N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 1 / C h e s h v a n 5 7 7 2 / N o 2 1 MICHAEL MIRILASVILI, Chairman, ZAKA International Board Of Directors RAFAEL AHARONI President, ZAKA, Hong Kong Macau and China YAACOV PERI Chairman, ZAKA Board of Trustees ZAKA INTERNATIONAL RESCUE CHIEF RABBI LORD Jonathan Sacks Patron of British Friends of ZAKA YEHUDA MESHI ZAHAV ZAKA Chairman and Founder UNIT CELEBRATES 10 YEARS To donate: http://www.zaka.us/donations.asp
Dear Friends of ZAKA, Welcome to another edition of NewsZAKA, bringing you up to date with some of the latest activities in the organization. The ZAKA International Rescue Unit celebrated 10 years of operations with a tribute evening that brought together representatives from the entire spectrum of Israel society, underlining ZAKA s position as part of the consensus. Religious and secular, Bedouin and ultra-orthodox, Government ministers and volunteers. Our dedicated volunteers continue their sacred work, day in day out, saving lives at accidents on the roads and in the home and honoring those who cannot be saved. Although this sacred work does not reach the international headlines, ZAKA can be found helping people in their times of need. Thank you in advance for your generosity which allows ZAKA to continue its operations. Secure donations can be made via our websites www.zaka.us (dollars); www.zaka.org.uk (sterling) or www.zaka-fr.org (euros). Please forward this e-newsletter to family and friends. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav ZAKA Chairman www.zaka.org.il Main Office: 234 Jaffo St. P.O. Box 36060 Jerusalem 91360 ISRAEL Tel. 972-2-5015120 Fax. 972-2-5015121 Email: info@zaka.org.il USA: 1303 53rd st. #170 Brooklyn N.Y. 11219 USA Tel: 1718-676-0039 Fax: 1718-865-0948 Email: office@zaka.us France: 20 bis rue Louis Philippe 92200 Neuilly sur Seine Tel. 01-74-900-600 Fax. 01-73-049-207 Email: contact@zaka-fr.org England: 233a Golders Green Road London NW11 9ES Registered Charity No. 1099639 Tel: 020 8458 5391 Email: info@zaka.org.uk Canada: 6 Stormont Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5N 2B8 Canada Email: info@zakafoundation.org HK, Macao & China c/o The Jewish Community Centre One Robinson Place 70 Robinson Road Mid Levels Hong Kong E-mail rafaelco@netvigator.com 2
ZAKA INTERNATIONAL RESCUE UNIT CELEBRATES 10 YEARS WITH MKs, VIPs AND VOLUNTEERS Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer praised the ZAKA Rescue and Recovery organization for its contribution to Israeli society during the keynote address at a tribute evening celebrating a decade of operations for the ZAKA International Rescue Unit held in Tel Aviv during October. ZAKA has answered all those who say that it is impossible to engage and involve the ultra-orthodox community in the workforce. You are an example of the contribution that the ultra-orthodox make to everyday Israeli society," Fischer said. He also noted that ZAKA is able to include segments from across the full and complex spectrum of Israeli society, from all over the country, Jews and non-jews. It is highly organized, and its commanders and volunteers conduct themselves with the most professional of standards. Over 350 guests from Israel and overseas attended the event, which was hosted by the President of the ZAKA International Board of Directors Michael Mirilashvili and ZAKA Chairman and Founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav. VIPs included Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Interior Minister Eli Yishai, Justice Minister Yaakov Ne eman, Transport Minister Yisrael Katz and Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger. 3
ZAKA Shield of Humanity US Ambassador to Israel Mr. Dan Shapiro accepted the first ZAKA Shield of Humanity award on behalf of President Barack Obama and the people of the United States, in appreciation of his country s respect for the supreme value of human life. Speaking in fluent Hebrew, the ambassador spoke of ZAKA s contribution to the recovery efforts after incidents such as the 9/11 terror attack, the Columbia space shuttle disaster and Hurricane Katrina. The Ambassador noted that ZAKA has an outstanding reputation in the States we admire your high levels of professionalism and we know we can trust and rely on you in times of crisis." ZAKA Shield of Humanity certificates were also presented to senior representatives from the embassies of Britain, Russian Federation and Japan. The shield bears the inscription In appreciation of your respect for the supreme value of human life; for your understanding of the equality of man, regardless of religion, race or creed; for your sensitivity in causing the light of dignity to shine at the darkest of times. At the end of the evening, 12 businessmen from USA, Russia, UK, Italy, Hong Kong, Mexico and Ukraine joined the ZAKA International Board of Directors. 4
NEW YEAR TRAGEDY IN UMAN Every year, ZAKA prepares for the arrival of the tens of thousands of faithful who come to Uman on Rosh Hashana to pray at the graveside of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav. This year, ZAKA opened a new state-of-the-art emergency medical clinic staffed by medical professionals and ZAKA paramedic volunteers, complete with a fully-equipped ambulance donated by Russian philanthropist and President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Dr. Alexander Machkevitch. In addition, ZAKA purchased an emergency number and set up an emergency center to provide security services as well as search and rescue services. Tragically, these services were needed throughout the long weekend, particularly on first day Rosh Hashana when Eli Eliah, a 19 year old yeshiva student from Netanya, drowned in the river that flows through the town. On hearing of the missing student from his younger brother who had entered the icy water with Eliah, ZAKA volunteers immediately entered the water. After ZAKA volunteers searched unsuccessfully in the murky river for nearly an hour, the body was finally retrieved by an ex-israel Navy seal from a depth of 10 meters. ZAKA volunteers guarded over the body through Rosh Hashana and Shabbat, and prepared the body for funeral under the religious guidance of Rabbi Meir Sirota. In addition, ZAKA volunteers worked with the heads of the local Jewish community and the local authorities in order to prevent an autopsy or any other delays in getting the body to Israel. After arranging for the necessary paper-work, ZAKA helped arrange for the body to be flown back to Israel for burial. 5
ZAKA IN GEORGIA As part of its global initiative to train local volunteers in emergency preparedness and disaster management, the Israel-based, UNrecognized ZAKA International Rescue Unit recently completed intensive training in Georgia. The 25-member Georgia unit joins a growing global network of ZAKA-trained volunteers in major Jewish communities in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Europe, Russia and the Far East, all trained and equipped to deal with any disaster or mass casualty incident in their region. Israel-based ZAKA International Rescue Unit Chief Operating Officer Mati Goldstein and volunteer Dano Montkovitz, veterans with experience of international disasters that include, among others, Japan, Haiti, India (Mumbai), Thailand (the tsunami) and America (Hurricane Katrina), led the workshop which included training in emergency medical response, mass casualty triage and management, honoring the dead and basic forensics in accordance with Jewish law. The establishment of the ZAKA unit in the region, and the training course itself, was the initiative of local Chabad emissary Rabbi Meir Koslovsky. The course ended with a mass casualty drill, simulating a suicide attack during a Friday night service in a synagogue. During a visit with Israel's Ambassador to Georgia, Yitzhak Berger, Goldstein and Montkovitz requested that local authorities be asked to respect Jewish ritual and refrain from performing autopsies on Jewish bodies. The Ambassador agreed that a letter would be sent from Israel's Chief Rabbi Yona Mezger to the relevant local authorities. According to ZAKA volunteer and trainer Dano Montkovitz, the Jewish community in Georgia is very unified and has a lot of good will, but is unfamiliar with Jewish rituals in dealing with the deceased. The course gave them the tools that they need in order to sanctify the Jewish body, as well as save lives and deal with emergency situations." 6
ZAKA Jeeps Offer Helping Hand For Disabled Children The ZAKA Jeep Unit, which normally carries out search and rescue operations in difficult terrain, could be seen recently snaking through the Jerusalem hills, festooned with dozens of balloons, taking sick and disabled campers on an adventure jeep trail. The children, who attended a special camp run by Friends for Health, enjoyed a fun day out in nature, thanks to the dedicated volunteers in the ZAKA Jeep Unit. The fun day included a stop at the Ein Lavan spring in the Jerusalem hills, where they were hosted by the ZAKA volunteers who had prepared a feast for them, as well as popular Israeli singer Gad Elbaz who performed an intimate concert just for the children. The children ended the day with a visit to the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem. According to the Commander of ZAKA s Special Units Chaim Outmazgin, who initiated the program: We decided to devote the unit retreat day to the sick children, so our volunteers took a day off from work in order to be with the children today. We are pleased to be able to use our ZAKA jeeps for such a wonderful cause. For singer Gad Elbaz, it was an honor to be here with these wonderful children, making them sing and smile. A young boy, paralyzed from the waist down and nearly blind, accompanied me with a portable organ as we sang and cried to Ana Bekoach. I want to thank ZAKA for giving me the opportunity to be here today. 7
ZAKA VOLUNTEERS IN THE LINE OF FIRE AT EILAT TERROR ATTACK WITH NO HELMETS OR VESTS TO PROTECT THEM ZAKA volunteers, who typically find themselves in dangerous scenarios as they rush to help the injured and the dying immediately after a terror attack, came under fire themselves during the triple terror attack that took place on the road to Eilat in August. Protected by the security forces, they had been called in to clear the bodies in the private car that had been hit by an antitank rocket. However, as they carried out their sacred mission, suddenly and without warning, the shooting began. Just meters away, a Special Forces policeman was killed and another wounded. The ZAKA volunteers took shelter in the ditch at the side of the road, with nothing to protect them from the bullets. They had neither helmets nor protective vests. After the shooting subsided and the army gave another all-clear, they returned to their work. This potentially fatal incident only serves to highlight the vulnerability of our brave volunteers, noted ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav. Only 25 of the 170 ZAKA volunteers in the Southern district have helmets and protective vests and we are desperately trying to raise money to purchase more protective equipment. These volunteers are often in the line of fire, coming from Gaza. 8