Eli Beer

After witnessing the bombing of the #12 bus on June 2, 1978, he was struck by the chaos of the incident and the dearth of emergency rescue resources.{{cite news |last=Lidman |first=Melanie |title='The smell is still in my nose from other terror attacks' |url=http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=213553 |accessdate=13 December 2012 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |date=24 March 2011}} This traumatic experience inspired him to volunteer on an ambulance at the age of 15, while attending school and working in his family's bookstore and real estate business.

Beer was seriously ill with Covid-19 and was twice placed in a coma.{{cite web|url=https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/editors-note/368330/how-covid-prepared-eli-beer-for-october-7/|title=How COVID Prepared Eli Beer for October 7|work=Jewish Journal|date=19 February 2024 |access-date=29 March 2024}}

Beer began to work with Hatzalah Jerusalem in 1992. With him as fundraiser and operational coordinator the organization grew and changed its name to Hatzalah Israel, reflecting its nationwide scope. Hatzalah Israel acted as an umbrella organization, incorporating many Hatzalah chapters that had been established throughout the country.

In 2002, following a terror attack in the Beit Yisroel{{Cite web|url=https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFA-Archive/2002/Pages/Suicide%20bombing%20in%20the%20Beit%20Yisrael%20neighborhood%20i.aspx|access-date=2021-04-05|website=mfa.gov.il}} neighborhood of Jerusalem where first response was slowed by the narrow roadways and congestion created by the panic in the neighborhood, a volunteer from the organization came up with the idea of having first responders arrive with a full complement of medical equipment on motorcycles{{Cite web|title=Creating a National Motorcycle Flashmob of Lifesaving - Born To Ride Motorcycle Magazine – Motorcycle TV, Radio, Events, News and Motorcycle Blog|date=7 September 2018 |url=https://borntoride.com/2018/09/creating-a-national-motorcycle-flashmob-of-lifesaving/|access-date=2021-04-05|language=en-US}} in order to cut through traffic and arrive at the scenes of medical emergencies faster. This gave birth to the 'ambucycle' a term coined by the organization to fit the newly created ambulance-motorcycle. Inside each of these vehicles is a full complement of medical equipment carried by a regular ambulance with the exception of a backboard, stair-chair, and bed.

File:Eli Beer.jpg

Following the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Beer unified numerous smaller Hatzalah organizations from around the country and changed the name of the organization to United Hatzalah to represent the newly unified organization divided into branches and the partnership of Jewish, Muslim, Druze, and Christian volunteers from all religious spectrums working together in order to save lives.

United Hatzalah established its reputation as an EMS organization by being at the forefront of medical innovation. It was the first EMS to introduce the Ambucycle, which allowed its volunteer first responders to reach the patient on average of 3 minutes across Israel, 8 to 15 minutes ahead of the first ambulance. In 2008, United Hatzalah launched Israel's first GPS-based dispatch system, which was able to locate and dispatch the five closest EMS responders within 3 seconds of the emergency.

The organization has grown to include more than 8,000 volunteer medical first responders including EMTs, paramedics, and doctors, who responded to more than 700,000 medical emergencies{{cite web |last=Frohlich |first=Raquel Guertzenstein |date=27 November 2024 |title=United Hatzalah adds 1,000 new volunteers, reaches 8,000 strong in life-saving efforts |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-831027 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241128025847/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-831027 |archive-date=28 November 2024 |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=The Jerusalem Post}} in 2024. All services are provided free of charge to all people regardless of race, nationality, or religion.

Beer's vision is to bring United Hatzalah's life-saving model to other communities across the world. In 2015, he expanded internationally with the establishment of branches in South America,{{Cite web|date=2018-02-20|title=Israel EMS team awarded for lifesaving aid in Panama|url=https://www.israel21c.org/israel-ems-team-awarded-for-lifesaving-aid-in-panama/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=ISRAEL21c|language=en-US}} and other countries,{{Cite web|last=Carni|first=Yaron|title=Israel's 'Uber For First Responders' Goes Global|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/startupnationcentral/2019/05/30/israels-uber-for-first-responders-goes-global/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Forbes|language=en}} including "United Rescue{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://unitedrescue.us/global/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=United Rescue|language=en-US}}" in Jersey City, N.J. in the United States, where the response time was reduced to just two minutes and thirty-five seconds as a result.

During his voluntary career as an EMT, Beer has been a medical responder at the scenes of the Ben Yehuda Street bombings, the Versailles Wedding Hall disaster, the Second Lebanon War in the north, and Operation Cast Lead in the south as well as dozens of other major terror attacks and mass casualty incidents.

During the Gaza war, Beer played a pivotal role in providing critical humanitarian assistance and medical care to those affected by the conflict. Setting up United Hatzalah field hospital and dispatch, Beer helped send over 1,500 volunteer EMTs to the Gaza periphery to treat both civilian and military personnel wounded in the Hamas terror attacks.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=United Hatzalah assisting thousands, but it needs donations |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-767366 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US}} Beer helped mobilize tens of thousands of donors worldwide to raise funds for critical medical supplies, such supplies were depleted due to the massive humanitarian response United Hatzalah provided to wounded people in Israel. Beer met with U. S. President Joe Biden on his visit to Israel, to show support for the organization, the first responder community, and the nation of Israel during its time of peril.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=President Biden wraps up his visit to wartime Israel with a warning against being 'consumed' by rage |url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-israel-hamas-gaza-palestinians-a85cb682fdc61b80285cf4ab354354ce |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=AP News |language=en}}

During a donors conference by the Republican Jewish Coalitions’ Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas on 28 October 2023 Beer disseminated the story of an Israeli baby being placed in an oven and burned to death, but this was unable to be verified.{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-772181|title=Controversy surrounds reports of Israeli baby found burned alive in oven|work=Jerusalem Post|date=8 November 2023 |access-date=29 March 2024}}

Beer was featured on a number of interviews accounting details of United Hatzalah volunteers' response on October 7, most notably on Fox News with Jake Tapper{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtKwEyA_pQM|title=Eli Beer on CNN with Jake Tapper|work=YouTube|date=29 October 2023 |access-date=23 June 2024}} as well as CNN,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQfzAK15kZ0|title=Eli Beer on CNN-" The Source with Kaitlan Collins" after meeting President Joe Biden|work=YouTube|date=22 October 2023 |access-date=23 June 2024}} CBS News{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AasjUrB7teU|title=President and Founder of United Hatzalah, Eli Beer, meets Joe Biden -CBS News|work=YouTube|date=18 October 2023 |access-date=23 June 2024}} and other major media outlets.

• Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Israel (2010) - Beer received the Social Entrepreneur Award from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in cooperation with the World Economic Forum of Davos in 2010. The award is given to those driving social innovation and transformation in various fields including education, health, environment and enterprise development.{{Cite web|title=Awardees|url=https://www.schwabfound.org/awardees/eli-beer/|access-date=2020-07-05|website=Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship|language=en}}
• Presidential Award for Volunteerism, Israel (2011) - Beer received the Presidential Award for Volunteerism from Shimon Peres, the President of the State of Israel in 2011. The award is given to individuals and groups whose volunteering effort is deemed to be outstanding in a given year by a committee. Twelve awardees are chosen each year.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}
• Young Global Leader, Davos (2012) - Nominated by a committee chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan for his efforts to create a multicultural, apolitical medical rescue organization, Beer was chosen to become one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders in 2012. Young Global Leaders come from 65 countries and are honored for their outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments and commitment to society.{{Cite web |date=2012-03-13|title=Queen Of Jordan Chooses Eli Beer Of United Hatzalah As 'Young Global Leader' |url=https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/121101/queen-of-jordan-chooses-eli-beer-of-united-hatzalah-as-young-global-leader.html |access-date=2020-07-05 |website=The Yeshiva World |language=en-US}}
• The Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East (2013) - The Institute of International Education (IIE) awards the Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East{{cite news |last=Greer |first=Fay Cashman |title=United Hatzalah leaders receive prize for peace in the Mid East |url=http://www.jpost.com/National-News/United-Hatzalah-leaders-receive-prize-for-peace-in-the-Mid-East-317610 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |date=25 June 2013}} annually to recognize outstanding work being conducted jointly by two individuals, one Arab and one Israeli, working together to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East. Beer received the prize together with Murad Alian, the Coordinator of United Hatzalah's Team in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem .
• World Values Network, Champion of Human Life Award (2016) - Beer received the Champion of Human Life Award at the Fourth Annual Champions of Jewish Values International Awards Gala, sponsored by the World Values Network, a platform established by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, recognizing those who strive to positively affect society.{{Cite web|last=Fishman|first=Tzvi Allen|title=Boteach Jewish Values Gala Draws Hundreds of Community Leaders|url=http://jewishlinknj.com//community-news/bergen/13189-boteach-jewish-values-gala-draws-hundreds-of-community-leaders|access-date=2020-07-05|website=jewishlinknj.com|date=19 May 2016 |language=en-gb}}
• Conference of European Rabbis, Internet Entrepreneur Prize (2017) - The CER Prize is awarded to digital and web-based ventures that have potential to change the world and improve lives. Beer was awarded the CER Internet Entrepreneur Prize in Helsinki, for developing United Hatzalah's LifeCompass app, which automatically dispatches the five closest EMT responders within three seconds of an emergency.{{Cite web|title=News About Winners - Eli Beer, winner of the 2017 CERprize competition shares with us.|url=https://www.cerprize.org/news-about-winners/eli-beer-winner-of-the-2017-cerprize/|access-date=2020-07-05|website=www.cerprize.org|archive-date=2020-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705160336/https://www.cerprize.org/news-about-winners/eli-beer-winner-of-the-2017-cerprize/|url-status=dead}}
• Ted talks - Beer was invited to be a speaker in April 2013 on TEDMED, his talk was later featured on the TED website.{{cite web |last1=Eli |first1=Beer |title=The Fastest Ambulance? An ambucycle |url=https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_beer_the_fastest_ambulance_a_motorcycle |website=www.ted.com|date=30 July 2013 }} He also spoke at the TEDx Gateway conference in India in February 2020.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqBIKn8Kr64&t=4s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks TEDx Gateway]
• 50 Most Influential Jews List - In October 2024, Beer was selected as one the Jerusalem Post's 50 most influential Jews for United Hatzalah's lifesaving response to October 7th and United Hatzalah's innovations, including the ambucycle and GPS based dispatch .{{Cite web |title=No. 44: Duby Weissensetrn, Eli Beer, Rabbi Yossi Erblich: Israel's medical heroes |url=https://www.jpost.com/influencers-24/50jews-24/article-822712 |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{TED speaker}}
• Nachman Seltzer, [https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422633076.html 90 Seconds: The Epic Story of Eli Beer and United Hatzalah], Mesorah Publications, 2023.
• Nachman Seltzer, [https://www.artscroll.com/linker/J9/link/Books/orangh.html Angels in Orange: Uplifting Stories of Courage, Faith and Miracles from the United Hatzalah Heroes of October 7th], Mesorah Publications, 2024.

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Category:1973 births

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