Zaka: Israeli Based Volunteer Rescue Organization (Maya Bloom, High School Intern)
There are numerous Israeli non-governmental organizations that work effortlessly to help Jews and non-Jews in Israel and to support people from all ethnicities internationally. One influential organization is called Zaka, founded by Yehuda Meshi-Zahav in 1995 and known as Israel’s main rescue volunteer organization. With its thousands of skilled volunteers who are prepared to respond to emergencies around the world on a constant basis, Zaka is able to help promote accident prevention, while responding to crises and terrorist violence. Zaka provides care for civilians within Israel, while also catering to the needs of many victims globally. Zaka is there to help out all those in need, despite their background, religion or race, as they are founded on the central Jewish belief that all of mankind was created in the image of G-d.
Zaka is one of Israel’s most admired organizations. With its skilled volunteers who work on a constant basis and equipment, it is one of the most important Israeli organizations. Zaka, which was founded by a Yeshiva student, provides ultra-Orthodox Jews with the opportunity to professionally respond to national and international crises, all within the framework of Jewish law. Zaka does not only consist of Jewish workers; rather, it contains volunteers from many different cultures as well, who sacrifice a lot in order to help those in need.
This organization contains various units that consist of highly trained volunteers who are able to instantly respond to emergency situations with the top equipment and resources possible. The unit that Zaka is most well known for is called Zaka Chesed Shel Emet, which refers to performing an act of kindness that cannot be repaid by the recipient. In this unit, the Zaka volunteers honour the dead by gathering all their limbs to be buried and by providing the dead victims with proper Jewish burials. Another unit is known as the Zaka Rapid Rescue Unit, in which trained Zaka paramedics instantly arrive at the site of emergencies in the fastest amount of time possible. There is also the Zaka Emergency Unit, which responds to emergencies in Israel, such as natural disasters or war. Additionally, Zaka contains special search and rescue units of all different kinds, such as the Climbing and Rappelling Unit, the Canine Unit, and the Divers Unit. In these highly intensive units, the trained volunteers rescue missing people on land and at sea. They constantly communicate with the IDF, as well as with Israel’s other emergency and defense services. The volunteers are highly experienced workers, who are experts in the specific workframe of their rescue units.
Zaka also contains international units with trained paramedics, as well as search and rescue experts who are fully equipped. Their job is to respond to major global casualties, such as natural disasters and terror attacks, within a very short time span. In order to maintain a fast emergency response, Zaka trains groups in communities around the world with the skills they need to be able to properly respond to these emergency situations. For example, in 2008, Zaka volunteers provided care at the site of the Chabad House terror attack in Mumbai, India and in 2015, they were sent to provide assistance after the Nepal earthquake.
Zaka is a leading volunteer organization that not only provides excellent care for victims globally, but also guides other international forces with important advice and support. The United Nations has recognized Zaka on numerous occasions for its great work and acknowledges it as an “International Volunteer Humanitarian Organization”. With an outstanding team of selfless members, Zaka continues to run its units in Israel and around the world, constantly helping those in need.
