ZAKA International Rescue Unit Leaves For The Mexico City Helicopter Crash Site

Jerusalem, Israel - 11-Jan-10

Moises Saba and ZAKA chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav at a ZAKA tribute evening hosted in Saba's home, Nov 2008 (Credit ZAKA)

JUST 6 DAYS BEFORE IT WAS DUE TO BEGIN TRAINING 50 LOCAL VOLUNTEERS IN RESCUE AND RECOVERY

In a tragic and cruel twist of fate, the ZAKA International Rescue Unit delegation which was due to fly to Mexico City later this week to begin training 50 local volunteers in rescue and recovery techniques, left Tel Aviv Monday to attend to the scene of the helicopter crash in which Mexican Jewish businessman and philanthropist Moises Saba was killed along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law on Sunday night.

The idea to establish a ZAKA International Rescue Unit in Mexico, trained by Israeli ZAKA volunteers, was borne out of a ZAKA tribute evening which Moises Saba hosted in his home in November 2008, where guest of honor former US President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker. Saba's generosity facilitated the establishment and training of the Mexico ZAKA International Rescue Unit.

"Who could have imagined, not just that the Mexican volunteers would need to learn the course content hands-on, in a real incident, but that it would involve the tragic death of the very person who initiated and funded the course," noted head of the ZAKA International Rescue Unit Mati Goldstein as he prepared to board his flight.

"This tragic incident only serves to highlight the need for locally-based, ZAKA-trained volunteers who can respond immediately and professionally to emergency situations," adds ZAKA International Rescue Unit Chief Operating Officer Dovie Maisel who also left for Mexico City Monday, with two other ZAKA volunteers. Rabbi David Yosef, son of former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Ovadia Yosef who was close to Moises Saba, accompanied the ZAKA delegation, which included two other volunteers.

Before leaving for Mexico, the ZAKA delegation met with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who gave his halachic ruling regarding the ZAKA team's work in collecting body parts at the crash scene. They then met with Israeli Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, who sent with the delegation a letter to his counterpart in Mexico, requesting to delay the funeral of the victims until the ZAKA team has completed its work in collecting all body parts from the scene of the crash.

However, with the subsequent positive identification of the bodies, Rabbi Ovadia ruled that the funerals should go ahead and that the ZAKA delegation should continue to scour the crash site for body parts.

On arrival in Mexico Tuesday morning local time, the ZAKA volunteers went immediately to the crash site, where they met with the other 16 ZAKA volunteers from Mexico and the US, including a specialist in bone identification. The volunteers are working in two groups, one at the crash site itself and the other sifting through the helicopter pieces.

Moises Saba has supported ZAKA since its inception, including the donation of two ZAKA ambulances. During the tsunami disaster, in which a Mexican was feared dead, Saba funded the ongoing search for his body until positive identification ensured that his wife of one month would know her husband's fate.

ZAKA volunteers at the site of the helicopter crash in Mexico	ZAKA delegation leaves Tel AViv for Mexico helicopter crash site to assist in rescue and recovery. (Credit ZAKA)	Rabbi Ovadia Yosef gives halachic ruling to ZAKA delegation before they leave for Mexico crash site (Credit ZAKA)
Israeli Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar meets with ZAKA delegation before it leaves for Mexico. (Credit ZAKA)	Moises Saba and family at a ZAKA tribute evening in Saba's home, Nov 2008, with guest speaker Bill Clinton. (Credit ZAKA)