ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Eli Beer was awakened on Oct. 7 by reports from United Hatzalah, warning of impending attacks on Israel.
At first, the situation seemed relatively normal.
"We’re used to missiles launched toward Israel; it’s like nothing, not a big deal," Beer said. "We don’t even wake up for that.”
But this day was different.
Hundreds of calls were coming in to United Hatzalah reporting direct hits to buildings and “missiles flying everywhere.”
“October 7 was a day when the Hamas united Israel and united the Jewish people. Look at you today, on a Sunday morning, getting together to support Israel, to support an organization that needs help."Eli Beer, president of United Hatzalah
“And then we started hearing phone calls of people, mothers and fathers who are begging to come save their children because terrorists are knocking down their doors with guns and with RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades]," Beer said.
"And it just sounded not real. And the United Hatzalah Command Center was getting multiple calls that you hear guns shooting in the calls — you actually hear guns shooting.
“So we knew it was real. It's not a fake call. It's not like prank calls. These are real, it’s at 6:45 in the morning, 6:30, 6:45. So it's really early in the morning and we realized this is a real day.
"This is a day that a war started."
Dozens of people congregated at the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley’s Kline Auditorium on Sunday to hear Beer speak from Israel — enraptured by his intense first-hand accounts of chaos, terror and a galvanizing sense of heroism present over more than two months of war.
Beer’s nonprofit, United Hatzalah, was launched 35 years ago with a mission to provide fast, free emergency medical assistance in Israel.
'What would happen?'
With a network of more than 7,000 volunteer medics manning specially equipped motorcycle ambulances, United Hatzalah has engaged in more than 6 million emergency responses, with an average response time of three minutes or less.
Recounting his frantic experiences on Oct. 7, Beer recalled his wife, Gitty, rushing out to “help save lives” as he prepared to get to his organization’s headquarters.
They assumed there might be a few dozen terrorists, at most, he said.
Beer later learned there were in excess of 2,900 terrorists in the area.
Rushing to assemble a team of dispatchers — only 10 were on hand, and he needed 100 to 200 to man the phones — he was greeted with volunteers young and old.
He told those with medical training to grab an ambulance and head south.
“God forbid your little city, now, where you are, has one terrorist," Beer said. "What would happen? One terrorist running around with an MK 47? What would happen to the city?
“Here we were talking about not one, but almost 3,000 of them — almost 3,000, and then thousands of others who came to help them.
"And when our volunteers arrived to the scene, the first volunteer that was hit was actually an Arab volunteer… you know, we have 700 Arab volunteers inside the organization, as part of the organization.”
'Don't worry, I'm staying with you'
Beer told the crowd about an Arab volunteer named Awad, “an incredible person who was supposed to be a doctor,” who responded to the chaos at the music festival near the Gaza-Israel border.
As shrapnel was flying through the air and people were fleeing from the noise, Awad went toward it, running into a young Jewish woman who was bleeding.
“And he said to this young girl, ‘I'm not leaving you alone. Don't worry, I'm staying with you. I'm going to make sure you're OK.' A few minutes later, the terrorists came and caught him and brutally murdered him."Eli Beer, founder of United Hatzalah
“And he said to this young girl, ‘I'm not leaving you alone. Don't worry, I'm staying with you. I'm going to make sure you're OK,’" he said.
"A few minutes later, the terrorists came and caught him and brutally murdered him."
As his medics rushed to rescue those in danger, Beer said he noted Israeli soldiers, many of whom had been on holiday, were unable to get to the danger zone in time.
In the midst of the attack, ambulances transported soldiers to the scene as those emergency medics arrived to administer help.
Beer said dispatchers told some of the emergency volunteers they could be killed.
He said one person proclaimed, “I’m going to save lives — God will protect me.”
'Nothing stopped us'
The crowd at Kline Auditorium sat in awe as Beer went through his memories of the day: volunteers of all walks of life putting their lives in immediate danger to save civilians and soldiers as gunfire erupted around them.
Reports came in by the minute to report the growing number of casualties, he said.
“I almost collapsed when I heard it was close to 1,000," Beer said. "I said, ‘I can't believe that. It can't be, it’s not possible.’ But it is possible, unfortunately.
"The terrorists were so eager to kill all of us, to kill every person — children and women and men and older people and the Holocaust survivors."Eli Beer, founder of United Hatzalah
"The terrorists were so eager to kill all of us, to kill every person — children and women and men and older people and the Holocaust survivors."
Volunteers reported to Beer that babies had been kept alive, crying and screaming in buildings to lure people in to save them, only for those volunteers to be killed by terrorists.
In the aftermath, United Hatzalah treated 2,000 people, Beer said. Two of its volunteers were killed, two volunteers and six of their family members were kidnapped, and 15 volunteers were injured.
“Nothing stopped us," Beer said. "We kept going. The volunteers did not get scared. They didn't run out. The new volunteers were getting murdered and getting kidnapped, but they kept going.”
Beer said United Hatzalah was simultaneously treating civilians during the fight and dealing with heart attacks and other medical emergencies as the battle went on.
Beer recalled another instance in which a volunteer saw a young Palestinian girl in need of medical attention and sprinted out to retrieve her and attach an IV before transporting her to a hospital.
That volunteer later told Beer they were there to kill as many members of Hamas as possible, “but when I see a little girl, my Jewish heart told me I have to help her.”
'Can't save lives if we're not united'
At the heart of it all, Beer said, the thing that mattered most was supporting humanity as a whole. He said that when people ask why his organization goes by “United Hatzalah,” he said, “We can’t save lives if we’re not united.”
“October 7 was a day when the Hamas united Israel and united the Jewish people," Beer said.
“I don’t think people in Gaza like Hamas, but for them, there is no choice.”Eli Beer, founder of United Hatzalah
"Look at you today, on a Sunday morning, getting together to support Israel, to support an organization that needs help,” Beer said, thanking those at the Kline Auditorium for their support.
Jeri Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, asked Beer about the needs of civilians in the area.
Beer said his volunteers are largely out of work because of the war. He said he was working to establish a fund to support those volunteers in their time of need, helping to provide money for housing, food and other necessities they and their families required.
U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, asked Beer about accusations that Israel had become an apartheid state.
Beer responded that he had never seen Arabs in Israel so united.
“Israeli Arabs do not want Hamas in Israel [even if] a lot of them are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause,” he said. “I don’t think people in Gaza like Hamas, but for them, there is no choice.”
Palestinians have not had an election since 2006, when Hamas took power.
'Can't hear these stories enough'
After fielding a few more questions, Beer wished the crowd well before returning to his duties in Israel.
“And I thank you on behalf of everyone, all the Jewish people in Israel and all the non-Jewish people in Israel and on behalf of all the volunteers in the country, toda raba," Beer said, using Hebrew for "Thank you very much."
A rousing series of applause concluded the call.
Following the presentation, Wild explained her question about an “apartheid state” stemmed from “so much information out there that is just being perpetuated by people blindly without really understanding what Israel is.”
"Hearing those stories was a punch in the gut."U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley
Wild said she supports more communication, including stories from those on the battlefront, to inform the public, the media and everyone else about what is happening.
“I have heard so many personal accounts, and every time I hear one, it's a punch in the gut," Wild said. "I went to the United Nations when they had the women's groups that came to condemn the fact that the U.N. has not spoken out on behalf of the women who were just brutally raped and violated on October 7.
"Hearing those stories was a punch in the gut.
“I've seen the October 7 video that was released by the Israeli embassy to Congress, and that was the first huge punch in the gut other than hearing the news.
"We can't hear these stories often enough. I keep coming back for more because I think it is essential that we bear witness.”
Israel Zighelboim, who co-chairs the Emergency Israel Campaign with his wife, Valeska, has worked to raise funding for operations such as United Hatzalah, along with supporting those displaced by the war.
Zighelboim commended Beer for his work, and the Lehigh Valley community for supporting the campaign which has raised a significant chunk of money for those efforts.
“We are now north of $700,000 to $800,000, and that's pretty significant," he said. "That means that people are being incredibly charitable and interested in supporting real needs for our brothers and sisters in Israel."
Zighelboim said donations have ranged from a few dollars to over $100,000 lump sums, and have come from Jews as well as Christian churches in the Lehigh Valley.
Beth Kozinn, a strong supporter of the Lehigh Valley’s Jewish community, said she found Beer’s presentation “tremendous,” and his work invaluable for both local Jews and Israel, a place to which she said she hopes to one day return.
“He was amazing, and I think he answered a lot of questions that even some of us might not have been aware of," Kozinn said. "I've been to Israel many times, and I always feel like I'm going home when I go there."
Robert Wax, president of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, said he was particularly touched by Beer’s accounts of Arab volunteers and other non-Jews contributing to the cause of United Hatzalah.
Wax said it proved to him that the conflict itself was not between Israelis and Palestinians, but something far larger.
“This is a war between good and evil," he said. "And on the Israeli side, you have every religion you could possibly imagine, all of whom are working together to try and shed this world of the terrorist organization, Hamas.
"Hamas is no different than ISIS or Al Qaeda. And Israel cannot truly be safe, and frankly, the Palestinians cannot truly be saved, so long as Hamas is here.”
He said a “call for a ceasefire is absurd,” as it would only allow for Hamas to fortify their forces before attacking again.
It was a sentiment shared by many in the crowd, as well as Beer.
