NEWSZAK A October 2013 / No 26

MEIR GURVITZ Chairman, ZAKA International Board Of Directors

RAFAEL AHARONI President, ZAKA, Hong Kong Macau and China

YAACOV PERI Chairman, ZAKA Board of Trustees

Former Chief Rabbi LORD JONATHAN SACKS Patron of British Friends of ZAKA

YEHUDA MESHI ZAHAV ZAKA Chairman and ZAKA PARTICIPATE IN Founder MULTINATIONAL EXERCISE WITH THE U.S. ARMY To donate: http://www.zaka.org.uk/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.

As you can read in these pages, ZAKA continues to offer professional training to its dedicated volunteers in order to ensure that our capabilities as 's dominant life-saving, rescue and recovery organization remain at the highest level of operation and readiness. We cooperate with other emergency services in Israel, from the IDF Home Front Command and the , to and local authorities. Our levels of cooperation also extend internationally, as members of the ZAKA International Rescue Unit share best practices and participate in drills overseas - this time with the US army.

Thank you for your generosity. Secure donations can be made via our websites www.zaka.us (dollars); www.zaka.org.uk (sterling) or www.zaka-fr.org (euros).

Please share this newsletter with family and friends. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav ZAKA Chairman

www.zaka.org.il Main Office: 234 Jaffo St. P.O. Box 36060 91360 ISRAEL | Tel. 972-2-5015120 | Fax. 972-2-5015121 Email: [email protected] USA: ZAKA International Friends - 11 Broadway, Suite 1070, New York, NY 10004, Phone 212-643-0600, Fax 212-643-0614 / Email: office@ zaka.org.uk 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: 99 Burncrest Drive, Toronto, Ontario M5M 2Z6 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 25 ZAKA VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE TRAINING WITH IDF HOME FRONT COMMAND

As part of the ongoing cooperation between the IDF Home Front Command and the ZAKA Rescue and Recovery organization, 25 ZAKA volunteers recently completed a rescue training course with the Home Front Command, at the request of Home Front Commander Major General Eyal Eisenberg. During the week-long course, the ZAKA volunteers learnt how to deal with victims trapped in various different scenarios, employing the techniques and tools used by the rescue units of the IDF Home Front Command. According to Haim Outmezgine, ZAKA Special Units commander, described the training as an "exceptional professional training experience for ZAKA civilian volunteers who were prepared to leave behind their work and family commitments, to study from morning to night as if they were army cadets themselves". The IDF Home Front commanders also praised the volunteers for their dedication, motivation and professionalism. ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav: "I always knew that ZAKA volunteers were special people, but I am surprised time and again by their dedication and volunteering spirit. On this occasion, we are talking not only about their good will but also professional qualifications that can save lives in national or international disasters." The trained ZAKA volunteers received IDF Home Front standard equipment, ensuring that they are both able and equipped to assist in emergencies, whenever and wherever they may happen.

NEWSZAK A 3 SHANGHAI-BASED BUSINESSMAN MAURICE OHANA DONATES EMERGENCY SUPPLIES TO ZAKA

On a recent visit to Israel, the President of the in the sacred work of the ZAKA volunteers, whose Jewish Community in Shanghai, China, Maurice name and reputation stretches far beyond Israel's Ohana met with ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi- borders. "I will continue to help and stand by this Zahav and the volunteers in the Petach Tikva wonderful organization and its volunteers, as region. In a small ceremony, Ohana, a dedicated much as I am able." ZAKA supporter and donor, presented the Meshi-Zahav: “It is an honor to meet such a volunteers with much-needed emergency generous supporter of ZAKA. It is thanks to medical supplies to replenish their diminishing the generosity of Maurice Ohana and other stocks, as well as much of the equipment that the good friends overseas that ZAKA volunteers ZAKA volunteers use on a daily basis. can continue their sacred work, whenever and Ohana noted that he was pleased to be a partner wherever they are needed.”

NEWSZAK A 4 20 ZAKA VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE MDA TRAINING

As part of the ongoing cooperation between ZAKA and Magen David Adom, 20 ZAKA volunteers recently completed a three month MDA training course in Jerusalem for paramedics and emergency responders. Following a recent ceremony at the end of the course and the distribution of emergency medical supplies, the ZAKA volunteers are now qualified to answer MDA emergency calls, alongside their counterparts in Magen David Adom. Their presence provides additional manpower for MDA, thereby limiting the response time to emergency calls and helping save lives. Both ZAKA and MDA volunteers welcomed the initiative, pointing out the effectiveness and importance of cooperation in saving lives. MDA CEO Eli Bin said: "The cooperation between MDA and ZAKA, which has been ongoing for some time, has recently been strengthened with the MDA paramedic training course for ZAKA volunteers. The new emergency responders are set to make a significant contribution to the life-saving activities in Israel and we heartily welcome this." ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav added a personal note to these sentiments: " The dedicated ZAKA volunteers received paramedic training and are now qualified to offer life-saving treatment. We welcome the cooperation and I am very pleased that my son, too, is now qualified as a paramedic."

NEWSZAK A 5 ZAKA PARTICIPATE IN MULTINATIONAL EXERCISE WITH THE U.S. ARMY

A delegation of ZAKA volunteers, together with a rescue unit from the IDF Home Front Command, attended a week-long revaluation exercise with the U.S. military in Indiana earlier this year. For the first time ZAKA volunteers participated in the exercise which is considered a multinational exercise in the U.S. and remains one of the largest exercises held once every two years. This year’s drill replicated a hurricane with many injuries and many deaths and the ZAKA volunteers operated a special command center, with special responsibility for public spaces..

This cooperation with the U.S. army followed on from last year's exercise in Israel named Turning Point 6, which representatives of the U.S. Army attended.

ZAKA’s USA CEO Zvi Gluck said "This was the first time we are participating in an exercise of this magnitude with so many different forces. We learnt a lot about the work each agency, and they, in turn, learnt how ZAKA works and benefited from our experience in international disasters."

Mati Goldstein, ZAKA’s International Rescue Unit commander: "To be part of this important, multi-agency exercise is a credit to ZAKA, and a recognition of our operational capability and professionalism. Without doubt, our participation and knowledge gained from this exercise have raised our operational level immeasurably. "

NEWSZAK A 6 ZAKA PRESIDENT MEIR GURVITZ HOSTS MELAVE MALKA FOR HUNDREDS OF ZAKA VOLUNTEERS

ZAKA President Meir Guvitz recently hosted hundreds of ZAKA volunteers from all over Israel to a Melava Malka in the garden of his Savyon home, a "thank you" evening of song and friendship for the thousands of dedicated volunteer hours that these men have given over the last year to the ZAKA Rescue and Recovery organization. These volunteers, who normally meet each other in tragic events, at terror attacks and car accidents where they help save lives and honor those who cannot be saved, found themselves in totally different circumstances, singing together and relaxing among friends. A well-deserved break from their daily routine!

NEWSZAK A 7 NEW ZAKA UNIT FOR TIMES OF EMERGENCY The IDF Home Front Command, the Israel Police and ZAKA recently came together in cooperation to create new ZAKA volunteer civilian units, by city, trained to assist the local community in times of emergency. The need for a civilian force throughout the country, trained and equipped to assist with emergencies from earthquakes to missile attacks, has become more pressing in recent times. These new emergency units are in addition to those units already in place within the ZAKA Rescue and Recovery organization. In recent earthquakes around the world - in spontaneous rescue missions in , and New Zealand, for example - local residents were seen trying to extricate their loved ones and neighbors from the rubble with their bare hands, administering emergency first aid to the survivors. These types of spontaneous rescue missions by civilians are vital, as a rescue within the first few hours following an earthquake or similar incident can make the difference between life and death, as proven by statistics from international earthquake incidents. 45 ZAKA volunteers, led by ZAKA Jerusalem commander Meir Acker, recently participated in the first such training course that equipped them with the knowledge and experience required as first responders within the community in times of emergency. The course graduates now comprise the first ZAKA Unit for Times of Emergency, based in Jerusalem. In a concluding ceremony of the course, the volunteers were presented with certificates and will soon receive individual protection gear and communications equipment. The volunteers, who are recognized as ZAKA volunteers, will also participate in ongoing ZAKA activities in routine times, not just in emergencies.

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