GREAT NECK, N.Y. — The war in Israel has promoted dozens of American volunteers to offer up their life-saving skills.
On Monday, CBS New York met Long Island-based firefighters who recently returned from volunteering their time and skills in the war zone.
Volunteer firefighter Schuyler Gordon is used to running toward danger to save lives. That same instinct kicked in when Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7.
“I was feeling the same sort of helplessness and horror that a lot of American Jews were feeling,” Gordon said. “I started looking for volunteer opportunities. E.V.P. popped up in my Google searches.”
READ MORE: Israel’s war with Hamas rages in the Gaza Strip despite mounting calls for a cease-fire
Within a week he was deployed with Emergency Volunteers Project to put out fires from incoming Hamas rocket attacks, 200-300 per day, with many piercing Israeli defenses.
“I felt I couldn’t just stay here safely ensconced in the United States when people over there were suffering,” Gordon said. “If I had a skillset that would be useful there, I felt an obligation to use it.”
Since war broke out, the nonprofit has placed more than 60 firefighters, EMTs, doctors and nurses to help fill Israel’s gap in services with their own first responders defending the country. Many volunteers had no previous no connection to Judaism or Israel.
Jason Stukes is an FDNY firefighter from Elmont.
“Israeli people are very humble, warm, welcoming. They were more shocked at 20 Americans out of their lives, their schedules to help somebody they didn’t know,” Stukes said.
READ MORE: Blinken seeks to contain Israel-Hamas war; meets with Middle East leaders in Jordan
Community leaders welcomed Gordon back to his Manhasset–Lakeville fire house on Monday, while his E.V.P. leader spoke to CBS New York from Israel.
“Each and every one of them is an amazing person. It really warms my heart to see guys leaving everything they have — families, partners, whatever they have and coming to support us in Israel,” Tomer S. said.
“They’re feeling the stress under attack and very isolated, very alone, so to have American emergency services personnel coming over, picking up their lives, spending two weeks with them in their fire station, was a huge moral boost for them,” Gordon added.
READ MORE: Biden calls for “pause” in Israel-Hamas war
E.V.P. continues to need qualified volunteers. The turn around time for acceptance is just days.
Gordon said he plans to volunteer again, if needed, next month.
E.V.P. was started 16 years ago with a mission of training volunteers for when Israel needs help the most.
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