Video: All Female Haredi EMT Squad Opens In Brooklyn

An all-female crew of haredi Jewish emergency medical technicians, Ezras Nashim, hit Borough Park's  streets Tuesday for the first time. Founder Ruchie Freier says it was a struggle to launch Ezras Nashim, but it was well worth doing.

Above: Ruchie Freier and her mother standing in front of an Ezras Nashim ambulance last year

Comments

[Michael-Meir]

Typo on truck. Should be its.

[Michael-Meir]

The need is so obvious. Should have been a no-brainer. Congratulations, yasher koach, etc.

[dh]

We wouldn't want anyone to be uncomfortable. Gracious, no!

[ruthie]

brava

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Roochie is a Hindu name. Just like the sheitls. Way to go.

[Jeff]

One of them mentioned childbirth and the bedroom. Obviously a bunch of brazen women.

[Dovid]

We wouldn't want anyone to be uncomfortable. Gracious, no!
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Poor thing. I take it you are uncomfortable with this. Awwww.

[Yochanan Lavie]

This is a positive development. It might open new career paths for chareidi women.

[S M L]

So- how does this work? Call goes out to whatever hotline number brings an EMT, the male crew shows up, finds a woman in distress, backs off and calls the female crew, or vice-versa? I wonder how the dispatching will be arranged.

[this is a name]

nope these women are not hot at all I would not want them to give me cpr

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

These women are trouble makers. They should stay at home and bake kugel and clean up. Perhaps the Modesty Squad can take care of this.

[Just the Facts]

How can they be open when a Telephone Number for them is not posted, anywhere?

Many people are asking the same question.

Start googling "Ezras Nashim", and you will find that the top auto suggest is "Ezras Nashim Telephone Number".

[Account Deleted]

Excellent development. We should also have White Only Emergency Medical Services, Gay Only, Black Only, Black Women Only.

This is an excellent target for personal injury litigation. Nothing better than wasting precious moments in an emergency to provide for gender based decision making.

[Dovid]

Pard, then you think there should be no Hatzolah at all? No ambulance service to pick up Jewish people? Did you ever complain about it before, or are you only mad NOW that Jewish WOMEN are starting their own? When Jewish MEN did it, you were okay with it, I imagine...

[Jeff]

>>These women are trouble makers. They should stay at home and bake kugel and clean up. Perhaps the Modesty Squad can take care of this.

Mark my words, there will be another kidnapping because of this. Hashem won't take this affront lying down.

>>How can they be open when a Telephone Number for them is not posted, anywhere?

You want people to be able to actually CALL them, chos v'sholem? Why not just go all the way and approve of mixed dancing?

[Account Deleted]

Dovid. It is wonderful to have a fraternal organization dedicated to helping one's own community. Consider, however, the issues that are created by ever narrowing the scope for which emergency services are delivered. The line can be drawn anywhere, depending on your point of view. I was illustrating how that line can be crossed, as I believe it is being crossed here. Emergency services such as Hatzolah have difficult moral issues to balance in relation to the general population, this women only unit makes that balancing act more problematic. Just my opinion. Emergency services such as Hatzolah should already have women serving in the field. Too much segregation is a damaging behavior for everyone.

[Jeff]

I agree with Pard, but I also agree with YL. It is an empowering development for the women (as long as the rabbis don't shut them down).

[Wigmore]

WSC, haven't you said here before that only in Borough Park is the normal delivery of a baby a reason to call for an ambulance, rather than a taxi? :)

[S M L]

How is Hatzolah funded and what determines when they go out on a call? Are they plugged into 911 somehow or is there a special number? If one of their all-male crews is called to attend someone who isn't Jewish what do they do? Refuse to go? I"m seriously curious to know how they operate, what their rules are, etc.

[gevezener chusid]

from Hatzolah of Williamsburg's website (spelling errors and all):

"Hatzolah - a nonprofit organization with the largest volunteer ambulance service in the United States. Hatzolah provides premium quality pre-hospital emergency medical treatment and transportation. With their large army of volunteers, they treat all in need at no coast regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. Hatzolah does not receive any government funding, nor does it seek reimbursement from medical insurance companies."

[WoolSilkCotton; I must be seen to be believed]

Wigmore, yes, if you are in active labor you should call an ambulance.
Sometimes, especially if it's not the first pregnancy, you progress quickly in labor. An ambulance is equipped for a delivery, a taxi isn't. An ambulance can use lights and sirens to get through traffic; a taxi can't.

Imagine a taxi driver's reaction to your water breaking or bleeding all over his back seat. You are putting him out of service for the rest of the day.
(I doubt if a NYC yellow cab would knowingly pick up a passenger in labor.)

If a loved one of mine went into labor in NYC, I would call 911, not a taxi, unless it was very early labor in a first pregnancy that was otherwise uncomplicated.

[JessicaR]

What a moving story. The women EMTs are wonderful!

[Elliot]

I think it's fantastic for dedicated medical professionals to serve their community to the best of their abilities, as is being done here.

However, has anyone noticed the irony here? A hundred years ago, we needed to have Jewish hospitals because anti-Semites didn't allow Jewish doctors to practice medicine alongside the rest of their colleagues.

Now, we have to form our own separate EMS service in order to allow women to practice, because we are excluding ourselves? Time to look in the mirror, people.

[Dovid]

. Emergency services such as Hatzolah should already have women serving in the field. Too much segregation is a damaging behavior for everyone.
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They should, but they don't. So instead of griping about the women, let's gripe about the men. And really, how can you blame women who are brought up to believe they are whores if they allow men to talk to them, look at them, touch them, for then wanting only women to deal with their emergency care? And like I said, the segregation was fine when it was Jewish men starting a segregated ambulance service for Jews. Now suddenly segregation is wrong?

[Account Deleted]

Dovid.

I understand the desire for women to be provided with a female EMT, in fact, I believe it should be accommodated.

Segregation of emergency services is not to be accommodated in our civil society.

The mission statement of hatzolah quoted above, is of course echoing the ethos of a non-segregated service, but is of course, not truthful.

The solution is to demand the incorporation of women into the general Hatzolah organization as EMT's. I have no gripes with the women. The men, Rabbinic authorities in particular, are the problem here as usual.

[m]

haredi men should work instead of taking easy at home and going back and forth to their shul on and off all day long to relax and socialize , especially at nite , bc they want to escape the stress caused by their 10 children being home all at the same time . leaving the responsibility to their wife instead of helping her .

haredi women are slaves . not only they work hard at home for a 12 hour straight with no break , doing EVERYTHING , from shopping for food , cooking , doing the laundry ( JUST IMAGINE DOING LAUNDRY FOR 10 kids PLUS FOR HER AND HER HUSBAND ) , taking kids to the doctor , and being present to attend their children coming from school...
the most stressful time of the day .

in addition to all that , their husband made their wife work , bc their husband would rather take it easy .

it is very common for the haredi wife to work , but not their husband .

[Account Deleted]

Excellent point made by m.