Women in Hatzolah... is it Appropriate?By Hadassah

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women in hatzolah:
is it appropriate?
The Need for Frum Female EMTs
HADASSAH ELLIS
W
hen an
emergency
strikes in
the Brooklyn frum community and Hatzolah is
called, emergency medical technicians
(EMTs) are immediately dispatched to
the scene. Since the first to respond will
be the EMTs nearest to the emergency,
this often means that it is one’s neighbors or local shop vendors attending to
one’s injuries. This makes for impressive
response times, but for women experiencing a medical emergency, especially
one of a gynecological nature, it can also
make for a very uncomfortable and even
traumatic experience. A veteran Hatzolah member who
has delivered many babies recalls that
he was once grocery shopping in his
neighborhood when he recognized a
woman whose baby he had delivered.
Evidently, the woman recognized him
as well, because as soon as she saw
him, her face drained of all color and
she raced from the store, abandoning
a cart full of groceries. This story is
far from unusual. Despite feelings of
gratitude for their healthy babies, many
women delivered by Hatzolah continue
to struggle with feelings of shame and
humiliation even years later.
When Hatzolah was founded in the
1960s, the original plan for the organization included a men’s division and a
women’s division, and over 300 women
were trained as EMTs and first responders. However, due the efforts of a small
but vocal group of opponents, the women’s division was quickly closed, and only
the men’s division remained to respond
to all calls in the community, even those
of a distinctly feminine nature.
Many of the female EMTs originally
trained to join Hatzolah went on to
become camp and school nurses, but
a core group never gave up on their
dream of helping women in emergencies. Over the years, other female EMTs
joined the cause, often inspired by their
own difficult emergency experiences,
and together they made attempts to join
Hatzolah, only to be swiftly rebuffed.
In the summer of 2011, galvanized
by the recent addition of women to the
ranks of Hatzolah members in New
Square, these female EMTs reached out
to attorney Ruchie Freier, seeking her
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SEPTEMBER 2015
assistance. Though they share the same
name, Hatzolahs in different communities are independently operated, and the
women EMTs knew they needed help convincing other branches to let them join.
Mrs. Freier’s experience as a community
advocate made her an ideal choice for the
women, but the idea of female EMTs joining Hatzolah had never occurred to her,
and when she first received their phone
call, she was skeptical.
Despite her reservations, Mrs. Freier
agreed to join the women at their next
meeting. Once there, her fears were
quickly allayed. It was immediately
apparent that these women were not rabble-rousers with an axe to grind; they
were a diverse group of frum women
from all backgrounds and all walks of
life, joining together for a cause they
believed in. They explained the history
of the original Hatzolah women’s division, described the need for emergency
medical care that respected the sensibilities of frum women, and informed her of
the introduction of women to Hatzolah
of New Square. Mrs. Freier realized how
important it was for women in all Jewish
communities to have access to female
EMTs, and she immediately agreed to
help, saying, “If New Square Hatzolah
and United Hatzalah of Israel both allow
women to serve, there must be a way to
do so in other religious communities.”
Requests to re-establish a women’s
division of Hatzolah in Brooklyn were
repeatedly denied. The ladies were frustrated, but they still held Hatzolah in
the highest regard. They recognized
that Hatzolah had revolutionized emergency care in the frum world, and they
were grateful to the many members who
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Ironically, the non -J
non-frum world r e
a woman’s need ,
and right to have a
attend her private
The time has come f
frum world to get o n
selflessly care for their fellow
Jews every day.
A prime example of this
would be Rabbi Leibel Bistritzky of blessed memory
and, ybl”ch, his son Yingy,
well-known and beloved
heroes in Crown Heights.
Rabbi Leibel Bistritzky broke
new ground by founding Hatzolah of Crown Heights over
30 years ago, which earned the
Rebbe’s outspoken approval.
Reb Leib showed us all what
can be done with hard work
and determination. His son
Yingy has been giving up
his sleeping hours, his working time, and his seemingly
boundless energy to help people in need for decades, and
his devotion to the cause only
grows with the passing years.
Everyone in Crown Heights
has someone in their family
or on their block who Yingy or one of
his colleagues has helped; indeed, many
lives were saved by his quick thinking
and his skills. The same may be said of
his many outstanding colleagues who
follow his selfless example.
And so, though there were secular
legal options available to them, the
ladies could not allow their cause to
become a source of machlokes or chillul Hashem. They knew there had to be
a better way, one that allowed them to
achieve their dreams while still respecting the fine work of Hatzolah.
Ultimately, in the Fall of 2011, the
ladies decided the best option was to
stop petitioning Hatzolah and instead
form their own independent emergency
medical service (EMS) organization.
After some consideration, they decided
to call themselves Ezras Nashim, which
literally means “Help of Women,” but is
also the name of the women’s section
in our shuls and in the Beis Hamikdash. This name was chosen because it
encapsulates both the group’s mission
of women helping women and their
conviction that this is not a new innovation, but a reclaiming of the traditional
role of Jewish women as caregivers to
other women.
Though the women of Ezras Nashim
were disappointed by the lack of interest from Hatzolah, the outpouring of
support from women in the community encouraged them. Ada Moseson, a
long-time resident of Borough Park, was
immediately in favor of Ezras Nashim:
“We need Ezras Nashim,” says Mrs.
Moseson, “because a woman in labor
or in that type of situation should have
the option of a woman helping her.
She would be more comfortable, more
at ease, and less embarrassed with a
woman, and she shouldn’t be forced
to have a man [treat her] if she doesn’t
want that.”
Mrs. Moseson says she herself could
have used Ezras Nashim’s help in the
past.
“I once tripped and fell head-first out
of the bathtub, and I landed on my back.
I was conscious, but I was startled and
in pain. I thought I might have broken
something. I had my phone near me, but
I was too embarrassed to call Hatzolah
like that.” Eventually, despite the pain,
she was able to get herself up, and a visit
to the doctor later confirmed that she
wasn’t severely injured; however, the
experience left her shaken. She wishes
there had been women she could have
called then for assistance. Mrs. Moseson
is adamant, “I think Hatzolah is wonderful, but there is a definite place for
Ezras Nashim.”
When Freeda Loew was vacationing
in Palm Beach, Florida, she suffered a
miscarriage at 20 weeks pregnant and
realized she was hemorrhaging and in
trouble. She called 911, but when two
men arrived at her home and knocked
on her bathroom door, she immediately said, “Can’t I have a woman?”
Five minutes later two female EMTs
arrived. Ironically, the non-Jewish, nonfrum world respects a woman’s need,
desire, and right to have a woman attend
her private crises. The time has come for
the frum world to get on board.
As Ruchie Freier told the N’shei
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SEPTEMBER 2015
n -Jewish,
r espects
d , desire,
a woman
e crises.
e for the
o n board.
Chabad Newsletter, “The head of the NY
Health Dept EMS division is a female
paramedic who has been helping us. In
the world where tznius doesn’t exist,
EMS respects women’s modesty and will
have female medics perform ECGs…”
T
he process of establishing a new
EMS organization is long and
requires the laying of a great deal
of groundwork before actual medical care can be provided. During the
three years between the founding of
Ezras Nashim in the Fall of 2011 and
its official launch in Borough Park in
June 2014, members worked tirelessly
behind the scenes and many new EMTs
were trained.
Malka Ella Teitelbaum, a wife and
mother in Borough Park, became an
Ezras Nashim EMT in June 2013. A
close friend of some of the original
female EMTs trained in the 1960s, she
was aware of their many attempts to
join Hatzolah throughout the years. She
always supported her friends’ dreams,
but when Ezras Nashim was finally
Ruchie Freier and Hadassah Ellis show off their new EMT gear at the first
Ezras Nashim equipment distribution in Summer 2014.
established, she decided the mission was
so important that she wanted to become
an EMT herself.
Mrs. Teitelbaum told the N’shei
Chabad Newsletter, “My husband
thought it was a marvelous thing to
do, to become an EMT. He encouraged
me to join and attend meetings, and he
supported me throughout my training.
He would say, ‘Why shouldn’t women
deliver babies rather than men?’”
Mrs. Teitelbaum is surprised some
people consider Ezras Nashim controversial. “Babies have been delivered
by women throughout the millennia,”
she says. “This isn’t something radical, it’s radical that men are delivering
babies! Women know how to help other
women…”
For men reading this who wish to
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NSHEICHABADNEWSLETTER.COM
(Above) Sarah Gluck and Ruchie
Freier practice skills at the Basic Life
Support in Obstetrics training class in
March 2014. (Below) Esty Guttman,
Fraydie Liberow, Sarah Gluck, and
Sarah Hussney attend the Nachas
Health Fair in March 2015.
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SEPTEMBER 2015
understand why a frum woman would
want a female EMT, ask yourself this:
If you were sick and required care and
treatments that exposed private body
parts, would you want a woman assisting
you, or would you prefer a male?
F
rom the beginning, Lubavitcher
women have been integral to Ezras
Nashim. One such woman is Fraydie
Liberow, who always had an interest in
the medical field. Fourteen years ago,
she decided to become an EMT. She
thought it would be a way to explore her
medical interests while helping others,
but she soon found she wasn’t putting
her skills to much use. When a friend
told her about Ezras Nashim two years
ago, she felt she had finally found the
way to put her training into practice.
Since joining Ezras Nashim, she has
become one of its most active members. From her home in Crown Heights,
she dispatches calls in Borough Park
and Midwood and helps in many of
the daily operations. Even though
she is already an important part of
the organization, she longs for the
day when Ezras Nashim will launch
in Crown Heights and she will be
able to respond to calls and finally
assist other women as she has always
dreamed of doing.
The presence of Lubavitchers in
such a groundbreaking organization
truly comes as no surprise. All Jewish women have a natural sensitivity
in matters of tznius, but the Rebbe in
particular emphasized the important
role of Jewish women and their power
to inspire others. The Rebbe’s mivtza’im, specifically those relating to
taharas hamishpachah and neshek,
demonstrated his belief in the spiritual power of Jewish women, even
girls as young as three, and his unwavering conviction that they are the
foundation of a Jewish home.
Additionally, the Rebbe’s preference for women reaching out to and
instructing other women reflected
not only a desire to preserve the
tznius of his followers, but also his
confidence in women’s intelligence
and practical capabilities. The faith
that the Rebbe had in women was so
strong that to this day it continues
to inspire countless women to give
of themselves for their fellow Jews.
Lubavitcher women’s participation in
Ezras Nashim is one of many examples
of the Rebbe’s faith and inspiration
bearing fruit. The culmination of more than 40
years of faith and perseverance, Ezras
Nashim now operates around the
clock in Borough Park and Midwood,
responding to calls from women for
emergencies of all natures. Their high
standard of training and professional
conduct has earned them the respect of
the EMS establishment and the trust of
a steadily growing number of patients.
Although based in Borough Park, Ezras
Nashim has volunteers across Brooklyn, throughout the five boroughs, and
even in Lakewood, NJ, acting not only as
EMTs, but also as administrative coordinators and dispatchers. As word of
their success spreads, other communities have begun to express an interest
in creating their own local chapter of
Ezras Nashim.
Though their achievements have
been great, the ladies of Ezras Nashim
are not ready to rest on their laurels.
Members regularly attend health fairs
and meet with women in the community to discuss health and wellness.
Recognizing that immediate medical
care often means the difference between
life and death, Ezras Nashim ultimately
aims to become an educational resource
for the frum community in all aspects of
medical care and safety, including training in CPR and basic first aid. Ezras
Nashim’s motto, Women for Women,
doesn’t just refer to the care it provides
but the inspiration it gives. |
Bais Chaya Mushka Seminary
wishes Mazel Tov to our
graduates and staff on their recent Simchas.
Marriage
Chana Mirel Meltzer to Aharon Leib Robinson
Tzippy Winterfeld to Avi Goldstein
Sari Lurie to Shmuli Biston
Dvora Lea Teitlebaum to Mendy Gottlieb
Menucha Sperlin to Avremel New
Mushka Gurary to Sholom DovBer Shaingarten
Tzippy Kaufmann to Vidal Gabbay
Baby
Shmuli & Devorah Raskin (Krinsky) – boy
Mendy & Tzippy Weiss (Lehr) – girl
Shmaya & Rivka Krinsky (Gutnick) – twin boys
Yisroel Noach & Slava Blank (Edelman) – boy
Yaakov & Mushkie Perlman (Kohn) – girl
Adar & Chana Ben-Lapid (Lewis) – girl
Shmuel & Henna Kopel (Haber) – boy
Chaim Shmaya & Mushka Wilhelm (Raskin) – boy
Kushi & Fraida Schusterman (Yarmush) – boy
Yisroel & Chavi Rosenblum (Rabin) – girl
Levi & Freidy Katzman (Bell) – girl
Mazal Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Ashkenazi on
the birth of a daughter
Mazal Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. D. Myhill on
the birth of a son
Mazal Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. M. Teitlebaum on
the marriage of their son
Mazal Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Tzvi Hirsh Gurary on
the marriage of their daughter
Please update your Mazel Tovs on http://theseminary.ca/mazel-tov/
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