Hatzola Edgware marked ten years of life-saving service with an emotional and inspiring gala dinner – and within hours, its newest ambulance had already helped save a life.
The sold-out 10th Anniversary Dinner, held at the RAF Museum in north London, welcomes more than 400 guests, including local rabbonim, community leaders, supporters, and the team of volunteer medics and call handlers who power the Jewish emergency response organisation.
A highlight of the evening was the dedication of a brand-new ambulance donated by Adam and Karen Bloom in memory of Karen’s late parents, David and Norma Hamling. In a dramatic turn of events, the vehicle’s first journey back from the venue saw volunteer responders come across an unresponsive man by the roadside. The crew immediately intervened, delivering emergency care and transporting the patient to hospital.
The night featured musical performances by local artists Rafi Sandford and Aron Cooperman, with violinist Imogen Bloom – daughter of the evening’s hosts – among the musicians. Rabbi Y.Y. Schochet of Mill Hill delivered a powerful address praising the selfless and sacred work of Hatzola’s team, who respond to emergencies 24 hours a day.
General Ambience of the Dinner at the impressive RAF museum
A short film shown during the dinner recounted one of the organisation’s most dramatic rescues: a sustained seven-hour effort by volunteers to keep a critically ill man, David Fox, alive across two hospitals on Kol Nidrei night. “If it wasn’t for Hatzola Edgware, I wouldn’t be alive today,” Fox told guests in a video message. Clinical lead Dr Asher Lewinsohn, who had been present throughout the ordeal, led the evening’s fundraising appeal.
Renowned political commentator and author Douglas Murray, who flew in from the United States for the event, appeared in conversation with influencer Dov Forman. Murray praised Hatzola volunteers as “people who drop everything, at any moment, to save a life. That’s the Jewish value of life in action.”
In remarks referencing escalating tensions with Iran, Murray added: “The IDF and IAF are saving the world from the Iranian threat, yet they are still criticised. The West owes gratitude, but too often withholds it.”
Douglas Murray in conversation with Dov Forman
Due to the ongoing security crisis in Israel, Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely was unable to attend in person. In a video message, she paid tribute to Murray for his long-standing support of Israel and his warnings on Iran. She presented him with a symbolic silver Hatzola radio – a gesture inspired by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s gifting of a gold beeper to Donald Trump – thanking him for “answering the call” of the Jewish people.
The ambassador also thanked Hatzola Edgware’s volunteers, calling them “the best of the Jewish people”.
Rabbi Zvi Mamorstein led guests in Tehillim, and David Rabson presented the Blooms with a specially commissioned artwork in appreciation of their support. Co-trustees Tzvi Grosskopf and Elliot Hambling, COO Shaya Hecht, and medical director Dr Martin Harris were also recognised for their leadership.
The new ambulance joins a fleet of four ambulances and two rapid response vehicles serving the growing Jewish communities of Edgware, Mill Hill and Stanmore.
As the dramatic events of the evening made clear, Hatzola Edgware’s work is not only a story of the past decade – but a mission that continues to save lives every single day.
