It was an exhilarating moment for the women of Ezras Nashim as they took delivery of their long awaited ambulance on Sunday, their hard-fought legal battle to get a vehicle of their own finally coming to an end.
The all-female Ezras Nashim emergency medical corps was approved by the New York State Emergency Medical Services Council to operate its own ambulance in August, overriding an October 2019 denial handed down by the New York City Regional Emergency Medical Council.
White with vivid purple stripes, the ambulance bears the Ezras Nashim logo in both English and Hebrew. Two letters of rabbinical approval are painted onto the 2020 Ford Transit’s rear windows, including one signed 40 years ago by Rabbi Refoel Blum, the Kasho Rav, and Rabbi Yosef Grunwald, the Pupa Rebbe, endorsing the creation of a women’s group that would provide medical care until those in childbirth could arrive at a hospital.
Several members of the NYPD’s 66 Precinct were on hand as Ezras Nashim founder Judge Ruchie Freier enjoyed an opportunity to show the new ambulance, including a logo that identifies Ezras Nashim as a partner organization of the FDNY.
She described the state-of-the art ambulance as sleek and aerodynamic, noting that its van-like size will allow for greater maneuverability on Borough Park’s often crowded streets.
“We have always had doubters snickering and saying ‘I want to see ladies driving an ambulance,’ but six of us have already trained on it, women in their twenties to their seventies,” Freier told VIN News, adding that Ezras Nashim will be training additional women to drive the new vehicle.
Freier estimated that Ezras Nashim has at least forty to fifty EMTs in Borough Park, Flatbush and its Manhattan branch based in Stern College, with another class of 20 women training to join the corps. The group is very diverse and includes volunteers from all segments of the Jewish community at all levels of religious observance, who are fluent in English, Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian and Bucharian.
“Coming from a Torah perspective, women have their roles and men have theirs, but women have always taken care of women,” noted Freier. “By us coming forward, we aren’t introducing something new – we are going back to the way things have always been.”
Michael E. Pollock, Ezras Nashim’s director of government affairs, guided Freier through the complex process of buying the ambulance. An EMT for more than 33 years, Pollock helped Freier customize the vehicle which includes a hydraulic stretcher – a state of the art device that he considers a must for any ambulance, no matter what gender crew is on board.
“These save the backs of EMTs who are carrying heavy loads,” explained Pollock. “If you look at other ambulance crews, they either have this equipment or they are putting it in. Even the big strong men need these – this is about saving lives and that is the end game, something that people keep forgetting.”
Pollock said that he recently came across a 2011 article on Ezras Nashim while cleaning out his office and that he has been a supporter of Freier’s since that time. A resident of Brighton, located on the southeast border of Rochester, he recalled discussing Ezras Nashim with a neighbor who had invited him over to eat in their succah years ago.
“I asked them what was wrong with these people and why they didn’t want women to be EMTs and they told me it was man’s work,” recalled Pollock, whose daughter is also an EMT. “I asked them how they could say that, it should be everyone’s work, and our relationship was never the same after that.”
Now that Ezras Nashim finally has its long-awaited rig, Freier is hoping for smoother sailing ahead. Her daughter is currently training to become an EMT and she is pleased to see young women preparing to join Ezras Nashim.
“I’m glad that these young women won’t have to go through what we went through,” said Freier. “We see now that young men under 30 understand that women can do this. That is the wonderful thing about bringing about change – you see a future that is much more open and accepting.”
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I have a very simple question, why is such a holy org. as hatzolah with erlicha yingaliet, fighting tooth and nail, that they should be the ones touching women and delivering their babies when women give birth ?
shouldn’t the frum men support that women deliver babies from women? why is delivering babies different then sitting next to women on the bus ?
Because the hatzolah members know how much they take away from their wives and families and their family life in order to dedicate themselves to hatzolah. They know the shabbos and yom tov meals left uneaten and the families left to tend to themselves, the mornings, the nights, etc that they are not there to do their part for the family. They know what it takes and it is impossible for women to do the same and it is impossible for the fathers and husbands of these women to step up and fill their shoes. simple
If a woman chooses to leave her shabbos meal, that’s HER choice.
Not for the men to decide.
Read the article.
Do you not know any Frum doulas or midwives ob obgyns who do exactly that? Cuz I do and their capable husband’s and support systems and kids hand lit just fine ..
That people will end up with slower response times in a critical emergency with this smaller group instead of simply calling hatzala and getting faster service from its much wider and experienced network of volunteers.
There’s a very big difference! This pertains to medical issues and saving lives! You cant compare !
So great!
Will they respond to emergencies specific to males?
This is JUST for women. How do you think a male would feel being attended to by a group of females in a private situation? Exactly the way a female would be when attended to by males.
Well there wasn’t a problem for the past 20 plus years with hatzala as they are…
Of course there was a problem. A women’s ambulance corps fills a critical need.
Are they only able to help women in Boro Park?
Now we have male nurses and female doctors and surgeons. As a female health professional l see it as a personal calling to care, serve, and be impactful when someone is in need. Congratulations to the women who strive to add a different perspective to the care of pregnant women. I wish you only the best.
KOL HAKAVOD!
Thanks for sharing!
Was this question not brought to the Rebbe? What did he say?
To my recollection, it was a NO.
Can someone confirm?
Do not take things out of context. I am not aware of a blanket response for all times that female nurses or emergency technicians cannot attend to women.
Why is what the rebbe says out of context?
Is this a proper licensed ambulance? I see regular NYS license plates on it, not the ambulance plates that you see on all other ambulances (not ambulettes), also, I don’t see the NYS Certified stickers on it, again, like all other ambulances, hatzalah included.
So much negativity and wishes to disrupt it means that something important is happening for women. I am sure that people will be waiting with bated breath for an adverse event so that they can say “SEE?” Unfortunately I know for a fact that that is a possibility in any emergency situation, including with hatzalah. Be generous people, these are trained and qualified volunteers who will be responding only to calls that people WISH to make for their services. Women also choose to give birth at home with midwives and that’s fine. But when they choose to call an all… Read more »
She must have an ambulance only for her baby and for her! so it’s not so easy to say that one ambulance will take care Of all home birth …. I don’t know do they care about anything else besides home birth?
Its about time!
Long awaited. Don’t give up!
In my book adult women can make choices relating their health, the health of their children, their jobs and all other aspects of an adult human being’s life. This has to do with the dignity, peace of mind and wellbeing of the Jewish woman. Those who don’t choose to make use of this service don’t need to call them. So where’s the problem?
i never understood from the beginning why they couldnt just work together, with them taking care of specific cases
Hatzala members work very closely together and become dear friends and hng out. So working together would make mingling. So thats why
Beautiful! Alu vehatzlichu!
Well done ladies! Stand tall and proud! Hashem loves you and so do we!!
I don’t understand the support for this organization. to me it seems so obvious that it should not exist for so many reasons: 1) Unless there is Halachik sources that only women can tend to womanly medical issues, opening a competing EMS service constitutes as hasagas gevul. The Beis Yosef explicitly allows made medical professionals to help women etc. The existence of this org is hasagas gevul 2) It is important to understand the stats. close to half of Hatzala calls are dealing with women in labor, one ambulance from Ezras Nashim with a couple of EMTs cannot meet the… Read more »
What are they gonna do when they get a call from a male