Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis Affixes Mezuzah at New Hatzola HBS Cabin in Barnet

When a new Hatzola branch opens in a Jewish community, it represents something profound — a group of neighbors who have committed to being there when someone's life is on the line. When Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis came to affix the mezuzah at Hatzola HBS's new cabin in Barnet, North London, that commitment was marked with the same mitzvah that sanctifies every Jewish space where something sacred takes place.

Chief Rabbi Blesses New Hatzola HBS Emergency Cabin in North London

The ceremony centred on the kevias mezuzah — the affixing of a mezuzah — at Hatzola HBS's newly donated cabin at 347 Flushing Avenue in Barnet. The cabin, gifted by Lucy and David Wernick, stores medical equipment used by the organisation's volunteer responders across Barnet, Cockfosters, Hadley Wood, Southgate, and Totteridge.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis, who serves as a patron of Hatzola HBS, attended the morning minyan at Barnet United Synagogue before the ceremony. Speaking to the volunteers assembled, he drew a connection between the organisation's name and its purpose: "When we bench, we say the words 'hatzala' and 'hatzlacha' together — hatzala is saving and hatzlacha is success, and the two go hand in hand."

Hatzola HBS was founded by Jacky Epstein, who lost two friends around four years ago when an ambulance could not reach them in time. Since receiving approval from the Care Quality Commission in July, the branch has recruited 65 volunteers who respond to calls between 7am and 11pm, seven days a week. They currently operate two ambulances and carry defibrillators, oxygen, ECG machines, and trauma equipment — much of it donated in memory of community members.

The organisation operates within a halachic framework guided by Rabbi Akiva Rosenblatt of Hampstead Synagogue, Rabbi Tony Weiniger of Hadley Wood United Synagogue, and the London Beth Din, including Dayan Eliezer Zobin.

You can read the original coverage at The Jewish Chronicle.

What It Means to Affix a Mezuzah on a Space That Saves Lives

A mezuzah marks more than a threshold. When placed on the doorpost of a home, a school, or a cabin filled with life-saving equipment, it declares that what happens inside is held to a higher purpose. The scroll contains the words of the Shema, the declaration of Hashem's unity that sits at the heart of Jewish life and prayer.

For a Hatzola station, the symbolism runs especially deep. The volunteers who pass through that door are answering a call of pikuach nefesh — the preservation of human life, one of the most fundamental obligations in all of halacha. The mezuzah on the doorpost is a fitting sign of what those who enter have committed to.

Why the Scroll Inside the Case Must Be Kosher

A mezuzah fulfils its halachic purpose only when the scroll inside has been written correctly — by a certified sofer (scribe), on proper klaf (parchment), and carefully checked by qualified examiners. The case, however beautiful, is secondary. What matters is that the parchment inside meets the standards set by Jewish law.

For those looking to ensure their mezuzahs are halachically valid, Kosher Mezuzah offers scrolls written by certified soferim, double-checked by expert magihim, and backed by OU endorsement with full transparency on every scroll through a unique QR code system.

A Doorpost Dedicated to Saving Lives

Hatzola HBS joins a worldwide network of Jewish emergency response organisations operating across five continents responding to all people, regardless of background, in communities that need them most. The mezuzah now on their cabin doorpost in Barnet is a small thing, and a significant one. It marks a space where the work of saving lives begins.

The volunteers of Hatzola pass through that doorpost to save lives. Whatever doorpost you pass through each day, it deserves the same care. Kosher Mezuzah provides OU-endorsed scrolls written by certified soferim, with full transparency on every mezuzah through a unique QR code system. See our full selection of kosher mezuzah scrolls.