Home > ZAKA

1 Functions

ZAKA members, most of whom are Orthodox Jews, assist ambulance crews, identify the victims of terrorism, and when necessary gather body parts and spilled blood for burial. They also voluntarily provide first aid and rescue services and help in search for missing people.

2 History

ZAKA started when a group of volunteers got together to assist in recovery of human remains from a terrorist attack on a Line 405 bus in 1989. In 1995 they were officially recognized by the Israeli government and work closely with the Israeli police, identifying disaster victims.

3 Hessed shel Emet

The founders and members, however, prefer to call the organization and their work Hessed shel Emet ("true kindness") because of their dedicated work to bring bodies of slain Jews to be buried according to Halakha ( JewThe word Jew is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to either a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or a member of the Jewish culture or ethnicity. This article discusses the term as describing an ethnic group; for aish TorahTorah [] is a Hebrew word meaning teaching instruction or especially Law''. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh, i. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These books are Genesis Bereishit []), Exodus Shemot []), Leviticus Vayikra [] law). The phrase Hessed shel Emet applies to doing "kindness" for the benefit of the deceased, which is considered to be "true kindness", since a reward is not expected.

4 Public positive

ZAKA has gained positive public opinion because of its devoted conduct in treating the bodies of the victims killed by terrorist suicide bombingA suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, committed by a person who knows the explosion will cause his or her own death (see suicide). Historically the term has been used by Western media as far back as World War II in reference to the acts, and their great contributation to IsraelThis article discusses the State of Israel. For other meanings of Israel see Israel (disambiguation). The State of Israel Medinat Yisrael in Hebrew, Daulat Israil in Arabic) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.i society.

ZAKA's founder, Yehuda Meshi Zahav , was given the honor of lighting an honorary beaconThis page discusses Beacons, fires designed to attract attention. See also radio beacon. For other uses of the word, see Beacon (disambiguation Beacons are fires lit on hills or high places, used either as lighthouses for navigation at sea, or for signall on Israel's 55th Independence DayAn Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony of another state. Most countries honor their respective independence day as a national holid official ceremonies on Mount HerzlMount Herzl in Hebrew Har Hertzel is a high hill-top in Jerusalem, Israel that is named for, and is the final resting place of, Theodor Herzl, considered to be the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb lies at the top of the hill. It is also t in Jerusalem, the revered burial spot of modern Zionism's founder Theodor Herzl.