Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

United Hatzalah volunteer saves teen’s life on Israel-New York flight

Dr. Natan Ungar came to the aid of a boy whose throat had begun to close due to a severe allergic reaction.

Dr. Natan Ungar. Credit: United Hatzalah.
Dr. Natan Ungar. Credit: United Hatzalah.

A United Hatzalah emergency-service doctor saved the life of a teen suffering from anaphylactic shock aboard an El Al flight on Tuesday from Israel to New York.

Dr. Natan Ungar came to the rescue of a 16-year-old boy whose throat had begun to close due to a severe allergic reaction to something he ate.

The young passenger was in possession of an EpiPen epinephrine injection device, but it had expired. Ungar, therefore, asked the flight attendants for the plane’s medical kit, which contained a vial of adrenaline that was administered intravenously.

The teen’s condition immediately started to improve, and he was soon able to breathe normally. At that point, the decision was made to continue the flight as planned to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.

United Hatzalah is an emergency medical service based in Israel. The organization also carries out humanitarian missions across the globe in response to wars and natural disasters.

Dr. Natan Ungar. Credit: United Hatzalah.
Dr. Natan Ungar. Credit: United Hatzalah.

The trial stop in the Buckeye State would help those who require consular help but don’t want to or can’t travel to New York.
Jacqueline Meents-Lenstra hid Efraim Kochba as her own son in Nazi-occupied Holland after his Jewish parents entrusted the infant to her care.
“Our rabbis reignited the candles, helped us breathe and found the words to respond to the moment in real time,” the Reform synagogue stated. “Our congregation refused to let hate extinguish our Shabbat light.”
Mali and Liel Yahalomi, who flew to Prague and then continued to Vienna, were located by local police.