48 | FEBRUARY 16 • 2023 

Israeli
Rescue Teams
 Saving
 in
 TurkeyLives

ERETZ

U

nited Hatzalah, the 
world’s largest volun-
teer emergency medi-
cal service, has a team of 25 vol-
unteers on the ground in Turkey 
to help save lives following the 
devastating earthquakes that 
have claimed the lives of more 
than 35,000 people as of Feb. 13. 
The team consists of doctors, 
medics, search-and-rescue 
specialists and psychotrauma 
experts, and is working mostly 
in Gaziantep. The nonprofit 
organization also brought 10 
tons of medical supplies and 
first-responder gear to the disas-
ter site, including first-aid equip-
ment, blankets and clothing.
The operation is being led by 
IDF Maj. (res.) Yossi Cohen, a 
United Hatzalah volunteer who 
is also a reservist in the Home 
Front Command’s Liaison Unit. 
The team of volunteers was 

selected from a pool of 400 
United Hatzalah members who 
had volunteered to go to Turkey. 
According to Cohen, “It’s a cer-
tain type of people” who choose 
to volunteer in disaster sites.
“The amount of damage 
wrought by the earthquakes is 
enormous. We are bringing all 

of our knowledge and manpow-
er from previous experiences 
responding to disasters to assist 
in the rescue efforts currently 
taking place in Turkey,
” said Dov 
Maisel, United Hatzalah’s vice 
president of operations.
The aftermath of the earth-

quake has left a path of destruc-
tion and trauma in its wake. UH 
representative Jeremy Cole told 
JNS that the first responders are 
grappling with “the immense 
grief that is taking place over 
there” and the psychological 
impact of their role as first 
responders. 

Volunteers on the ground 
report that residents are forced 
to burn mattresses and garbage 
to keep warm in temperatures 
that have plummeted to -4° 
Celsius (about 25° Fahrenheit), 
making the air thick with toxic 
fumes, he said.

“One of the most shocking 
things is just the deep trauma 
that is being inflicted on the 
population,
” he said, adding, 
“People are still screaming in the 
buildings.
”
The relief organization has 
already rescued 10 people from 
one building and continues to 
search for more survivors. The 
team communicates with those 
trapped by utilizing tapping 
techniques and is using thermal 
drone cameras to locate sur-
vivors. In addition to rescuing 
survivors, the team is also treat-
ing multiple cases of hypother-
mia. Hand injuries are the most 
common they are encountering 
— among locals hurt while des-
perately trying to dig people out 
of the rubble, Cole told JNS.
“We can’t save everyone, but 
everyone saved is a success. 
Even if it’s helping a small boy 

United Hatzalah is on the 
ground amid the devastation 
caused by the earthquake.

SHIMON SHERMAN JNS.ORG

A United Hatzalah 
volunteer searches 
for survivors in 
Gaziantep, Turkey, 
on Feb. 8.

Want to Help?

“Our hearts go out to the people of #Turkey & #Syria in the aftermath 
of the #earthquakes,” the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit 
posted on its Facebook page. “Through our partners, we are 
responding quickly in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. The 
devastation is overwhelming, and survivors need our support. Please 
give here: jfeds.org/earthquakerelief.”

UNITED HATZALAH

“PEOPLE ARE STILL SCREAMING 

IN THE BUILDINGS.”

— JEREMY COLE