ZAKA

ZAKA is an Israeli network of government-recognized volunteer emergency-response teams. Its Hebrew name is an abbreviation of Zihuy Korbanot Ason, meaning “identification of disaster victims”; the organization’s longer name also refers to locating, extracting and rescuing victims and to Chesed Shel Emet, or “true kindness” performed for the deceased. ZAKA is not a conventional consumer brand or commercial emergency-services company. It is a public-facing humanitarian and community-response organization whose identity is closely associated with Orthodox Jewish volunteers, rapid deployment to scenes of terrorism and mass-casualty incidents, and the recovery of bodies and bodily remains for burial. The organization’s roots lie in the work of religious volunteers who assisted after the 1989 Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus 405 attack and subsequent violent incidents. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav became the group’s central public figure and helped formalize ZAKA in 1995. During the wave of suicide bombings and other attacks in the 1990s and 2000s, volunteers worked alongside ambulance and security services, providing first aid, helping identify victims, collecting remains and assisting families. Because Jewish religious law places importance on recovering even small amounts of blood and tissue for burial, ZAKA developed specialized practices for scenes that conventional emergency responders might leave to forensic or municipal authorities. Volunteers may also work on the Jewish Sabbath when a life is at risk; the organization’s work with the dead involves additional religious considerations. ZAKA’s operational scope extends beyond terror attacks. Its volunteers respond to homicides, road crashes, missing-person searches, natural disasters and other emergencies. The network has included trained paramedics, rescue personnel, divers and personnel involved in victim identification and recovery. It has also assisted non-Jewish victims, including the recovery of suicide attackers and the return of remains to families. In 2005, ZAKA created minority units involving Bedouin, Muslim and Druze volunteers. These units were intended to provide culturally and operationally appropriate assistance in non-Jewish communities, including during Jewish holidays when Orthodox Jewish volunteers could not handle remains under religious rules. The organization built an international profile through deployments after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2019 Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil. These missions presented ZAKA as a specialized Israeli search-and-recovery organization able to work in mass-casualty environments, although its core activity remains domestic. Its public reputation has also been shaped by controversy. In 2021, accusations of sexual abuse against Meshi-Zahav led to his resignation from ZAKA leadership and his renunciation of the Israel Prize. Separately, investigations and later reporting questioned ZAKA’s procedures, volunteer numbers, training practices and public communications. After the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, volunteers undertook the traumatic task of recovering victims, and several volunteers were killed or psychologically affected. Some early descriptions of atrocities were later challenged or debunked, while reporting alleged that remains were sometimes mixed, documentation was inadequate and unverified accounts were used in fundraising. ZAKA acknowledged that mistakes occurred and said its volunteers were not forensic specialists. These disputes have made the organization a prominent but contested actor in the public memory, humanitarian response and political communication surrounding the attacks. ZAKA remains active as a volunteer emergency-response network in Israel. Its work combines rescue and first aid with religiously informed dignified treatment of the dead, community mobilization and international disaster assistance. The organization’s precise size and finances have been disputed in public reporting, so figures should be treated cautiously.

ZAKA developed from religious volunteer activity at Israeli mass-casualty scenes, particularly after the 1989 bus 405 attack and later terrorist attacks. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and other volunteers recognized a need for responders who could combine immediate assistance with the recovery of blood and bodily remains required for Jewish burial. The organization was formally established in 1995 and became associated with rapid responses to suicide bombings, homicides, traffic collisions and other violent incidents. During the 1990s and 2000s, ZAKA volunteers worked alongside ambulance crews and security forces. Their role included first aid, assistance with victim identification, searches for missing people and the careful collection of remains. The organization also recovered the remains of non-Jewish victims and attackers, reflecting its stated principle that dignified treatment of the dead applies beyond religious or communal boundaries. Its volunteers, predominantly Orthodox Jewish men, were permitted to work in life-threatening situations on the Sabbath. The group’s religious identity nevertheless created operational limits when dealing with the dead on Jewish holy days, encouraging the development of minority units. In 2005, ZAKA established a unit involving Bedouin, Muslim and Druze volunteers. The initiative was intended to expand service to non-Jewish communities, especially in the Negev and Galilee, and to cover situations in which Jewish volunteers could not handle remains under religious law. ZAKA subsequently promoted itself as a national network rather than a single local team, with units organized around police districts. The two largest factions are generally identified as ZAKA Tel Aviv and ZAKA Search and Rescue. The organization’s international reputation grew through overseas missions. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, ZAKA personnel assisted in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia, working in difficult morgue and recovery conditions. Later missions included a search for a missing Israeli official in Paris, assistance after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, earthquake response in Haiti and Japan, earthquake and avalanche response in Nepal, and recovery work after the Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil. These operations demonstrated the organization’s ability to deploy volunteers with rescue, diving and recovery skills, while also reinforcing its distinctive focus on victim identification and burial-related handling. ZAKA’s institutional history has included disputes over governance and public representation. In 2007, members were accused of involvement in an arson attack on a secret crematorium in Israel; Meshi-Zahav denied that ZAKA was involved, although he condemned cremation. In 2016, the United Nations granted the organization consultative NGO status after two unsuccessful attempts. Public estimates of the volunteer base have varied substantially. ZAKA cited a large national volunteer network, while a 2022 investigation questioned the reported totals and training compliance; ZAKA rejected those allegations. The 2021 scandal involving Meshi-Zahav was a major rupture in the organization’s public leadership. After he received the Israel Prize, multiple allegations accused him of sexual assaults against women, girls and boys over many years. He resigned from ZAKA and renounced the prize. He attempted suicide in April 2021, entered a coma and died in June 2022. Commentary on the organization suggested that the scandal damaged its reputation but did not fundamentally change its volunteer ethos or core activities. The 7 October 2023 attacks became one of the most consequential episodes in ZAKA’s history. Volunteers were sent to recover and identify victims, and several suffered severe psychological trauma; driver Danny Vovk was killed at Netiv HaAsara. ZAKA also became a source for early accounts of the attacks. Some reports of atrocities, including claims about bound and burned babies and certain accounts of sexual violence, were later challenged or shown to be unsupported. ZAKA said its volunteers confronted burned, decomposed and confusing scenes and were not forensic specialists. A later investigation alleged that volunteers mixed remains, failed to document scenes adequately and promoted unverified stories and graphic imagery during fundraising. The organization’s emergency work and the criticism of its methods therefore remain inseparable parts of its contemporary history.

• 2023

  Response to the 7 October attacks

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  ZAKA volunteers undertook extensive recovery work after the attacks, while the organization faced criticism over procedures, public claims and fundraising.

• 2021

  Founder resigns amid abuse allegations

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  Yehuda Meshi-Zahav resigned from ZAKA leadership after reports of sexual-abuse allegations and gave up the Israel Prize.

• 2016

  UN consultative status granted

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  The United Nations granted ZAKA consultative NGO status after earlier applications had failed.

• 2010

  International disaster operations expand

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  ZAKA continued overseas search, rescue and recovery work, including major earthquake and mass-casualty deployments.

• 2005

  Minority volunteer unit established

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  ZAKA established a unit involving Bedouin, Muslim and Druze volunteers to serve non-Jewish communities.

• 2004

  Bus wreckage advocacy mission

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  ZAKA members transported wreckage and victim photographs from the Jerusalem bus 19 bombing to The Hague and the United States as part of an advocacy effort.

• 1995

  ZAKA is formally established

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  The volunteer disaster-response organization is formally created in Israel.

• 1989

  Volunteer response roots emerge

  [1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  Religious volunteers assisted with recovery and aid after the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus 405 attack, helping establish the model that later became ZAKA.

A faith-informed humanitarian emergency-response network combining trained volunteer rescue work, disaster victim identification and respectful recovery of the dead.

• Emergency services · 1995

  Domestic emergency response

  Volunteer teams respond around the clock to terror attacks, homicides, traffic accidents and other disasters. Their activities can include first aid, rescue support, searches for missing people and assistance to ambulance and security personnel.

• Humanitarian recovery · 1995

  Disaster victim identification and recovery

  ZAKA volunteers collect and help identify human remains, including blood and body parts, with particular attention to religious requirements for burial. The service is presented as applying to victims regardless of religion or ethnicity.

• International disaster response · 2004

  International Search and Rescue Unit

  Specialized teams, including rescue divers and other trained personnel, have participated in overseas responses to earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, building collapses and dam failures.

• Community emergency response · 2005

  Minority community units

  Bedouin, Muslim and Druze volunteers extend ZAKA’s response capacity to non-Jewish communities, particularly in the Negev and Galilee, and provide coverage compatible with local religious and community needs.

• 2023

  Controversy over 7 October accounts and handling of remains

  Reporting challenged several early atrocity accounts attributed to ZAKA volunteers and alleged inadequate forensic documentation, mixed remains and fundraising based on disputed or sensational claims. ZAKA acknowledged mistakes and said volunteers were not forensic specialists.

  Source

• 2022

  Dispute over volunteer numbers and training

  A reported investigation questioned ZAKA’s claimed volunteer totals and alleged that some volunteers had not received required periodic training. ZAKA denied the allegations.

  Source

• 2021

  Sexual-abuse allegations involving Yehuda Meshi-Zahav

  Multiple reports accused ZAKA’s longtime central figure of sexual assaults over several decades. He resigned from leadership and relinquished the Israel Prize; he died in 2022 after a suicide attempt and coma.

  Source

• 2007

  Alleged crematorium arson involvement

  ZAKA members were accused of burning down a secret crematorium in Israel. Meshi-Zahav denied organizational involvement while publicly condemning the crematorium.

  Source

Read more

• 2023Post-7 October fundraising

  Israel · International

  After being tasked with recovering victims of the 7 October attacks, ZAKA launched a fundraising drive focused on supporting the recovery operation and its broader emergency work.

  Outcome. The campaign generated substantial public attention but was later criticized in reporting for using disputed accounts and graphic material in appeals for donations.

  Source
• 2004Bus 19 advocacy display

  United States · Israel · Netherlands

  ZAKA transported the wreckage of a bus destroyed in a Jerusalem suicide bombing, together with victim photographs, to international venues to press for action against Palestinian militant organizations.

  Outcome. The wreckage was displayed at American universities and used as an international advocacy exhibit.

  Source

• 2021

  Remove founder from leadershipOther

  Background

  Sexual-abuse allegations were publicly reported against longtime leader Yehuda Meshi-Zahav.

  Action taken

  Meshi-Zahav resigned from ZAKA leadership and relinquished the Israel Prize.

  Aftermath

  The organization distanced itself from its former figurehead while continuing its core emergency activities.

  Source

• 2016

  Pursue international NGO recognitionStrategy

  Background

  ZAKA sought a formal international role for its humanitarian and disaster-response activities.

  Action taken

  After two unsuccessful attempts, it obtained consultative status from the United Nations.

  Aftermath

  The status strengthened ZAKA’s international institutional profile.

  Source

• 2005

  Create minority volunteer unitsStrategy

  Background

  ZAKA’s predominantly Orthodox Jewish volunteer base faced religious and practical limits when serving non-Jewish communities and handling the dead on Jewish holy days.

  Action taken

  The organization established units involving Bedouin, Muslim and Druze volunteers.

  Aftermath

  The initiative broadened ZAKA’s community reach and response capacity outside the Jewish population.

  Source

• 2016

  ZAKA receives United Nations consultant NGO status[1]ZAKAen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After earlier unsuccessful applications, ZAKA was granted consultative non-governmental-organization status by the United Nations.

1. 1ZAKAen.wikipedia.org
2. 2ZAKA official websitezaka.org.il