NEWSZAK A
April 2011 / Tevet 5771 / No.19
MICHAEL
MIRILASVILI,
Chairman, ZAKA
International Board Of
Directors
RAFAEL AHARONI
President, ZAKA,
Hong Kong Macau
and China
YAACOV PERI
Chairman, ZAKA
Board of Trustees
CHIEF RABBI LORD
Jonathan Sacks
Patron of British
Friends of ZAKA
YEHUDA MESHI
ZAHAV
ZAKA Chairman and
Founder
FROM JERUSALEM
TO JAPAN
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.
Tragically, this period saw the first terror attack in Jerusalem in years, as
well as the brutal murder of the Fogel family and a natural disaster of catastrophic proportions in Japan – ZAKA was there, offering assistance and
our unique experience. We continue to expand internationally, with more
trained units in Russia and America.
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
w w w.zaka.org.il
Main Office:
234 Jaffo St. P.O. Box 36060 Jerusalem 91360 ISRAEL | Tel. 972-2-5015120 | Fax. 972-2-5015121
Email: [email protected]
USA:
1303 53rd st. #170 Brooklyn N.Y. 11219 USA | Tel: 1718-676-0039 | Fax: 1718-865-0948
Email: [email protected]
France:
20 bis rue Louis Philippe 92200 Neuilly sur Seine | Tel. 01-74-900-600 | Fax. 01-73-049-207
Email: [email protected]
England:
233a Golders Green Road London NW11 9ES Registered Charity No. 1099639 | Tel: 020 8458 5391
Email: [email protected]
Canada:
Suite 92, 2190 W. Broadway Vancouver B.C V6K 2C8 Canada
Email: [email protected]
HK, Macao & China
c/o The Jewish Community Centre One Robinson Place 70 Robinson Road Mid Levels Hong Kong
E-mail [email protected]
NEWSZAK A
2
FROM ISRAEL TO NEW YORK
TO INDIA AND BACK AGAIN
INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION, ZAKA-STYLE
who passed away in Chennai,
In late January, ZAKA signed a
cooperation agreement with
with no known family. The
the American organization
local coroner’s office refused to
Chesed Shel Emes, which will
release the body without the
now operate under the umbrella
consent of the next-of-kin, and
therefore ZAKA’s assistance was
of the U.N.-recognized ZAKA
required in finding the next-ofInternational Rescue Unit in all
their dealings with international
kin in Israel.
entities and the government in
ZAKA activated their resources
Washington.
in Israel, pulled all strings but to no avail. After
Hardly a week later, the first fruits of this joint further researching the matter ZAKA discovered
effort already came to light.
deceased
carried
U.S.- citizenship.
‫שיתוף פעולה‬that
‫ של‬the
‫בהסכם‬
‫ארה"ב‬also
'‫אמת‬
‫חסד של‬
CSE'‫זק"א ו‬
Sunday morning (Israeli time) the phones in The ZAKA representative on the case contacted
their new
American
at Chesed
Shel-Emes
the ZAKA headquarters rang and‫של‬
on ‫הבינלאומית‬
the phone ‫המטרייה‬
‫תחת‬
‫ יעבוד‬partners
‫אמת' ארה"ב‬
‫חסד של‬
CSE' ‫ארגון‬
was a Chabad shaliach from Chennai, India who for help.
‫( זק"א‬U.S. time) when Chesed
reported the death of a 56 year old Israeli citizen On Sunday morning
'‫במפגש שנערך השבוע בניו יורק בין יו"ר ארגון זק"א יהודה משי זהב לבין הנהלת 'חסד של אמת‬
3
‫ הוחלט על שיתוף פעולה בין שני הארגונים בפעילות 'חסד‬,‫מנדל רוזנברג‬NEWSZAK
‫בנשיאותו של הרב‬A‫בארה"ב‬
.‫של אמת' ברחבי ארה"ב ובעולם‬
Shel Emes Headquarters received the call, Rabbi
Zvi Gluck, Director of Government relations
for Chesed shel Emes sprung into action and
immediately phoned his contacts in the U.S. State
Dept. who, after receiving the proper approvals,
provided valuable assistance in locating next
of kin. Chesed Shel Emes then assigned two
volunteers to work the phones. After several
hours of investigation, numerous phone calls,
interviews spanning Oregon, Arizona, Illinois,
Florida, and Hawaii, a first cousin was finally
located in Hawaii. He then directed them to a
brother who lives in Florida.
The conference call was made between Chesed
Shel Emes, the brother, and the American
Consulate in Chennai, documents were signed,
permission was given, and the body was to be
released the next morning.
The case looked all but settled when the setbacks
began. The first setback was when the local
coroner’s office decided to do an autopsy. The
U.S. State Dept. was contacted again, and after
numerous hours of work by their foreign affairs
office, the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, and the
Israeli Consulate in Mumbai, who really showed
respect, care and compassion for this cause, the
autopsy was successfully prevented, and we
hereby express our deepest appreciation for their
extraordinary efforts.
The next setback came when a close friend of his
in India tried to get the body donated for scientific
purposes. However due to the great work of the
dedicated volunteers who located the blood relatives
and legal next-of-kin, that request was overridden.
A Jew who would probably never have gotten a
kosher, Jewish and timely burial, received a timely
burial in India, kosher to the highest standards, all
made possible by the recent agreement between
Chesed Shel Emes and ZAKA, and the amazing
work of the previously mentioned government
agencies.
TIME FOR TRAINING
As part of the cooperation agreement with CSE,
ZAKA International Rescue Unit heads Mati
Goldstein and Dovie Maisel ran a week-long
training workshop for 45 active CSE volunteers in
New York during March.
Given their years of experience in handling
unnatural deaths in New York, the CSE volunteers
received training that focused on emergency
first response and disaster management at mass
casualty incidents.
NEWSZAK A
4
ZAKA
VOLUNTEERS IN
ANNUAL PURIM
ACCIDENT
PREVENTION
CAMPAIGN
For the fourth consecutive year, the ZAKA Rescue and Recovery
Organization launched a Purim accident prevention campaign,
in cooperation with local municipalities and health funds. The
campaign, which included explanatory material, advertisements
and lectures by ZAKA volunteers in schools, was designed to raise
awareness among parents and children of the safety precautions to
be taken during the festive holiday period.
Motti Bukchin, ZAKA spokesman and volunteer who initiated the
campaign, noted that most accidents that happen during Purim are
a result of lack of understanding of safety needs. “We have seen a
significant reduction in the number of burns and other accidents
related to the holiday, as a result of this accident prevention
campaign. For ZAKA, it is of the utmost importance to reach as
many children as possible with this information campaign”
NEWSZAK A
5
RUSSIA JOINS GROWING
GLOBAL NETWORK OF
ZAKA INTERNATIONAL
RESCUE UNIT
As part of its global initiative to train local
volunteers in emergency preparedness and
disaster management, the Israel-based, ZAKA
volunteer rescue and recovery organization
completed intensive training during February
in Moscow of a local branch of the ZAKA
International Rescue Unit. The 25-member Russia
unit joins a growing global network of ZAKAtrained volunteers in major Jewish communities
in the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Europe and the Far
East, all trained and equipped to deal with any
disaster or mass casualty incident in their region.
NEWSZAK A
6
The intensive week-long training workshop was
sponsored by the Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel
Lazar and Chairman of the ZAKA International
Board of Directors Michael Mirilashvili.
Mati Goldstein and Dovie Maisel, the veteran codirectors of the Israel-based ZAKA International
Rescue Unit with experience of international
disasters that includes, among others, Haiti,
Mumbai, the tsunami and 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 Deputy Director of the National Institute of
Forensic Medicine in Israel Dr. Nachman Ricardo
and Chairman of the ZAKA Rabbinical Committee
Rabbi Ya’acov Roget also gave lectures to the
participants. The course ended with a mass
casualty drill, simulating a suicide attack during a
Friday night service in a synagogue.
At a festive graduation ceremony hosted by the
Moscow Jewish Community Center with the
participation of Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, Israel
Ambassador to Russia Dorit Golender, Rabbi Aaron
Gurevich, the head of FJC Russia’s Department
for Cooperating with the Military, the Ministry
of Emergency Affairs and Law Enforcement
Agencies and other local emergency personnel,
the participants received certificates, the yellow
ZAKA vest and emergency medical equipment.
Speaking at the event, Rabbi Lazar noted
that “Unfortunately, terror today is a global
phenomenon and therefore it is important to
learn from ZAKA’s extensive experience. These
newly-trained ZAKA volunteers will now be able
to offer professional help at any disaster or terror
attack, not just among the Jewish community
but for anyone in need of assistance, regardless
of religion, race or creed.”
ZAKA Chairman and Founder Yehuda Meshi
Zahav: “ZAKA, which is recognized by the
United Nations as an international volunteer
humanitarian organization, wishes to share its
expertise with the global Jewish community
so that we are able to better equip and prepare
ourselves for any eventuality.”
NEWSZAK A
7
HUNDREDS OF
ZAKA VOLUNTEERS
RECHARGE THEIR
BATTERIES AT THE
ORGANIZATION’S
ANNUAL SHABBATON
RETREAT.
Hundreds of ZAKA volunteers, accompanied
by their families, recently enjoyed the annual
ZAKA Shabbaton retreat on the shores of the
Sea of Galilee, as guests of the President of the
ZAKA International Board of Directors Michael
Mirilashvili.
On call 24/7, always ready and equipped to
answer emergency calls, the volunteers in the
ZAKA Rescue and Recovery Organization have to
contend with distressing scenes on a daily basis.
NEWSZAK A
8
This constant stress and exposure to tragedy
takes its toll on the emotional and physical
health of the volunteers – and their families. The
weekend retreat serves as both an expression of
gratitude for their selfless volunteering and also
an opportunity for the men and their families to
relax and recharge their batteries.
The volunteers and their families were warmly
received in the hotel, with every detail taken care
of to ensure a peaceful, enjoyable and spiritual
Shabbat– from welcome packages of food and drink
in the rooms to special commemorative benchers.
During one Shabbat meal, the Rabbi of the
Georgian community Rav Yaacov Gagashvili
related the story of how his own life had been
saved by ZAKA volunteers, who worked on him
for twenty minutes until his heartbeat returned
after he suffered heart failure. “It is only because
of you that I am here and I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you for saving my life.”
Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Rabbi Moshe Asman and
ZAKA commander in Russia Rabbi Yehoshua
Deutsch came to Israel specially for the event,
bringing with them a letter from the Chief Rabbi
of Russia Rabbi Berel Lazar in which he wrote:
“The ZAKA organization is a symbol of love and
unity, an organization that is dedicated to acts of
loving-kindness and helps all mankind, regardless
of religion, race or creed.” The organization also
hosted Dudi Gotstein, the sole survivor from the
fatal August 2010 Kiryat Gat train crash in which
ZAKA volunteer Arieh Bernstein and six members
of his family were killed.
At the conclusion of Shabbat, two ZAKA
ambulances donated by Michael Mirilashvili
in memory of his father Moses Gabriel were
inaugurated in a festive ceremony. A special
presentation was also made to Michael’s wife
Leah Mirilashvili.
With this, the hundreds of volunteers set off
on their journey home, with renewed physical
energy and spiritual strength to continue their
sacred work in saving lives and honoring the
dead.
NEWSZAK A
9
NOT AFRAID OF
GETTING WET!
BRITISH
AMBASSADOR
TO ISRAEL TESTS
OUT A ZAKA
UNDERWATER
SCOOTER IN HIS
POOL
Just two days after ZAKA volunteers attempted to
save the life of Mary Jane Gardner, the British Bible
student who was killed in the Jerusalem bomb attack
on 23.3.11, the British Ambassador to Israel Matthew
Gould presented ZAKA Chairman Yehuda MeshiZahav and ZAKA Divers Unit head Haim Outmezgine
with an underwater scooter to be used by the
specialist ZAKA Divers Unit in life-saving search
and rescue missions at sea, in rivers and reservoirs.
The presentation took place at the Ambassador’s
residence in Ramat Gan, with a demonstration of the
underwater scooter in the swimming pool by ZAKA
volunteer diver Roi Rachamim.
However, the Ambassador, who is a qualified diver,
could not resist the opportunity to get into the pool
and test out the underwater scooter for himself.
After the official presentation and speeches were
over, the Ambassador changed out of his business
suit, donned swimming trunks, T-shirt and full diving
gear and entered the still chilly waters of the pool.
NEWSZAK A
10
Asking the journalists present to turn off
their cameras, the Ambassador swam
underwater for several lengths of the pool,
holding the underwater scooter between his
legs. Emerging from the water to the evident
delight of his heavily pregnant wife Celia
(the only person present allowed to record
the event for posterity), the Ambassador
wrapped himself in a Union Jack towel and
gave his seal of approval. The scooter – the
third in the ZAKA Divers Unit - allows ZAKA
volunteer divers to move swiftly through
the water, hands free and without effort,
carrying the necessary life-saving rescue
equipment with them.
British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould:
“The British Embassy is glad to be supporting
ZAKA. They do amazing work, helping
people regardless of their background, race
or religion. The awful events of this week
have reminded us of the importance of what
they do, and how necessary their work is.”
ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav:
“When we arranged the presentation of this
generous gift from the British Embassy to
the ZAKA Divers Unit, we never imagined
that it would take place just 48 hours after
ZAKA volunteers tried to save the life of
a British national, at the scene of a terror
attack in Jerusalem. This underwater scooter,
which allows the ZAKA divers to move faster
through the water, will certainly help us in
our humanitarian mission to save lives.”
The ZAKA Divers Unit is one of four specialist
search and rescue units (Divers, Jet-Ski,
Jeeps and Canine units), which provide the
UN-recognized humanitarian volunteer
organization with enhanced search and
rescue abilities. Staffed by 268 professional
and amateur divers split into four regional
units, the volunteers receive specialist
training, four times a year, in search and
rescue and life-saving techniques. The
mainly secular volunteers include exNavy commanders, 10 women and Israeli
Arabs. ZAKA supplements the divers’ own
equipment with specialist tools for search
and rescue, including oxygen tanks, ropes,
flares, underwater lights and the underwater
scooter – all provided by donations from
supporters around the world.
NEWSZAK A
11
:
K
C
A
T
T
A
R
O
R
R
E
T
ITAMAR
.
..
C
I
F
I
R
R
O
H
Y
L
E
T
U
‘ABSOL
T
N
E
C
O
N
N
I
F
O
R
E
A SLAUGHT
”
E
M
O
H
R
I
E
H
T
N
I
CHILDREN
“Absolutely horrific”. With these words, the
ZAKA volunteers described the shocking sight
that greeted them Friday night (11.3.11) when
they entered the home of the Fogel family in
Itamar, shortly after the terror attack that killed
five family members. “We saw toys lying next
to pools of blood, Shabbat clothes covered in
blood and everywhere the smell of death mixing
with the aroma of the Shabbat meal.” Despite
their constant exposure to difficult and tragic
scenes during the course of their work, the ZAKA
volunteers described these horrific sights as
“among the worst we have ever seen’.
Parents Ruth and Udi Fogel, aged 35 and 36
respectively, their three-month-old girl, Hadas,
and two boys, Elad, three, and Yoav, 11, were
brutally stabbed to death late Friday night by
at least one suspected terrorist who infiltrated
the Itamar settlement southeast of Nablus.
The family’s oldest child, 12- year-old Tamar,
discovered the horrific scene when she returned
to her home later in the evening, rescued two
other siblings – aged two and eight – who were in
a side room but unharmed, and raised the alarm.
The family previously lived in Gush Katif, moving
to Ariel and then Itamar after the Gaza evacuation
in 2005.
ZAKA volunteer and regional commander Gil
Bismuth arrived at the scene within a short
space of time on Friday evening with other
NEWSZAK A
12
ZAKA volunteers: “We discovered the family
who had been murdered with such cruelty. The
images were absolutely horrific – a slaughter of
innocent children in their home. We did what
we were able to do within the framework of the
Sabbath. ZAKA volunteers watched over the
bodies, which remained in the home through
the Sabbath, in accordance with Jewish law.”
Immediately at the end of Shabbat, a large team
of ZAKA volunteers from nearby Emanuel and
the wider region were dispatched to the Fogel
home, where they carried out their sacred work
for many hours, clearing the terror scene and
ensuring that all human remains were collected.
In accordance with a request made by the ZAKA
organization, the bodies were not removed
to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute. Instead,
the identification work was carried out at the
scene of the attack by Abu Kabir Director Dr.
Yehuda Hiss in the presence of the Head of the
ZAKA Rabbinical Council Rabbi Ya’acov Roget.
Thousands attended the funerals in Jerusalem.
NEWSZAK A
13
ZAKA AND IRAN MEET IN JAPAN
ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and his
fellow volunteers in the ZAKA delegation in
Japan are used to finding themselves in unusual
situations during times of emergency. However,
this time, it was particularly unusual.
After helping Japanese and international search
and rescue teams search for bodies in the
tsunami-devastated port city of Kamashi, the
ZAKA volunteers were sent to help with food
distribution to the surviving residents.
“It was only while we were working that we
noticed the Iranian flag flying over the food
station,” explains Meshi-Zahav. “After the initial
embarrassment on both sides, we all put our
political views to the side in order to carry out our
shared humanitarian mission.”
The ZAKA volunteers are involved in heavy
physical work. “We strip the buildings, sometimes
we use heavy machinery,” Meshi-Zahav explained.
“The team gets reports from the Japanese
authorities about the missing, then goes from
building to building looking for bodies. We are
not talking about rescuing the living, but about
locating bodies and giving them a burial, in order
to bring some relief to the bereaved families.”
Where crows hover
In Kamaishi, ZAKA volunteers were able to rescue
seven bodies belonging to one family that was
NEWSZAK A
14
buried under the rubble. They also assisted in the
identification of the dead. The Israeli team taught
the locals to spot crows and explained that, from
their experience, dead bodies can be found
where crows hover.
"They took us to a hangar containing about 100
unidentified bodies and requested that we help
them. We've gained a lot of experience identifying
bodies after the tsunami in Thailand, and here the
bodies' condition was similar so we were able to
help out," Meshi-Zahav explained.
Israel’s good side
As a United Nations-recognized search and rescue
organization, ZAKA is on the scene to provide
any assistance required. “ZAKA benefits from the
help it gives as well. We learn how to respond
to disasters of this scale, in case, G-d forbid, one
were to happen to us.”
Israel also benefits, according to Meshi-Zahav.
“There are people in Japan who never heard of
Israel before, or who heard of Israel and when they
see us, come to learn more. This is a tremendous
Kiddush Hashem [sanctification of G-d's name]...
We show Israel's good side.”
If at first you don’t succeed…
Immediately after the news of the massive
earthquake and subsequent tsunami disaster in
Japan broke in early March, a multi-national ZAKA
team, headed by ZAKA International Rescue Unit
Director Mati Goldstein and Chief Operations
Director Dovie Maisel flew to Hong Kong. However,
due to the volatile nature of the radio-active threat,
it was decided that the team, with members from
Israel, UK and Hong Kong, would not to continue
on to Japan for safety reasons.
In Hong Kong, the volunteers worked in close
cooperation with Chabad representatives in Hong
Kong and Japan, assisting with humanitarian
efforts related to the provision and distribution of
food and other basic needs for the communities
in Japan, as well as the evacuees who arrived in
Hong Kong.
Mati Goldstein: “Although we were unable to
continue to Japan, this exercise only served to
underline the value of establishing a network
of trained and equipped go-to teams, with
volunteers ready to assist in mass casualty
incidents, wherever they take place.”
NEWSZAK A
15