Chabad of Montecito in Conversation with Gavriel Friedson
The Chabad of Montecito led by Rabbi Chaim presented a talk with disaster management specialist Gavriel “Gavy” Friedson on Sunday, February 25 at the private home of Ben and Cheryl Trosky.
The event program commenced with a welcome by Rabbi Chaim. He shared, “One of the most famous words in Hebrew is l’chaim – which means ‘to life.’ Because that’s the Jewish response after tragedy: we step up, add in goodness, do something extra for someone else, and bring more good energy into this world.”
Next, student senators from UCSB who are standing against anti-Semitism were honored. Some shared about their experiences with the issues.
Friedson spoke about United Hatzalah and his work as a medic in response to the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by militant group Hamas. Subjects covered were the emergency preparedness of the United Hatzalah organization, and how its volunteers responded on the morning of 10/7, treating hundreds of people with gunshot wounds and its psycho-trauma unit responding to victims of sexual assault. He also talked about his time visiting with hostage families and wounded soldiers. Friedson expressed the importance of Judeo-Christian values and communities coming together and standing on the right side of history.
He said, “1,200+ Israelis were murdered since October 7, 14,492 wounded, 240 soldiers fallen since the start of ground invasion (total 577 killed, 2,797+ injured of which 424+ are in serious condition since October 7th), 134 held hostage by Hamas. In the South – rocket fire has all but come to a stop as we have destroyed most of their launchers and rockets. In the North – rockets and drones fired against us continue to increase the fighting intensifying by the day. Is full scale war in the North inevitable? United Hatzalah is preparing its first responders and making sure it has all the tools and is ready. United Hatzalah is a volunteer based medical emergency organization that responds to emergencies within three minutes or less. Our volunteers come from all walks of life in Israel, Jews, Christian, Muslim, Druze, which provide emergency medical response within their communities all over the country. Arriving fast and free of charge. United Hatzalah volunteers responded to more than 750,000 calls last year throughout Israel, saving lives every day.”
There was a Q&A after Friedson’s presentation. Over 100 attendees came representing many different religions and beliefs, saying they wished to learn more and show their support. Michelle Lebowski, spoke about her work as a co-sponsor of the UC Santa Barbara Associated Students 74th Senate bill condemning the militant group Hamas on November 15, 2023. The bill, titled A Resolution to Condemn Hamas, calls for Associated Students (A.S.) to “unequivocally condemn Hamas” and “mourn all civilian loss of life in Israel and Gaza as a result of the ensuing war,” as well as “denounce any celebration of the October 7th pogrom as vehemently antisemitic, anti-humanist, and morally despicable.”
After the presentations, the Rabbi led the attendees in giving thanks to the Troskys for hosting and read Psalm 121. The event was sponsored by an anonymous donor who wishes to bring community together and support Israel.
Friedson is currently on a speaking tour across the USA and will be in Boston next week. United Hatzalah is getting ready to host its annual gala on March 20th in Los Angeles featuring Gal Gadot and honoring Michael Milken.
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