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International Rescue Unit Celebrates 10 Years

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International Rescue Unit Celebrates 10 Years NEWSZAK A November 2011/Cheshvan 5772/No 21 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 ZAKA INTERNATIONAL RESCUE 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 spec- trum 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, sav- ing 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: [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: 6 Stormont Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5N 2B8 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 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. NEWSZAK A 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. NEWSZAK A 4 NEW YEAR TRAGEDY IN UMAN Every year, ZAKA prepares for the arrival of from his younger brother who had entered the tens of thousands of faithful who come the icy water with Eliah, ZAKA volunteers to Uman on Rosh Hashana to pray at the immediately entered the water. graveside of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav. This year, ZAKA opened a new state-of-the-art After ZAKA volunteers searched emergency medical clinic staffed by medical unsuccessfully in the murky river for nearly professionals and ZAKA paramedic volunteers, an hour, the body was finally retrieved by complete with a fully-equipped ambulance an ex-Israel Navy seal from a depth of 10 donated by Russian philanthropist and meters. ZAKA volunteers guarded over the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress body through Rosh Hashana and Shabbat, Dr. Alexander Machkevitch. In addition, ZAKA and prepared the body for funeral under the purchased an emergency number and set religious guidance of Rabbi Meir Sirota. up an emergency center to provide security In addition, ZAKA volunteers worked with services as well as search and rescue services. the heads of the local Jewish community Tragically, these services were needed and the local authorities in order to prevent throughout the long weekend, particularly an autopsy or any other delays in getting on first day Rosh Hashana when Eli Eliah, a the body to Israel. After arranging for the 19 year old yeshiva student from Netanya, necessary paper-work, ZAKA helped arrange drowned in the river that flows through the for the body to be flown back to Israel for town. On hearing of the missing student burial. NEWSZAK A 5 ZAKA IN GEORGIA As part of its global initiative to train local unit in the region, and the training course itself, volunteers in emergency preparedness and was the initiative of local Chabad emissary Rabbi disaster management, the Israel-based, UN- Meir Koslovsky. The course ended with a mass recognized ZAKA International Rescue Unit casualty drill, simulating a suicide attack during a recently completed intensive training in Georgia. Friday night service in a synagogue. The 25-member Georgia unit joins a growing During a visit with Israel's Ambassador to Georgia, global network of ZAKA-trained volunteers in Yitzhak Berger, Goldstein and Montkovitz major Jewish communities in the USA, Mexico, requested that local authorities be asked to Argentina, Europe, Russia and the Far East, all respect Jewish ritual and refrain from performing trained and equipped to deal with any disaster or autopsies on Jewish bodies. The Ambassador mass casualty incident in their region. agreed that a letter would be sent from Israel's Israel-based ZAKA International Rescue Unit Chief Chief Rabbi Yona Mezger to the relevant local Operating Officer Mati Goldstein and volunteer authorities. Dano Montkovitz, veterans with experience According to ZAKA volunteer and trainer Dano of international disasters that include, among Montkovitz, the Jewish community in Georgia “ is others, Japan, Haiti, India (Mumbai), Thailand very unified and has a lot of (the tsunami) and America good will, but is unfamiliar (Hurricane Katrina), led the with Jewish rituals in dealing workshop which included with the deceased. The course training in emergency medical gave them the tools that response, mass casualty triage they need in order to sanctify and management, honoring the Jewish body, as well the dead and basic forensics as save lives and deal with in accordance with Jewish law. emergency situations." The establishment of the ZAKA NEWSZAK A 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.” NEWSZAK A 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.
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