NOVEMBER 23 • 2023 | 29
J
N

W

hen 74-year-old 
retired Farmington 
Hills firefighter 
Richard Levine received a call 
to volunteer his firefighting 
services in Israel shortly after 
the deadly Hamas attack, he 
had no hesitations.
“They asked, ‘Can you be 
available at a moment’s notice 
to leave?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I 
could,’” the Huntington Woods 
resident recalls of the message 
he received while attending the 
Oct. 9 Israel solidarity event at 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
Three days later, Levine’s 
family dropped him off at 
Detroit Metro Airport, where 
he boarded a flight to Israel as 
part of the first group of fire-
fighters dispatched.
As the only Michigander in 
his group, Levine was one of 
some 20 men who had signed 
up for emergency volunteer 
services to be recruited by 
Israeli volunteer organizations.
Upon landing, Levine, who 

is also a paramedic and retired 
from the Farmington Hills Fire 
Department in 2000, under-
went orientation in Tel Aviv. 
While there, Levine experi-
enced several rocket alarms on 
his first day in Israel and was 
required to take shelter.
Following orientation, he 
was assigned to a fire station 
in Jerusalem, where he spent 
the majority of his 10-day 
stay. Levine, along with other 
volunteer firefighters from the 
U.S., helped provide relief in 
the fire stations, which were 
down numerous men and 
women who had been activat-
ed to join the reserves in the 
Israel Defense Forces.
“There was no hesitation,” 
Levine says. “This is what I 
do.”
While the stay itself consist-
ed of only minor fires, Levine, 
an Aish HaTorah member, is 
proud of the work he and his 
fellow volunteer firefighters 
accomplished.

“I was very honored to be 
chosen as one of the first guys 
to go,” he continues. “It’s just 
very deep in my heart. I’m 
Jewish, and I’m very proud of 
Israel.”
During his week-and-a-half 
stay, he calls the Israeli attitude 
overwhelmingly positive and 
welcoming — to the point 
where they refused to let 
American firefighter volun-
teers contribute financially to 
any food or purchases, or even 
mop the shared kitchen space.
Despite the ongoing war, 
Levine says he never felt 
unsafe in Israel. The volun-
teer firefighters were assigned 
several IDF soldiers who 
were stationed outside of the 
Jerusalem fire station and were 
also joined by the police force 
when venturing out.
“There was no fear, and no 
remorse,” he says.
Many Israeli civilians also 
came to greet the volunteer 
firefighters and often stopped 

by the station to say hello. On 
the final day before returning 
to the United States, the group 
were given a tour of Ashkelon, 
one of Israel’s hardest-hit cities 
by Gaza fire.
While learning about Israeli 
techniques for fighting fires, 
the group experienced several 
sirens for incoming rockets. 
One time, they managed to 
make it to a shelter. A second 
time, they were forced to lay 
chest-down on the ground and 
cover their heads.
“I haven’t done that since I 
was in the army,” Levine says 
of the eye-opening experience. 
“That was a very emotional, 
heartbreaking day.”
Now home, Levine con-
tinues to keep in touch via 
WhatsApp with other firefight-
ers who volunteered alongside 
him. All have collectively 
agreed to return to Israel if the 
need arises.
“We’re ready to go at a 
moment’s notice,” he says. 

Retired Farmington Hills firefighter travels to Israel 
to volunteer his services.
Fighting Fires in Israel

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Richard Levine (front and 
center) along with other 
volunteers in Jerusalem

