Back from the brink of death, Eli Beer took his mission to the war zone and beyond
Photos: Elchanan Kotler, Flash 90, United Hatzalah
Illustration: Menachem Weinreb
The newly grown beard, with its aura of pensiveness and age-acquired wisdom, is the clearest sign that United Hatzalah Israel founder Eli Beer is at an existential crossroads. With the shadow of near-death from Covid behind him and his 50th birthday looming ahead, the indefatigable maverick who transformed emergency medical services in Israel and beyond has undergone a profound personal reassessment.
His dedication to saving lives has always been unwavering, but Eli admits that his close brush with the Angel of Death has given him a newfound appreciation for the fragility of existence. And facing his own mortality has left him more determined than ever to use this upcoming milestone as a springboard for moving forward.
“Today I think about life a lot differently, and I look at life differently — I know that in one second it can all be over for any one of us,” he says, looking out a top-floor window of United Hatzalah’s Jerusalem headquarters at the ever-developing city entrance below. “You know, I thought I could live forever. I’ve gone into war zones, I’ve led rescue teams into natural disasters, I carry a gun to fend off terrorists, and still zoom around on a motorcycle saving people. And in one second it all turned around in the Covid ward of a Miami hospital when the doctor came in and told me, ‘Eli, in 30 minutes we’re putting you on a ventilator in an induced coma. Otherwise, you’ll be dead by the end of the day.’ I asked him, ‘What are my chances of survival if you intubate me?’ He told me, ‘Five percent.’ ”
Create a free account to keep reading.
