ZAKA’s Yehuda Meshi-Zahav in the aftermath of the Tsunami

12 Best of AJL by Jana Daniels

Through the eyes of ZAKA

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, the founder the truth and, truth be told, in the court the Montana Hotel until his body was of ZAKA, speaks with a soft voice, a of popular world opinion ZAKA is one of ultimately recovered. wizened face and eyes that have seen far the few things that virtually everyone will too much. He explains to the audience accept about at face value. The understanding of the value of the of a small gathering the evening before importance of even a single life is what the official launch of ZAKA Hong Kong, To my American friends, ZAKA are the gave these rotating teams the strength to Macao & China that in Israel there are guys in Israel in the yellow vests on CNN tirelessly work to find one man. It is not no exports of any real value: there is that make sure religious have a about the numbers, though they saved no oil, no diamonds, no coal, only the proper burial. It is arguably only as of many lives and recovered countless basic tenets of the sacredness of life, recent years that ZAKA has begun to bodies. There is little mention of teams the essential duty to be humanitarian internationally market its primary export, staving off the physical and emotional and the core value of respect for others. the values of the Jewish people. pain of the task. Despite the fact that Though no value listed on the world’s ZAKA was among the first international commodities markets, these exports Most recently, ZAKA captured the world’s aid organizations to arrive, they regret carry a great weight and responsibility, attention with their humanitarian aid only not having arrived sooner. he explains. to disaster-ravaged . World media finally bought their export and showed As ZAKA volunteer Arele Klein, blogged Meshi-Zahav is no stranger to the the extraordinary efforts of these Israelis from the mission in Haiti, “We can’t limelight in Israel, often featured in determined to save as many lives as count the number of bodies transferred headlines on the unpopular side of possible irrespective of nationality, race for burial in a mass grave. The human heated controversies. But his visionary or religion. This is a core Jewish value brain cannot absorb the quantity of leadership of ZAKA has seemingly and one that Israel was founded on, but bodies that we have been exposed to in erased the boundaries between right and somehow one that is too often passed these first few days in Haiti. I discover a left, the ultra-orthodox and the secular, over by international media. strange sight at one of the mass graves - Jew and non-Jew, Israeli and non-Israeli. families have a special tune that they sing Yehuda Meshi-Zahav’s speech at the at the graveside, a song that moves back The following evening at the official official launch described the efforts and forth from song to tears, singing and launch, keynote speaker Yaacov Peri, and recovery work the ZAKA teams crying. Who can understand it?” This is a legendary figure in Israel and former committed in Haiti to locate the body the world through the eyes of ZAKA. Director of the Israel Security Agency, of a sole missing Canadian Jewish jokes that ZAKA is about the only thing businessman, Alexander Bitton. In In Asia, ZAKA was instrumental after there is a clear consensus about in Israel. rotating teams, ZAKA volunteers the Tsunami in 2004 in the systematic Sometimes this is seemingly not far from worked for over a month at the site of identification of thousands of bodies,

ASIAN JEWISH LIFE SPRING 2010 13 Best of AJL by Jana Daniels

allowing countless family members a bit volunteers immediately deployed in of comfort in the knowledge that their response to wrote in his blog, loved one would be buried with dignity “At that very moment, evil murderers The newly founded ZAKA Hong and they would be given some sense were killing their compatriots; our sole Kong, Macao & China will hold a of closure. ZAKA returned to desire was to get there and help,” volunteer training program in June three years later immediately following yet he continues, “We say Tehillim 2010 in Hong Kong. the crash of One-Two-Go airlines in (Psalms) and speak words of faith and Phuket in 2007. The responders made encouragement… blood, fire and pillars For additional information regarding that trip with images of the Tsunami still of smoke, Mumbai, Friday, 6.30 am.” ZAKA contact Lydia Weitzman at deeply imprinted in their minds. Also in [email protected] or see their 2007, they again found themselves in On Friday night, he continues, “The grim website at www.zaka.us. route to Thailand to provide assistance moment arrives. Two bodies are dragged following the Koh Phi Phi ferry accident out of the door and rapidly put inside a For inquiries related to the that left one Israeli dead and another waiting vehicle…But there’s no time for training program contact Rafael seriously injured. mourning or sadness.” Aharoni, President of ZAKA In 2009, after the terror attack in Mumbai The task is grim, the work tireless, the Hong Kong, Macau and China, they again responded immediately to images haunting, but what prevails is the [email protected]. disaster in Asia. This time was different, invaluable measure of the commodity of as Shuki Brief, one of the six Israeli the profound respect for life.

Rescue and identification mission, Phuket plane crash Identification specialists mission, Asia Tsunami

14 ASIAN JEWISH LIFE SPRING 2010 Best of AJL by Jana Daniels

Terror in Mumbai, Chabad House

Identification specialists mission, Asia Tsunami teams in Haiti

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