From Crisis to Care: How Yad Sarah Met Unprecedented Holiday Need

As the Jewish holidays came and went this year, they brought not only gatherings and prayers but also a season of heightened need. At Yad Sarah, we always anticipate an uptick in requests during these special times. Families seek our support to ensure loved ones can celebrate with dignity and comfort, surrounded by those they cherish. But this year was different. With the war continuing, and the north bracing against the escalating conflict, the demand for Yad Sarah’s life-saving services soared. 

At our branch inside Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel’s largest hospital, medical equipment loans shot up by more than 60%. In Be’er Ya’akov, our Shamir Medical Center branch saw over a 50% jump, and at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, equipment loans rose by more than 30%. Altogether, Yad Sarah provided nearly 105,000 equipment loans through our hospital branches this holiday season—a nearly 14% increase from last year.

These figures represent more than just numbers; each request fulfilled meant a family could celebrate together, a patient could rest at home, a holiday meal could be shared in peace. For many Israelis, including injured soldiers, the elderly and those facing illness or disabilities, staying home – or returning home – during this tense period became not only a preference but a necessity. Hospitals were crowded and understaffed, roads became more dangerous, and families needed a trusted support system—one that could bring essential care to their doorsteps. 

To meet this overwhelming demand, Yad Sarah’s branches worked tirelessly, from bustling city centers to quiet towns. We even reopened two newly renovated branches in Afula and Kiryat Ata—which have both been under Hezbollah rocket fire— to better serve northern communities in need. With unwavering commitment, our volunteers everywhere stepped up efforts to deliver medical equipment and other services. Often donning helmets and bulletproof vests, they delivered life-saving equipment—including hospital beds and oxygen generators—to anyone in need. 

Time and again, our volunteers put their own fears aside to ensure that others could feel safe and supported during some of the most intense moments of the crisis. For example, during the Iranian missile attack on Israel just before Rosh HaShana, volunteer driver Yaakov Ferber was in the middle of taking a wheelchair-bound woman to her grandson’s wedding. As air-raid sirens wailed and explosions sounded overhead, Yaakov had to act swiftly. He kept the woman calm, reassured her, and coordinated with her family to get her safely back home. 

A few days earlier, the head of Yad Sarah’s North District, Rinat Rider, was out delivering medical supplies when an air raid siren sounded. She pulled over to take cover, but heard a child’s cry, “Shema Yisrael,” echoing through the street. Without hesitation, she ran to shield the girl – while a missile landed just a few meters away. Thankfully, neither were injured. Moments like these show the true selflessness and courage of Yad Sarah’s volunteers. They provide more than equipment; they nurture hope, offer comfort and even protection, while standing strong with their communities. 

As the war continues and we move forward into flu season, another typically busy time of year, Yad Sarah’s mission remains as vital as when it began in the challenging winter of 1976. That year, a dangerous respiratory virus spread through Jerusalem, and Yad Sarah was founded to make sure children had access to desperately needed nebulizers. Decades later, we’re still here to meet those urgent needs. With health officials warning of a higher-than-average flu season, we are planning ahead and will have essential medical items like nebulizers, oxygen machines, and mobility aids available to every family and individual in need—and our staff and volunteers are prepared to deliver them wherever they are needed.