Jerusalem – Religious medical volunteer group Ichud Hatzalah (iVolunteers) rejected the accusations that its use of Arab volunteers in eastern Jerusalem harms Jewish sovereignty there. It also denied that it has removed the Star of David from its emblem.
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The accusations were made in a letter by Jerusalem activist Aryeh King, who asked donors not to give money to Ichud Hatzalah until these questions and others were resolved.
Eli Bir, the chairman of Ichud Hatzalah said that the reason it has begun taking Arab volunteers is that whenever an emergency medical situation arises in eastern Jerusalem, the Israeli Red Magen David refers the matter to the Palestinian Authority’s Red Crescent. In order to solve this problem, Bir said, a Christian American donor agreed to fund a volunteer array of Arabs from eastern Jerusalem. “We wish only to strengthen Jerusalem’s Jewish status and to keep the Red Crescent out,” he said.
The Arab volunteers face constant threats from other Arabs who demand that they leave the volunteer group, but most of them have resisted the pressure thus far, he said.
Bir also rejected accusations that the organization has stopped using the Star of David on its emblem. He explained that the Arab volunteers’ vests, and only those vests, have a second symbol beside the Ichud Hatzalah symbol, which contains the Star of David.
In a phone conversation with VIN News Eli Bir added that using Arab volunteers was done with the Haskomah of Israeli rabbis who added that will also help prevent issues of Chilul Shabbos.
I know Eli personally and he is a tzaddik. Just like his parents.
I agree with the decision, it makes a lot of sense.
So long as this is in practise (regardless of what is on paper) a separate division, and is sent only for Arab patients, then it seems like a good idea, because it takes cases away from the Red Crescent. But I hope and trust that they never send these Arabs when a Jewish life is at stake; that would be explicitly contrary to the halacha (YD 153-156). While in the West we may have let these halachos lapse into abeyance, because experience tells us that “our” goyim can be trusted, that is certainly not the case in EY, where experience tells us the exact opposite.
some people in this meshuggeh world want something called peace… what if it starts with saving other people’s life without questionning their race, religion ?
I read an article a few years ago, when a Jewish man gave his blood to save a Palestinian kid
anyway there are Arabs working everywhere in Israel, hotels, public transportation, hospital… why not there ?
I know eli beer personally and he is a malach of a man. a true tzaddik in every sense of the word. read how he responded. his actions were done with the haskamah of rabbonim and will help prevent chillul shabbos!!!!
MILHOUSE- read the article again. This was done with the haskomah of rabbonim. Eli Beer is not some “modern orthodox” guy who asked the Rosh YEshiva of Chovevei Torah if we should do this on our way to giving back 1/2 of Jerusalem. Moshiach isnt here yet, thus its not our responsibility to chase them out of the land. We may be fortunate to inhabit E”Y but must remember that we are still in Galus.