About Avraham Brodianski

Avraham is the dean of a Hesder Yeshiva, which combines Torah study with IDF service.  He lives with his wife and three children in Rechasim and has been volunteering for United Hatzalah for two years.  Avraham’s drive to become an emergency first responder came about when he was just 14 years old.  He was taking a bus to school when the bus directly in front of them suddenly blew up, the result of a deadly terrorist bombing.  The doors of his bus flung open and the shocked teenager quickly exited into the mayhem.  In a trance-like state, the youth stared at the burning bus during the 30 seconds of deafening silence which follows bombing attacks, before screams and ambulance sirens pierce the air.  Despite the horrific sight of bleeding victims shrieking in agony, Avraham overcame his instinct to run away, knowing that he must try to help somehow.  But what could he do?  With his face ashen and his entire body shaking, the youth approached an elderly woman and helped her up, only to watch her quickly fall back down.  Within seconds Hatzalah responders began to swarm the scene.  As he waited, looking at this horrendous scene of pain and destruction, Avraham resolved in his heart that when he got older, he would learn to be one of these heroes and know how to help people.

Avraham’s story doesn’t end there. When Avraham was 19, he donated to blood to help a cancer patient.  The routine exam on his blood revealed that he had cancer himself.  Avraham and his family underwent an extremely difficult period in their lives. Avraham was subject to frequent tests, hospitalizations, chemotherapy and even a bone marrow transplant.  It was a long journey, filled with numerous ups and downs.  So many times Avraham did not feel well; shortness of breath, fainting, and host of other side effects. But throughout his treatment, Avraham never felt lonely. Be it day or night, weekday or shabbat, United Hatzalah volunteers were right there providing medical treatment for Avraham, as well as offering comfort and support to his family.  As Avraham slowly recovered, his experiences with United Hatzalah volunteers reaffirmed his solemn commitment to become a lifesaver.

Thankfully, Avraham fully recovered. Later on, when he was married with three small children and living in a small town up north, he decided to fulfill the commitment he made many years before.  When the next United Hatzalah EMT course opened up in his area, Avraham immediately signed up.  Today, he is an experienced medical emergency first responder, racing to save lives 24/7/365.  It took his family a bit of time to become accustomed the “new Avraham.” Their quiet reserved father had become a “lifesaver”, racing out of the home whenever and wherever needed to aid someone in distress.  With time, Avraham’s life saving activities became a part of the family routine.  His 6-year-old son already has his own “equipment” and is practicing to become a medic, “just like Abba“.