Ezer Mizion

The family calls him a malach. A malach is both an angel and a messenger and thirteen years ago, he was truly Hashem’s messenger in saving a life. Yisroel Fischer uses his spare time- and then some- to volunteer in various capacities. He had been called to assist at a MVA with multiple victims and raced to the scene. His assignment: to move the niftarim, who were already placed in body bags, to a different area.  Things were going as smoothly as such a grueling job could until… a bag moved. Yisroel rushed to open it and was shocked to see a baby girl…alive! The MDA took over, sedating her and placing her on a respirator while he returned to his assignment.

Years passed, he relates. I took many Ezer Mizion volunteer assignments to drive the elderly to a clinic appointment, dialysis patients for treatment, cancer patients for chemo.   Time flew by, lots of water flowed under the bridge, and the time came to celebrate my thirtieth anniversary. We decided to take a weekend vacation at Kibbutz Nir Etzion in honor of the occasion…

Thursday night. A What’s App message comes through for the Ezer Mizion Jerusalem Linked to Life group asking for a volunteer to drive a mother and her daughter from Jerusalem to Haifa for medical treatment.

I was happy to work the ride into the trip towards our vacation. The feeling of doing a chessed is unquantifiable and is its own reward. What better way to celebrate thirty years of marriage??

The drive was pleasant, and the mother started telling us the story of how her entire family was hurt on their way back from the Kosel years before. One mosaic stone joins another, one colorful pebble snaps into the next, rousing old memories, and opening the fount of tears, as we realize that the tiny baby whose life I had saved was none other than the girl sitting in the back seat of my car…

Since that trip, Ezer Mizion knows that this call goes to me. I have driven them every time they need to go to Haifa for medical care, listening along the way to their firm emunah, drawing from their deep connection to Hashem.

On the auspicious day of Lag B’Omer, young Shira received her final treatment. One thought filled the hearts of the pair as they exited the building, hopefully for the last time. R’ Shimon bar Yochai. Mr. Fischer then joined the long line of hundreds of Ezer Mizion volunteers, bringing his two passengers to Meron.  In the women’s section of the Tzion stands Shira with her mother, clutching a t’hillim, so filled with gratitude for the miracle of having her life saved twice. Please daven for Shira bat Ora for the success of her medical procedure. May she be blessed with a complete refuah among all the cholim in klal Yisroel.