At a Moment's Notice, They Fly out to Do a Task from Hell
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He said: “Unfortunately, the harsh rays of a blazing sun, the travel to Addis Ababa. Of the 10 South company, 58-year-old Reem was reportedly we know this work very well, and from stench of death and destruction Africans who put themselves forward, four on the continent for a business trip to what we saw on the ground the local crews Taround them. They are a team of Jewish volunteers were selected, and together Kenya, not unlike 49-year-old Matzliach, a are working slowly and inefficiently, and heroes who are working around the clock with a support team of an additional 12 hi-tech businessman, who often made the there is a feeling that they are not doing with one mission: the recovery of human members on the ground in South Africa, journey from Tel Aviv to Africa. everything right. bodies. preparations were made. That same night, According to his relatives, Matzliach had “We saw stains of blood and personal They have left their wives and children the team flew to Ethiopia and met with spent a week in South Africa prior to the belongings scattered around. There are at a moment’s notice, and travelled to a another five volunteers from ZAKA Israel, flight. Both men leave behind wives and quite a few things that, as far as we’re remote location in a far-off country, where the shaliach from the Chabad of Ethiopia, children. concerned, are findings that must be they have virtually no contact with home, and the Israeli consul to Ethiopia. Together with ZAKA, the families of both collected, and I do not understand how they or the rest of the world. All this to perform a thankless and heartbreaking task that few can even begin to imagine. These are the Israeli and South African volunteers of the rescue and recovery organisation ZAKA, whose tireless efforts at the crash site of the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 can be described only as superhuman. “They’re standing in the heat without any shade the whole day, working on a site which is too terrible to imagine,” says Yaakov Lazarus, logistical head of ZAKA South Africa. “Regardless of what’s thrown at you, this is what you have to do in these situations. You leave your family behind and set off to care for human bodies. That’s what a volunteer does.” Of the 10-man team deployed by ZAKA, the four South African volunteers are Avi Hack, Netanel Azizollahoff, Josh Green, and Ilan Dubb. Having arrived in the early hours of Monday morning, the group is part of the recovery operation being carried out in the wake of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plummeting to earth only six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa on Saturday morning. After flying in from Johannesburg, this ill-fated plane spent three hours in the ZAKA volunteers at the crash site in Ethiopia Ethiopian capital and was “despatched with no remark” for Nairobi with 157 passengers The situation that greeted them was the deceased are pushing desperately to get left it like that on the ground.” and crew (among them two Israelis) on both chaotic and complicated. According the remains of their loved ones flown to Despite the obstacles in their way, the board. For reasons yet to be understood, to Israeli media reports, experts from the Israel for burial. ZAKA team continues to scour the site the plane rose erratically into the air after United States and Ethiopian authorities Reem’s family flew to Ethiopia, and have and retrieve whatever remains they can. requesting permission to turn back, and made considerable effort to locate the reportedly been barred from accessing the Although functioning on little sleep, they then suddenly lost altitude. plane’s black box information recording hangar in which all the human remains support one another and persist with their This is the second Boeing 737 Max 8 system. After they found it, they left what are being kept. With ZAKA’s mobility also mission. “What they do gives you goose to crash in the past four months, coming remained at the scene almost entirely at the limited by bureaucracy, there is not yet any bumps,” says Lazarus. “As difficult as it is, after a Lion Air crash into the sea off the mercy of bulldozers and onlookers. clear indication when access to the remains they work through it together. Even the Indonesian capital Jakarta in October last Israeli news agency Reshet 13 described will be given. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign shaliach rabbi’s wife is there, cooking meals year, in which all 189 people on board were a scene of locals looting at the crash site, Affairs, the National Security Council, and for the volunteers at 23:30.” killed. while any other remnants that hadn’t the Israeli consul in Ethiopia, Ofer Zach, After Reem and Matzliach were After reports of the crash were received been removed to a hangar in the capital are making efforts to obtain the necessary identified, the team assembled beside the over the ZAKA International Volunteer for examination were pushed aside by permits to enable ZAKA volunteers to crater for the recitation of the memorial messaging platform, ZAKA South Africa earthmovers. According to ZAKA, both the continue their work. prayer, Kel Maleh Rachamim, and the was put on standby due to its proximity to crash scene and the hangar were initially According to YNet, one of the Israeli singing of Hatikva amid the carnage. the site. completely off limits to them, and though volunteers, Elazar Samet, said: “We are not Lazarus concludes: “These are selfless “Late Sunday morning, we were contacted they have since been granted some access, allowed to continue our search in the crater, heroes who are there to look after Jewish by the chief of the international unit, their movements remain severely limited. and there is a mess here with the federal police bodies. Regardless of what they face, they Mati Goldstein, to ask for assistance,” says The remains taken to the hangar include and the airline. They did not give us permission are dedicated to their work and always Lazarus. “A request was put out on the local the bodies of the Israeli passengers, both to continue, and we are trying to persuade the display courage, strength and fortitude. ZAKA group, and 10 people volunteered to of whom have been identified. They government to allow us to work.” They are superhuman.” • Brief • Wo in rld s N 2 SA JEWISH REPORT ew e 15 – 22 March 2019 Appliance Repairs on Site N w d s l i r n o rs, B W e r h s i • a e w f h Norwegian rapper not • s rope around his neck. The Police and Muslim worshippers have i • ves f D o e St • s, s, i e r e in assailants said “This is W repeatedly clashed in recent weeks h B g c a charged with hate o n d M r i i l r g d n MAGA country” as they s F i over the Bab al-Rahma structure, N h w e s e e or w a m N s & speech r s e d y r l W fled, he also told police. i located at the Golden Gate, or the Gate r D n o le B W r i • b e f m • Tu Call Jason A Norwegian rapper who cursed Jews while Smollett was released on of Mercy, the only eastern gate to the 082 401 8239 / 076 210 6532 performing at an event in Oslo promoting bail from jail the day after he was Temple Mount. The building has been FREE QUOTATIONS multiculturalism will not be charged with charged. He is scheduled to appear in court closed and locked since 2003, because the hate speech, because his words may have next week. police determined that the Islamic heritage AIRPORT SERVICE JHB been criticism of Israel, prosecutors said. organisation that had operated out of the Kaveh Kholardi said “f***ing Jews” on Israeli businessman building was associated with Hamas. stage at an event last year, for which he was hired by the city. running for president of Netanyahu hearing Tor-Aksel Busch, Norway’s director of Guatemala 8-seater • Tours/Day Drives public prosecutions, rejected legal action delayed until after CONTACT ARNOLD, last week, the news site Document.no A Guatemala-born Israeli businessman is elections 082-447-0185 or (011) 454-1193 reported. running for president of his native country. Pro-Israel activists had filed a police Yitzhak Farhi (58) moved to Israel at Prosecutors in the corruption cases against complaint, but it was dismissed.