Amid the chaos of October 7th, 2023, Dov Maisel faced an unthinkable choice—leave his son’s bar mitzvah to send United Hatzalah responders into danger near Gaza. This gripping account reveals courage, sacrifice, and the will to save lives.
On October 7th, 2023, Dov Maisel had to make the hardest decision of his life. Not only was it Simchat Torah, the most joyful holiday of the year, but it was also the day of his son’s bar-mitzvah, a momentous occasion for any 13 year old Jewish boy. As Dov and his family were running from the Bar-Mitzvah ceremony to bomb shelters as rockets began to rain down from Hamas, his phone rang.
As the VP of Operations for United Hatzalah, one of the largest emergency response organizations in Israel, Dov knew he would have a difficult decision to make. In fact, it would be the hardest decision he had ever made in his life. To send the first responders he was responsible for directly into the line of fire along the Gaza border. Their mission? To save lives, no matter who they were.
This raw and emotional story from October 7th is one that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. Here is Dov Maisel, director of Operations for United Hatzalah, with the story.
