NEWSZAK A September 2010 / Tishrei 5771 / No. 17

ZAKA RECOVERS AMERICAN JEWISH TREKKER KILLED IN

To donate: http://www.zaka.us/Donations.asp Dear Friends of ZAKA, Around the world, are united in the prayer for life during the month of Tishrei. In this newsletter, you can read about the many places around the world – not just in - where ZAKA volunteers can be found, saving those who can be saved and hon- oring those who cannot. Our volunteers seek no reward – only the desire to help others in their times of greatest need. However, we were proud to receive the special award from the World Jewish Congress for our life-saving work in . Secure donations can be made via our websites www.zaka.us (dollars); www. zaka.org.uk (sterling) or www.zaka-fr.org (euros). Thank you in advance for your generosity which allows ZAKA to continue its operations. Shana Tova Yehuda Meshi-Zahav ZAKA Chairman

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NEWSZAK A 2 WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS AWARD FOR ZAKA’S LIFE-SAVING WORK IN HAITI

In a festive ceremony held at the Israel Museum at the end of August, the World Jewish Congress presented a certificate of recognition to the Israeli organizations that traveled to Haiti to save lives during the earthquake that devastated the area earlier this year.

WJC President Ronald Lauder presented awards of recognition to the IDF Home Front Command, ZAKA, the IDF Oketz Canine Unit, the and the Foreign Ministry for their roles in the life- saving operation in Haiti.

On receiving the award, ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, flanked by ZAKA International Rescue Unit commander and veteran of the Haiti operation Dovie Maisel and ZAKA International Development Director David Rose, noted that the ZAKA team “was one of the first to arrive in the area and one of the last to leave. We remained there for two months until we were able to identify the remains of a Canadian Jewish businessman who was killed in the earthquake.” Meshi-Zahav added that “there is no other people in the world that cared for its children like Israel does.”

NEWSZAK A 3 ZAKA VOLUNTEERS IN UMAN

Dozens of ZAKA volunteers from Israel joined their Zahav: “For the first time this year, thanks to the fellow ZAKA volunteers from the Ukraine to provide full cooperation between ZAKA and the various – for the first time – both security and emergency local emergency and security forces and thanks first aid services for the tens of thousands who to the Home Front Command’s communications came to pray at the final resting place of systems, ZAKA was able to offer a greater level of Nachman of Breslav in Uman, Ukraine during security and safety to the thirty thousand hasidim Rosh Hashana. The ZAKA Central Command for who came to pray at Rabbi Nachman’s final resting Assistance and First Aid, which cooperated with the place.” local security and emergency services, operated ZAKA Ukraine volunteers, headed by round the clock for ten days. Moshe Reuven Asman and under the direction of The IDF Home Front Command also made available Rabbi Ya’acov Zilberman, coordinated activities a professional communications system to the ZAKA with the local police and greeted the hasidim on security and paramedic volunteers to ensure a fast arrival at Kiev airport. and efficient response. During the lifetime of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, Under the direction of veteran, Jerusalem-based who was a great-grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov ZAKA volunteer Shimi Grossman, the specially- and the founder of the Bratslav Hasidic movement, trained and equipped ZAKA volunteers responded thousands of followers would travel to pray to tens of emergency medical incidents. ZAKA and learn with him during the holidays of Rosh worked in cooperation with the Clalit Health Fund Hashanah, Chanukah and Shavuot. This tradition from Israel, as well as Rabbi Nachman Klein who continues today, with tens of thousands – many operates a surgery in Oman staffed by senior from Israel - traveling to his final resting place medical personnel from Israel. for Rosh Hashanah. This year marked the two ZAKA Chairman and Founder Yehuda Meshi- hundredth anniversary of his death.

NEWSZAK A 4 ZAKA RECOVERS AMERICAN JEWISH TREKKER KILLED IN NEPAL Father: “Were it not for ZAKA’s work, we would be unable to take Irina's remains with us to be buried.”

After intensive work in collecting remains at the authorities to ensure that Irina’s remains were site of the plane crash near Shikharpur village, flown to America for burial in the shortest possible about 50 miles south of Katmandu, Nepal in which time. 14 people were killed, ZAKA International Rescue In a moving email sent to ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Unit volunteers from Israel positively identified the Meshi-Zahav from Katmandu, Irina’s parents Boris remains of American Jewish trekker Irina Shekhets. and Tatyana thanked him and his team for “the On arrival in Katmandu, ZAKA International Rescue enormous efforts… your help and humanity. Were Unit commander Mati Goldstein and veteran it not for ZAKA’s work, we would be unable to take volunteer Dano Monkotovitch were welcomed Irina's remains with us to be buried ASAP. at Chabad House where recovery efforts were coordinated with the local authorities. After meeting with American doctors and representatives from the American and Israeli embassies, as well as local emergency teams, the ZAKA volunteers flew to the crash site in a private helicopter, together with several Israeli backpackers from Chabad House who assisted in the search for remains. The dental records procured from the victim’s dentist in the States by the ZAKA team were used in the identification procedure. The ZAKA team, together with Chabad House Rabbi Yehezkel Lifschitz and his wife Hannah, worked with the local

NEWSZAK A 5 ZAKA TO OPEN REGIONAL CENTER IN UKRAINE

During a festive dinner held recently in Kiev to the Ukraine Zina Kalay-Kleitman, the Chief celebrate 20 years of ZAKA operations, ZAKA of the Ukraine Moshe Asman and Yaacov Bleich announced plans to open a ZAKA International and President of the All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress Rescue Unit regional center based in Kiev to serve Vadim Rabinovitch, Chairman of ZAKA Ukraine the entire Eastern Europe and former USSR region. Yaacov Silberman and many members of the ZAKA Chairman and Founder Yehuda Meshi local Jewish communities. Participants from Israel Zahav welcomed the further expansion of the included Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Alex Miller, International Rescue Unit, which opened a Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger and ZAKA Chairman and regional center in South East Asia, based in Hong Founder Yehuda Meshi Zahav. Kong, earlier this year: “45 people from the local Veteran Jerusalem-based ZAKA volunteer Shimi community have already registered to train as Grossman was honored with a certificate of volunteers for the ZAKA International Rescue Unit. recognition for his many years of dedicated This unit will be trained and equipped to offer an immediate and professional response to any volunteering both in Israel (Grossman was one of disaster or emergency incident that may occur, not the founder members of the ZAKA Rapid Response only in the Ukraine but also in the region.” Motorcyle Unit) and overseas, including Mexico, Haiti and other international disasters. Chairman of the ZAKA International Board of Directors Michael Mirilashvili and President The first task of the newly-formed ZAKA Ukraine of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Alexander was to offer security and emergency first-aid Machkevitch jointly hosted the festive dinner, assistance at the Rosh Hashanah celebrations in which was attended by the Israeli Ambassador to Uman (see separate article).

NEWSZAK A 6 “WE ARE NOT IMMUNE TO PAIN” TWICE IN ONE MONTH, ZAKA VOLUNTEERS IDENTIFY THEIR COLLEAGUES AMONG THE VICTIMS Tragedy hit the ZAKA family of volunteers twice in one month, as they found themselves dealing with the harsh pain of identifying their own colleagues or relatives among the dead.

Kiryat Gat, 5 August

ZAKA volunteers were among the first to arrive at the scene of the fatal train collision with a minibus at a railroad crossing north of Kiryat Gat. To compound the horror of the crash, in which seven members of one family were killed and 20 others injured, ZAKA volunteers were shocked to find a ZAKA yellow vest and cap strewn among the debris.

One of the victims was the head of the family Aryeh Bernstein, a veteran ZAKA volunteer from Beitar Illit. Aryeh was killed together with his wife, pregnant daughter, three other children and a grandchild.

ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, who rushed to attend to the scene from his home in Jerusalem: “The family is well-known. Aryeh was a very important volunteer who has worked with ZAKA for years and recently attended my daughter’s wedding.

NEWSZAK A 7 This incident, in which an entire family has been wiped out, is very hard, but the pain for us is doubled when we are talking about a respected member of the ZAKA family.”

ZAKA volunteer Motti Bukchin: “ZAKA volunteers are often called in to gruesome and horrifying scenes, and the public probably considered us as tried and tested and immune to the pain of seeing tragedy unfold. But we are not immune to pain, and on the scene I saw a couple of the volunteers standing to the side and shedding a tear for our friend Aryeh.”

Kiryat Arba, 31 August

When ZAKA volunteer Momy Ben Haim received news on his ZAKA beeper of the shooting attack near Hebron, he immediately rushed to the scene from his home in Beit Haggai. It was only when he arrived at the site of the terror attack that he discovered, to his horror that his wife Cochava was among the four victims.

ZAKA volunteer Isaac Bernstein recalls: “We saw a crying volunteer, and at first we did not understand what was happening. He has seen many disasters before, but then, he started shouting, ‘That’s my wife! That’s my wife!’”

Bernstein and other ZAKA volunteers escorted Ben Haim from the tragic scene, while others stayed to continue their sacred work in clearing the area.

NEWSZAK A 8 GOLDERS GREEN RESIDENT JOSEPH KIERSZ DONATES FOUR ZAKA RAPID RESPONSE MOTORCYCLES IN A CEREMONY

CHIEF RABBI : “AS A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO SAVE LIVES”

In a moving ceremony held at the end of August old daughter Sophie, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv and in Tel Aviv, Golders Green resident and Holocaust President of ZAKA Yisrael Meir Lau, ZAKA Chairman survivor Joseph Kiersz donated four ZAKA Rapid Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and other guests, Kiersz was Response motorcycles in the names of his family visibly moved as he cut the ribbon on the four bikes to the Israel-based volunteer rescue and recovery which carry life-saving medical equipment. organisation. “As a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen- In the presence of his daughter and son-in-law Belsen, I have seen Jews led to their death like Alison and Stephen Brownstone and their four year sheep to the slaughter” said Kiersz. “I am proud

NEWSZAK A 9 of the Israelis who are doing the work that we could not do then – to take care of ourselves.”

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau reminisced in Yiddish with Kiersz about their shared experiences in the Holocaust. “As a survivor, you understand what it means to save lives. With your donation, you are most certainly helping save lives on a daily basis in Israel.”

The Kiersz-Brownstone family handed over the keys of the four bikes to their new owners, all veteran ZAKA paramedics, bringing the total number of ZAKA Rapid Response motorcycles deployed around the country to 170. ZAKA paramedics in the Rapid Response Motorcycle Unit have saved thousands of lives over the last ten years, thanks to their ability to weave through traffic, reach the emergency scene within minutes, often before other emergency services arrive, and immediately begin treating the injured.

The unit is the brainchild of ZAKA volunteer and pizza store owner Ya’acov Uri who, frustrated by the delay in reaching the scene of an accident due to heavy traffic, realized that the time advantage offered by his pizza delivery bike could be used to save lives, given the appropriate medical supplies.

NEWSZAK A 10