Meet Matan Nitsky, a colleague of mine at United Hatzalah of Israel where I currently work in Jerusalem.
I made this film on Matan back in October, on his ‘triple’ life.
A Yeshiva student in the morning, a Civil Service volunteer in the afternoon at United Hatzalah, and a father in the evening.
Matan’s stories continue to inspire me each time we briefly speak in the United Hatzalah storage room where he works.
He has been saving lives since he was a teenager.
He recently told me that he was at the Mercaz HaRav Massacre in Jerusalem in 2008 when the gunmen was still shooting. He was a volunteer at a nearby hospital when he heard the call and immediately went to the scene when it was still dangerous. Because it was around Purim time, the hospital was getting so many crank calls, some at the hospital started to ignore the calls. He knew this one was real and immediately went there. He was able to give the hospital a 5-6 minute warning to prepare for the victims arrival.
At the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva that evening, eight students were killed, eleven were wounded, and five of them placed in critical condition.
We all know without his 5-6 minute warning it could have changed the above numbers.
He still thinks often about that day.
Matan Nitsky should be praised for serving the country within his religious framework.
Café Avra Productions 