Saving those who
can be saved,
honoring those
who cannot
Meet the Heros
What does ZAKA do?
Saving Lives
In any medical emergency, time is of the essence, with the first four minutes often meaning the difference between life and death. ZAKA paramedics, on-call every hour of every day and deployed around the country.
Respecting the Dead
True virtue (Chesed Shel Emes) – this is the emotional and highly distressing work for which ZAKA is best known. This is a unique unit with a unique mission – to honor the dead and ensure a full Jewish burial for those who meet a sudden death.
Volunteering in Israel
In addition to ZAKA’s work in honoring the dead, the volunteer organization has grown organically over the years to provide specialist search and rescue units which can be called upon, 24/7, throughout the country, on land and at sea.
International Search and rescue
The Jerusalem-based ZAKA International Rescue Unit operates a specially trained team of volunteer paramedics and search and rescue professionals who are on call 24/7, ready to respond in the fastest possible time to major international mass casualty incidents, wherever they may occur.
A Story of Chessed Shel Emes
ZAKA is Born
Yehuda Meshi Zahav founded ZAKA Search and Rescue in the early 1990’s. Today, ZAKA is UN-recognized humanitarian volunteer organization that provides a rapid response to mass casualty disasters across the world. To date, ZAKA has saved thousands of lives—and honored those who couldn’t be saved with dignity in death.
ZAKA currently operates in 21 countries around the globe with over 700 volunteers. They continue to build their global footprint by providing crisis training in communities around the world. Their goal is to empower every community to mobilize their own resources – and save lives – in the first critical few days until international emergency forces arrive.
We are ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
About.
Yehuda Meshi Zahav founded ZAKA Search and Rescue in the early 1990’s. Today, ZAKA is UN-recognized humanitarian volunteer organization that provides a rapid response to mass casualty disasters across the world. To date, ZAKA has saved thousands of lives—and honored those who couldn’t be saved with dignity in death.
ZAKA currently operates in 21 countries around the globe with over 700 volunteers. They continue to build their global footprint by providing crisis training in communities around the world. Their goal is to empower every community to mobilize their own resources – and save lives – in the first critical few days until international emergency forces arrive.
We are ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
World Leaders Speak About ZAKA
ZAKA Chairman Meshi-Zahav told me that ‘We save anyone who needs to be saved, and honor all people equally’. I can think of few more profound ways to define the mission not only of humanitarians, but of anyone who believes in the principles of equality, human rights, and dignity, that the UN was created to uphold.
Samantha Power
US Ambassador to the UN
I would like to thank you all for the important work that you are doing and to encourage you to continue. You work to rescue people buried in the ruins, people who needed an outstretched arm, and that hand was yours.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Your work in the devastated areas after the tsunami and earthquake and your specialist knowledge and assistance was much appreciated by the emergency services with whom you worked in the field. We in the Japanese Embassy have great esteem for the humanitarian endeavors of the ZAKA organization.
Haruhisa Takeuchi
Japanese Ambassador
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