Last Wednesday, United Hatzalah of Israel honored former Mossad director Yossi Cohen and former US secretary of state and CIA director Mike Pompeo at its Miami Gala.
The evening also featured a deeply moving presentation honoring Bar Kupershtein, a former Israeli hostage who endured two years in Hamas captivity. Kupershtein was awarded the Greenberg Traurig Courage Award, recognizing extraordinary resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable adversity. He announced that he will become a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT.
Kupershtein’s father, Tal, was a United Hatzalah volunteer and was injured while responding to a medical emergency. United Hatzalah volunteers took shifts at the Kupershtein family falafel shop to keep the family afloat. Bar was trained by United Hatzalah at 17 and became an unofficial volunteer, aiding EMTs before entering the IDF as a medic. He later used those skills to help save lives at the Nova Festival, where he was working as a security guard before he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
President and Founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer said, “Bar has been part of the United Hatzalah family since he was 17, doing shifts alongside our team to help them. We surprised him with a personalized medic vest with his name and gave him his father’s call code, 5055, so he can continue his family’s legacy of saving lives. We are incredibly proud to officially welcome Bar Kupershtein to United Hatzalah, turning unimaginable trauma into an uplifting commitment to help save the lives of all people in Israel.”
At the event, United Hatzalah raised $120,000 to help Bar and his family with their medical and living expenses.
Kupershtein said, “I became friends with Eli Beer when I taught him how to make falafel, helping in my family’s shop after my father was paralyzed. Growing up, I learned from my father and from United Hatzalah how to save lives. I used those skills in the IDF as a medic and later at the Nova Festival, helping those under attack on October 7. Now, I am happy to be officially joining the ranks as a United Hatzalah volunteer.”
Another highlight of the gala was a high-profile panel discussion between Cohen and Pompeo, considered two of the most influential global intelligence leaders of the past decade. The conversation, moderated by journalist and commentator Katie Pavlich, was titled “How Spycraft Changed the Middle East.” It explored intelligence cooperation, deterrence, and the evolving security challenges facing Israel and the democratic world, offering insight from two figures who helped shape policy at the highest levels. Cohen and Pompeo were presented with United Hatzalah’s Protectors of Israel Award by Beer.
Proceeds from the evening will support United Hatzalah’s ongoing efforts to train new volunteers to join its network of more than 8,000 volunteer healthcare professionals and expand its fleet of emergency vehicles and medical equipment.