Moments ago, the Hatzalah-Thon fundraiser has reached the astounding and historic goal of eighteen million dollars.

The “Hatzalah Week” campaign, organized by United for Protection as a week of support and celebration in honor of Hatzalah members around the world, has received an outpouring of support from across the globe, as people expressed their appreciation to the volunteers who were on the front lines during the pandemic and have dedicated their lives to helping others in need 24/7.

Over 81,000 Jews from all walks of life have donated to the historic campaign to show their appreciation for the unsung heroes in their communities.

United for Protection was founded by businessmen Beryl Junik, Shloimy Greenwald and Zalmy Cohen, who set out to write a Torah scroll to strengthen the world against the terrible pandemic. The writing of the first and second Unity Torahs have been called a “historic endeavor” by many for the unprecedented unity it has brought to Klal Yisroel across the globe by uniting hundreds of thousands who have purchased letters.

The proceeds of the Unity Torah campaigns have been donated to Hatzalah branches world.

During this year’s Hatzalah Week, the second Unity Torah, which was dedicated to Hatzalah members worldwide, was completed Thursday, Lag BaOmer, in a star-studded event with the biggest names in Jewish music.

Over 2.1 million people tuned in to the Hatzalah-Thon from every corner of the globe, to witness the historic completion of the Torah which united tens of thousands of Jews of all types.

Although it was a very difficult night for world Jewry, after hearing of the tragedy which had occurred at Meron just hours earlier, organizers said they felt it was an opportunity to join in unity as a people and strengthen each other, as we pushed for a call to action to increase in achdus and love for one another.

The historic fundraising campaign is a stunning display of the unity and compassion of the Jewish people, who together donated millions of dollars, the organizers said.

“Last year, we raised an unbelievable $15 million dollars, and people thought that only was possible due to the crisis of the pandemic. Everyone thought we wouldn’t be able to surpass last year’s goal,” said Shloimy Greenwald, one of the organizers of the campaign. “The numbers show otherwise…we have raised $3 million dollars more than last year’s campaign in support of Hatzalah’s life-saving activities. We are overjoyed and moved by the worldwide support.”