List of Hatzolah Chapters - United States - New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey has many Hatzolah organizations throughout the State. Each NJ affiliate maintains its own emergency phone number, dispatchers, and radio frequencies. While they are not officially connected, as with NYC Hatzolah, many of them are nevertheless loosely affiliated, sharing classes or working at each other's events. On occasion, all five divisions have worked together to provide joint event coverage or to share training classes.

Per New Jersey law, volunteers with proper permits may equip their cars with blue flashing lights and electronic airhorns, but not red flashing lights, nor sirens. Coordinators' ("officers'") personal vehicles, and any vehicle owned by a squad with a 'No Fee' license plate, are permitted the use of red flashing lights and sirens; not all branches make use of these allowances. Paramedic (ALS) units in New Jersey are only run by hospitals, per state law. The limitation to BLS is not just for Hatzolah and other volunteer agencies: all New Jersey "911" municipal-run EMS services are also limited to BLS. However, see Lakewood below for a special exception.

• Jersey Shore This chapter covers the areas of Deal, West Deal, Long Branch, Eatontown, Alenhurst, Ocean Township, and additional Jersey Shore communities during warmer months. This is the only Sephardic-run Hatzalah in the United States. (Mexico City, Mexico also has a Sephardic Hatzalah.)

• Elizabeth/Hillside

Hatzalah of Union County, with "U-prefix" unit numbers. Union County is geographically and organizationally separate from Union City. With three active ambulances, "the U" also responds to nearby towns including Linden, Union Township, Roselle and Roselle Park, and even to businesses in Newark where slow EMS response may allow the Hatzalah ambulance to complete the 12-14 minute trip from Elizabeth or Hillside before a Newark city crew arrives. Hatzalah of Union County also covers the Jersey Gardens Mall, Newark Liberty Airport, and nearby stretches of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Two ambulances are located in the greater Elizabeth/Hillside area and the third is located in Roselle.

• Lakewood

The largest branch in New Jersey, with "L-prefix" unit numbers. Unique to New Jersey, Lakewood has a Paramedic (ALS) unit. The ALS unit is owned and run by MONOC, but the Paramedics are also Lakewood Hatzolah members, and the ambulance was donated by Hatzolah Lakewood to MONOC. This unusual arrangement meets New Jersey's strict hospital-based ALS rules, while giving Hatzolah its own ALS coverage. Also unique, Lakewood has its own Rescue (extrication) unit.

• Lakewood Township

• Passaic/Clifton

Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton EMS. The neighboring cities have a contiguous Orthodox Jewish community, with most of the community and its institutions on the Passaic side. Likewise, Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton, with "P-prefix" unit numbers, covers both parts of the community, but is primarily based in Passaic, with some members and management in Clifton. This Hatzolah is geographically near Union City, and can provide extra coverage for them. Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton has 30 active members, 20 dispatchers, two active ambulances and a third on standby, for a community of about 2,000 households.

• Passaic/Clifton:
  • Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton EMS

• Union City

Hatzolah of Union City http://www.hatzolahuc.com/, is run out of Mosded Sanz-Zviel, which is the center of the Chasidic community in Union City. It is the only Chasidic Hatzolah in New Jersey. Union City is located in Hudson County, and is not related to Union County. Union City uses VHF radios, while all other New Jersey chapters use UHF radios.

• Union City (unrelated to Hatzolah of Union County)
• Union County, sometimes referred to as Hatzalah of Elizabeth (unrelated to Hatzolah of Union City)