Opinion piece by the President and Founder of United Hatzalah of Israel, Eli Beer

Over the weekend, we learned of the death of Moshe Yitzchak Katz, an American Israeli soldier who fell in battle in Lebanon. His loss is not only part of the heavy toll this war continues to exact. For many within the global community of first responders, his story carries a deeper resonance.

Moshe was the son of a volunteer EMT with Hatzalah in New Haven, Connecticut.

To those who live a life of response, that detail is not incidental. It is foundational.

I am certain that Moshe’s home was shaped by a deep commitment to emergency service. He would have seen, time and again, that when a call comes in, you go. You do not hesitate. You understand that responsibility is not something you pass on. It is something you run toward.

It is difficult not to see that same instinct reflected in Moshe’s life. While I never met him, it is clear that these values took root early. The decision to leave the familiarity of home, to make Aliyah, and to serve on the frontlines as a soldier in the IDF was not incidental. It was a choice. A deliberate act of answering a call.

Across the world, Hatzalah volunteers embody that same reflex. Whether in New Haven or Nes Tziona, they leave their Shabbat tables, their workplaces, and their families behind to run toward strangers in distress. Different organizations. Different languages. Different uniforms. But the work, and more importantly the calling, is identical.

Moshe carried that calling in a different uniform.

He did not carry a medic bag. He carried the Shield of David in defense of his people. He did not ride an ambucycle. He stood on the frontlines to protect others. Yet the essence of his mission was no different. He ran toward danger when others might have stepped back.

That is what binds Moshe to us. Not affiliation. Not geography. Not even the uniform we wear. We stand shoulder to shoulder, united by a shared cause that transcends organizations and borders.

We are bound as Jews, and as first responders in the deepest sense of the word. People who do not turn away from the call for help. People who understand that when life is on the line, it is our duty to respond.

Moshe Yitzchak Katz lived that truth and fell embodying it.

On behalf of the United Hatzalah family, I extend our deepest condolences to the Katz family. We mourn with you and honor the values that shaped Moshe’s life and his extraordinary choice. May his legacy strengthen our resolve to answer the next call, wherever it may come.