Mohammed Ahbeed is a Muslim volunteer EMT living in East Jerusalem who joined United Hatzalah last year. He has quickly proven himself as an active and dedicated volunteer who selflessly gives of his time and energy to help others, saving both Jewish and Muslim lives. Mohammed is passionate about lifesaving and is also a dispatcher both for medical emergencies and for the organization’s newly established humanitarian aid services.

A few weeks ago, Mohammed was sitting at a coffee shop next to the Damascus Gate when he received an urgent alert that a medical emergency had just occurred near his location. He left his coffee on the table and jumped on his ambucycle and rushed to the location. Less than three minutes later he arrived at the address. Outside the building, Mohammed was met by an agitated woman and brought to the backyard where he saw a group of frightened children surrounding an older man who was lying unconscious on the ground. Mohammed approached the man and checked his vital signs. Mohammed discovered that the man had dangerously low blood sugar. The experienced volunteer quickly administered glucogel under the man’s tongue, providing an instant sugar boost. The man slowly began to regain consciousness as an ambulance crew joined Mohammed on the scene. The team provided supplemental oxygen, further stabilizing the man’s condition. However, his blood pressure remained sky-high, and the team quickly concluded that the man had suffered from a stroke.

As the intensive care crew continued treatment, the man’s wife approached Mohammed and asked how much to pay him. She began offering Mohammed large sums of money only to shockingly find out that it was completely free. Mohammed replied that United Hatzalah does not charge for its services. “I came to help,” Mohammed told her simply. “Just be healthy and well.” The woman, who was distraught over her husband’s condition, was moved beyond words by the concept of United Hatzalah. Mohammed’s kindness and caring gave her a tremendous sense of support and she looked at him with wordless gratitude.

“I feel a great deal of satisfaction when situations like these happen,” Mohammed said. “I feel that I am just doing my job, this is what I need to do, but some people don’t understand that concept. When I see the look on people’s faces after I have helped them or their loved ones it brightens my day. The feeling I get when I know I have saved a life is unlike any other. People in my community are not so familiar with United Hatzalah yet. Receiving medical service for free is not something that is common here. I feel honored to represent an organization whose sole purpose is to help others at no charge and with no strings attached.”