzolah secret. this sick twisted organazation has all been about greed and showing off if you want to be a REAL FIRST RESPONDER JOIN MADA not the retarded version of it called hatzolah

I am a funding developer for non profits. A couple of posters mentioned salaries. NGOs, just like other orgs, need staff. These people are the leaders of these orgs and do important work. They get paid--across the world. Usually they don't make the wages they would in the for profit fields. As for these two entities battling for funding, that happens. In the US blood banks and organ donation groups battle for territory. I have actually become acquainted with the funding for MDA in the US and I also know the great work by Hatsolah. I believe it is a mistake for MDA to try to shoulder out Hatsolah.

In the early morning hours of December 9 (2008) I awoke with chest pain. I knew enough to immediately take an aspirin, but I WRONGLY thought (hoped?) that I was only having indigestion. At 8:00 a.m. I finally called my neighbor who immediately called Hatzalah. They arrived in MINUTES. In the ambulance I was given oxygen, nitroglycerin and aspirin. My blood, pulse and blood pressure were taken and an EKG indicated that it was definately NOT indigestion. One of the EMTs was quickly on the radio to the ER of the closest hospital which has a cardiac cath lab. Bottom line, I was having an acute MI (with 100% blockage of a coronary artery) and HATZALAH SAVED MY LIFE! (I had no health insurance coverage so Hatzalah wasn't paid a dime). Anyone who speaks against HATZALAH...I pray that you NEVER need them...but if you do, you will be thanking Hashem forever that He inspires these dedicated people to do what they do...SAVE LIVES...the biggest mitzvah of all!

just they are not afraid like mada or local city ambulance corps.cause they hide behind the good samaritan law so they can never be prsecuted thats how they got away after they killed the ny fire fighter. and besides who wants to support a chassidish anti zionistic group anyway.

Israel is mad, mad, mad! Give away the Golan, Gaza, Yesha, Tel Aviv and the Kotel; stop Hatzalah and fund Fatah instead! Mad, mad, mad! May G-d save, or simply LOCK UP, the raging lunatics who run Israel into the gutter. Jew-hating Jews are the sickest; they stink worse than hell. So many Jew-hating Jews commented on this article. Shame on you. Israel is a country where every man hates his brother and would rather feed him to their true foes.

If these memebers were truly about saving lives then why dont they just join mada apparently they are think mada is not good enough for there anti zionistic views and how does a voulanteer group almost go bankrupt maybe some of there supposed free working non paying members are stealing never thought of that becasue they " work for free what bull"

Let them work together and save lives together for all Israelis.

Hard to feel sorry for the hardim when they have the resources to compete against the municipal bus company.

Another sob story by the haridi.They will produce any lie to get money. Coalition agreements must be signed??What better time to cry??They are against habbat savin of lives but want money in the week. Close the parasites down.MDA is wonderful and does not need the religion to wreck a good performance.

I know this is old news, but Adam in Jerusalem on March 17 is just way out of line. Like any group, there may be some show-offs, but looking at the 3,000-5,000 Haztolah volunteers worldwide, most of them do it only because they want to help. When I first joined, a friend of mine joked about me becoming a macher. I told him, don't joke about it now, I'm self-conscious as it is. Start making fun of me when I'm NOT self-conscious about it. He hasn't had to bother me yet. As to the firefighter's death, that's a pure lie. Search the internet, there is a single article on it by the New York Times, and not a single follow-up. Why? Because the reporting was based allegations made by emotional colleagues of the dead firefighter. The W paramedics were later shown to have acted completely appropriately, professionally, and with no malpractice.