Rabbi Hershel Weber
A True Jewish Hero: Rabbi Hershel Weber — The Visionary Who Brought Hatzalah to Life
Over sixty years ago, one man’s vision forever changed the way Jewish communities care for one another. With a heart overflowing with ahavas Yisroel and a passion for pikuach nefesh, Rabbi Hershel Weber founded the very first Hatzalah organization — a grassroots effort that would blossom into a worldwide network of chesed and lifesaving.
What began as a handful of volunteers in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, equipped with little more than oxygen tanks and band-aides and an unshakable sense of responsibility, became a global movement that has saved tens of thousands of lives — all in the spirit of Torah and communal unity.
An Idea Born from Compassion
In late 1965, tragedy struck when a member of the Jewish community passed away due to delayed emergency care. Deeply affected, Rabbi Weber resolved that such a thing should never happen again. Slowly, he gathered a small group of dedicated baalei chesed to respond to medical emergencies within minutes — neighbours helping neighbours, Yidden helping Yidden.
From those early days in Williamsburg, Hatzalah grew rapidly. Next was the Lower East Side when Heshy Jacobs A”H joined. After that was Crown Heights with Lenny Solomon, Flatbush with Yankel Bender, etc.
Each responder was a volunteer, trained and certified, ready to drop everything — even in the middle of the night or on Shabbos — to save a life. It was pikuach nefesh in action, and it became a model for Jewish communities across America and beyond.
A Movement That Spread Across the World
The kiddush HaShem that began in Brooklyn soon inspired others. Hatzalah chapters were founded in Monsey, Lakewood, Florida, and eventually throughout the United States. Springing to England, Australia, South Africa, and Eretz Yisroel.
The Legacy of Rabbi Hershel Weber
Through quiet leadership and unwavering faith, American born (Jan 1940) Rabbi Weber built something extraordinary — not just an organization, but a movement of chesed. His name has become synonymous with mesirus nefesh, vision, and love for Klal Yisroel.
As Hatzalah chapters continue to grow and adapt to modern challenges — from medical emergencies to large-scale crises — the foundation laid by Rabbi Weber remains unchanged:
Pikuach Nefesh above all.
Ahavas Yisroel that knows no limits.
Volunteers who serve purely l’shem Shamayim, without compensation or recognition, but with boundless dedication.
Every siren, every refuah sheleimah, every family comforted in their time of fear — all trace their roots back to one man’s simple yet world-changing act of chesed.
Chazal tells us “whoever saves but one life is as he saved the entire world”. Close your eyes, try to imagine, how many lives were saved by Hatzalah in the last sixty years. Anywhere in the world. How many children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, are around today because of just one lifesaving action. How much Torah is being learnt by all these people? Worlds!
