Why There Are No Ambulances In Jerusalem

Video written by Corinne Neustadter

[ESRosenberg]

I'm from the Old City team and we actually DO have 2 ambulances:
- A small ATV ambulance that can navigate most of the streets of the Old City
- A smaller than normal Ambulance built in a Mercedes Vito frame that can only use some of the streets of the Old City but also allows us to evacuate fast from the Old City to hospitals/external ambulances through Zion gate (through which a normal ambulance won't fit).

In extreme situations (severe snow storms) both vehicles may end up being used to evacuate all the way to a hospital though we prefer to transfer to external ambulances as soon as possible to not leave the Old City without emergency response vehicles for as short a period as possible.

First responders from inside the Old City will be mostly on foot or bicycle/scooter and volunteer with one or both organizations mentioned.
Knowledge of the actual streets and alleyways is also vital even in this age of GPS.

Other "quality of life" improvements we have for our medics is that we have installed emergency response cabinets at strategic locations thus medics that are responding on foot to calls don't need to carry ~12kg in equipment for great distances.

The "French Hospital" cited in the video is to the best of my knowledge a Hospice facility with no Emergency capabilities (in all my years we never evacuated there).

[yjlion]

Please clarify, this is only the old city of Jerusalem, which is only about 1 square mile. The rest of Jerusalem has normal roads, and ambulances. Garbage pick up in the old city is done with a small dumpster that's pulled by an ATV (theirs tracks on streets that have steps) My grandfather remembered when it was done with a donkey.

[__skillz]

Props to Sam for uploading to the right channel this time

[technetium]

Turning Jerusalem into a series of highways and parking lots, is an interesting way to end the conflict, an American city planners dream

[RushedAnimation]

My brother's part of hatzala, and carries car keys, a phone, and walkie talkie on shabbos despite being observant in case of an emergency. It's completely volunteers, and my brother responds to about 2-3 calls a week

[simel]

The western wall is accessable to cars, and even busses.

The french hospital is not an actual hospital anymore, it's currently a hospice. The closest ER to the old city of Jerusalem is in Hadasa Har Hatsofim.

Hazala work in all of Israel, not just Jerusalem, using the same system.

MDA has ambulance mopeds all across Israel, not just in Jerusalem.

[emmawiner]

Fun fact: There are actually new, smaller vehicles used by MDA/ Hatzola called Bimbulances- combining the kiddy car name in Hebrew "Bimba" and "ambulance" as they fit one person and equipment. They are used similarly to the bikes to get to an emergency faster than an ambulance, or in narrow-road neighbourhoods (like the old city)!

[MrTedjamable]

As a paramedic I 100% approve of the term Wee Woo Wagon

[DGrayson]

He really pronounced the CH in Challah like that lmfao

[drfoop]

I hear “not for profit ambulance service” and think “Aren’t they all? Oh, wait…”

[guss]

Correction: MDA (mada?) Isn't part of the IDF - it's is a private non-profit organisation which balances it's checkbook by charging the Israeli government for Ambulance services (and by being staffed almost completely by volunteers). Even though MDA is a private kind-of commercial civilian organisation, the heads of it like the pretence of paramilitary (for some weird reason) and therefore this civilian organisation's managerial hierarchy has military-styled ranks and insignia, which they wear on their uniforms.

Source: I live in Israel, had the misfortune of needing to use MDA services, and have several friends who were involved with MDA in different capacities.

[midnitetoker]

3:45
"People who observe the Sabbath, can break it with accordance to Hatzalah"

As a Jew, may I offer a better way to make this statement. There is almost no Jewish law which supersedes one's life. So, yes, the Sabbath MUST be transgressed to save a person's life.

[maximbrekhman]

2:28 that challah pronunciation killed something inside of me even tho it’s a joke

[galashery]

Most people already mentioned the main mistakes in video, but there’s another that I didn’t see mentioned. MDA is definitely NOT a part of the IDF. They are completely separated and have nothing to do with the military. The MDA is regulated by the Ministry of Internal Security, while the IDF is under the Ministry of Defense. Also there isn’t a single Hospital in Israel which is owned or operated by MDA. Hospitals in Israel are either privately owned or owned by the state or owned and operated by one of the four national healthcare are providers(Kupat Cholim). Also MDA do not instruct nurses, it’s a profession you study in university. They only instruct their own medics and drivers.
I’m actually not sure how sam got so many inaccuracies in one video

[AaronCederberg]

Uhhh.

1. There’s a full on bus stop that can handle double length busses that’s probably less than 100 yards from the western wall, and it’s all very well paved so they’d be able to easily get a wheeled stretcher anywhere in the area. Car access to the Al Aqsa compound up top is probably via the Lion’s gate, which is also like 100 yards from the giant courtyard area, which is also plenty smooth enough to roll a stretcher over. In general, there are a number of roads that do venture into the old city, and you’re never far from a place that a normal ambulance would be able to access. So they just use a stretcher, just like anywhere else in the world.

2. The ambucycles operate City wide and are more about getting medical equipment and expertise to the patient quickly even if there’s traffic or whatever, and they don’t actually transport the patient. That’s still an ambulance thing.

3. The hospital you mentioned is more of a palliative care ward, and nobody would go there for an emergency.

Interesting to see how un-thorough the research is whenever these videos touch on things I know about.

[y.vinitsky]

As a former war time MDA volunteer, I'll add another correction to the many and varied already listed. MDA is NOT and has never bean part of the IDF even during war time. As a red cross organization they assist injured combatants and civilians on both sides when needed. The closest they get to IDF is they train combat paramedics and many are IDF veterans. During war time they do hang behind the lines and help transport combatants and civilians they receive.

[almightyconicalflask]

Almighty Conical Flask Approves of WeeWooWeeWooWeeWoo.

[ofekbritstein]

Actually, the western wall is accessible by car and bus as there is a a square for dropping people less then 100 meters from the western wall itself and 10 meters from the western wall plaza(on the outside of the security check point)

[loopback]

FYI, MDA is very much **NOT** part of IDF

[colinmartin]

As a Seattle EMT, you basically just described what it's like to work at a UW husky football game. Pretty much to the tee. Just swap "religious pilgrim" for "drunk alumni in their 50s who doesn't know they can't party like they're 23 anymore"