About Meor Barel

Meor is the Rabbi of the village of Kerem b’Yavne, father of two and a very active United Hatzalah medic.  Meor’s family is very proud of their Rabbi/medic father, and he sets a sterling example for his community.  Whether in the middle of the night or the middle of the Torah reading, during a family meal or his Shabbat sermon, when Meor’s walkie-talkie goes off alerting him to a medical emergency, he is out the door in a flash, racing to save lives.

One example of his lifesaving activities occurred shortly after he finished a volunteer shift assisting in the emergency room of the Kaplan Medical Center in Rechovot.  Meor had begun to drive home when he saw a road accident just ahead of him.  He quickly pulled over, jumped out of his car and donned his United Hatzalah vest.  Grabbing his medical kit, he ran towards the accident, arriving in less than 60 seconds!  The drivers were astonished at the sudden appearance of this orange clad rescuer.  The experienced medic immediately began bandaging their wounds, splinting suspected fractures and taking vital signs, reassuring the traumatized victims as he worked.  When the intensive care ambulance finally arrived, the only thing left for the crew to do was to transport the victims to the hospital.

Not long after the incident, Meor received a most pleasant and unexpected surprise, a bouquet of flowers.  One of the victims had remembered Meor’s name (from his United Hatzalah vest) and wanted to show his deep appreciation at Meor’s lightning response and professional caring treatment.  Meor doesn’t save lives to receive gifts or recognition of any kind.  The feeling that comes with helping people when they really need it is more than enough compensation.  Nevertheless, as a member of the human race he admits, “It’s nice to be appreciated.”