11 Jul FUN QUESTIONS WITH CAPTAIN ELI ROWE
Eli is a licensed pilot, highly-experienced paramedic, and the founder and president
of Hatzolah Air. His passion for emergency medicine, aviation and helping those
in need are apparent and infectious, and have facilitated him building Hatzolah
Air from an idea to a full-fledged air rescue organization in just a few years. On a
daily basis, Eli is busy organizing, staffing, and even sometimes flying Hatzolah Air
missions. In his spare time, he can be found fundraising for Hatzolah Air or giving
tours of their impressive hangar in Sullivan County Airport.
Favorite part of being a Hatzalah member.
A Hatzalah member never knows if he will be going to sleep the whole night
or if he’s going to be out and about for a whole night. Never knows whether
his Friday night meal will be with his family or will be in some other hospital
looking after somebody, driving them and treating them.
Amount of miles Hatzolah Air flew this year.
Approximately 5-6,000 miles each week.
Favorite song to listen to when you are flying.
I never listen to music. For as long as I can remember, I’ve never once turned
on the music in my car. I can actually buy a car without a radio.
Favorite Jewish musician.
Yaakov Shwekey
Most famous person you ever flew as a patient or a
passenger as a member of Hatzolah Air.
Rav Zelig Epstein
What is the most famous Gadol that you or Hatzolah
air have ever flown as a patient or as a passenger?
We flew many Gedolim- Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l, Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rav Elya
Brudney, both Satmar Rebbes, Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky and many more.
Name someone alive that you never met that you
would like to meet.
Elon Musk
Where is the furthest you ever flew by plane as a
pilot?
Israel
Favorite person in Tanach.
Yehoshua
Name a person that is alive today that has true
Ahavas Yisroel.
Rabbi Jungreis,, the Nikelsburg & Woodbourne Rebbie.
Your favorite Yom Tov.
Shavuos.
Favorite game you like to play with your family on
Shabbos.
Bananagrams
What skill do you wish you had?
I wish I knew how to cook.
Name someone alive that you would call a leader.
Rav Elya Brudney to me is a real leader. He spends his life worrying about
individuals and organizations alike. If you ask him, he will tell you that he
is married to Klal Yisroel. It’s amazing to watch him talk to people and listen
and the detail and clarity and focus he has is simply unparalleled. He is the
ultimate leader and someone I look up to every day.
If you can have a chavrusah for a half hour with
anyone from the beginning of time, who would you
want to have a chavrusah?
Rav Chaim Soloveitchik. Not so much for the torah but for the way he thinks
and the way he explains and the thought processes of the whole Cheftza and
Gavra and everything that he does is so impressive. I relate to it very much.
I just love the Torah of Rav Chaim.
Favorite song to sing at the Shabbos table.
My favorite song is definitely “Kol M’kadeish Sh’vi”i.” My kids like to sing
“Baruch Kel Elyon” on Shabbos day and I have gotten into it lately, but
“Kol M’kadeish Sh’vi”i” to me brings in Shabbos. I could actually feel the
malachim singing “Kol M’kadeish Sh’vi”i” and I just love it and I never
ever miss singing it on a Friday night, it never happens, it is so special and
so meaningful.
If you can have any superpower, what would that
superpower be?
I love to be able to get people from point A to point B, so if I could fly them
on my own, just put them on my back and fly them from point A to point B
that’s definitely the superpower I would look for.
If you can eat only one food for the rest of your life,
what would that one food be?
I’m a spare ribs guy. I could eat spare ribs and sushi all day long. So, I don’t
know if it’s one food, but I live on sushi now and love spare ribs. Those are
my two favorite foods.
They say that the mann would taste like anything you
would want it to taste like, what would you want your
mann to taste like?
Lamb riblets.
What is your secret ingredient in your cholent?
I love barley in my cholent, so extra barley.
What are the top 3 qualities that a pilot should have?
A pilot always needs to stay calm, always needs to being fully prepared and
always needs to be nice to the passengers.
Severe turbulence or ATC changes can frazzle some pilots but the good ones
always keep their cool under stress and pivot whenever necessary.
Hatzolah Air pilots deal with some of the most stressful situations with sick
and sometimes dead people; sometimes taking crews to a disaster and
sometimes flying patients from a disaster. At Hatzolah Air it’s not just a job,
it’s changing lives, one flight at a time. Our pilots are super professional but
also super nice and super friendly. I can’t think of a better place for a pilot
to fly with than Hatzolah Air.
One word that summarizes Inspector Richie Taylor.
A legend. A shmoozer. A cutie. I don’t know. Richie is just my favorite.
“Asei Lecha Rav”, who do you ask your important
sheilos to?
Rabbi Oelbaum locally and Rav Asher Weiss for Hatzolah Air.
Who does Hatzolah-Air ask it’s shailos to?
Rav Asher Weiss shlita. He is a world lamdan. He speaks beautifully and has
an unbelievable ability to connect and to understand today’s problems, but
not to be too lofty that you can’t have a conversation with him. He’s our Rav,
Rav Asher Weiss from Eretz Yisroel. He’s a maven on refuah, he’s a maven on
halacha and he’s a maven on Torah. He’s just a wonderful person.”
What’s your favorite nosh to eat while you’re flying
as a pilot?
I like licorice and I drink Diet Dr. Pepper.
If you can have 3 dinner guests, 3 people at your Friday
night Shabbos table, anyone from the beginning of time,
who would be the three people that you would want to
invite to your Friday night Shabbos dinner table?
Rav Zelig Epstein, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Reb Shayele Kerestir.