The Vaad Harabonim of Hatzolah of Central Jersey has issued a public warning to the communities of Lakewood, Jackson, Toms River, Howell, Manchester, and Brick regarding a rival organization, Hatzulas Nefashos, promoting unsanctioned emergency services. This group, previously condemned by rabbinical authorities across these towns for offering unnecessary and unapproved services, has ramped up its marketing efforts.
Hatzulas Nefashos has been aggressively advertising its hotline number, using attention-grabbing tactics aimed specifically at children. The group has distributed stickers, magnets, and other paraphernalia that are finding their way into homes, raising the possibility of confusion in emergency situations.
The Vaad Harabonim expressed serious concerns about the way this organization is branding itself, noting that its visual marketing closely mimics that of Hatzolah of Central Jersey. Such similarities could lead to dangerous confusion in moments of crisis, potentially delaying the appropriate medical response and putting lives at risk.
The statement emphasizes that the resources, experience, and medical oversight of the rival organization are unknown, and the Vaad strongly cautions against calling this alternative hotline in emergencies. They reiterated that Hatzolah of Central Jersey has no affiliation with this group and stressed that dialing their number will not connect callers to Hatzolah responders.
In light of this, the Vaad Harabonim urged community members to remove any magnets or materials related to the rival organization from their homes. They reminded residents that in an emergency, only Hatzolah’s official 24/7 hotline numbers—732-370-3600 or 732-888-3000—will guarantee fast, professional medical care, including advanced life support services.
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9 Responses
If the EMTs and paramedics are licensed and the organization is licensed by the state of NJ, I don’t see a problem.
Competition is a good thing, but not for the company that’s getting the competition. In Boro Park we have Shomrim and Shmira; they all try to excel, to be the best.
@Miriam377 hence the letter – I assume it was put out addressing the people that don’t see a problem, like yourself
@izzy – So if you’re agreeing that there is a proble, for all of us who do not see competition as a bad thing, can you please explain what the problem is, assuming they are in facr EMT and NJ licensed?
@zechaya1 I’m not stating my opinion (which is irrelevant), I’m just saying that the rabbanim who put out the letter above are probably addressing people who wouldn’t see a problem on their own. From my limited knowledge, we follow our rabbis even if we don’t see things the same way. They show us the way.
For those wondering, the incident that triggered the initial condemnation was a drowning scenario where the new guys were called (the caller believed they were calling Hatzalah CJ) but did not show up.
If not for another bystander calling Hatzalah CJ a few minutes later, the tragedy would have been worse.
This is just an update to that because of the deceptive advertising HN is engaging in.
And to those who are going to decry the “political nature” of these letters, it was politics that put that child in the hospital when the HN dispatcher chose not to collaborate with Hatzala CJ on a call the HN crew were not responding to in a timely manner. Warning the populace of the dangers of said organization is a civic duty, not politics.
Regarding Hatzolah organizations specifically, where else do you find 2 competing Hatzolah organizations in the same community that do the same thing?
To all those who think being licensed is a factor. The average response time in NYC on Memorial Day weekend this year was 12 minutes for life threatening emergencies and 30+ for non life threatening. Being licensed is not everything. There is a reason that Hatzalah exists in the first place
@Miriam377 @zechaya1 here you go https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2311652/horror-jackson-child-critical-after-hatzulas-nefashos-delays-patient-care.html.
We don’t need these stories to show us to listen to those who know better than us – but either way, I’m happy they didn’t ask you your opinions before putting out the letter