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ZAKA – Search and Rescue is an Israeli volunteer organization whose purpose is to preserve human dignity. The thousands of volunteers symbolize and embody the ideal of Chesed Shel Emet (true virtue). ZAKA (the Hebrew acronym for Disaster Victim Identification) was founded 35 years ago during an extreme wave of terrorist attacks in Israel. The organization’s volunteers came to the gruesome sites to preserve the dignity of brutally murdered Israeli citizens. Since then, more than 4000 volunteers, men and women from all over the country, have joined ZAKA. They go through special training to cope with difficult situations and handle painful scenes like traffic accidents, drownings and disasters. Over the years, and as needs arose in the field, ZAKA has expanded its operations to other areas of aiding human dignity. Volunteers from the various divisions help search and rescue efforts during emergencies. They serve as members of national delegations sent to provide support during disasters around the world, and the organization has created social initiatives to increase awareness and care for isolated individuals. ZAKA and its thousands of dedicated volunteers are recognized and appreciated throughout Israeli society and by Israeli and international security and governmental entities. It inspires and serves as a model for heroism and limitless giving. ZAKA volunteers repeatedly outdo themselves thanks to the strength of the Israeli spirit and they do everything they can to rescue when possible, and to be respectful when that is all that remains. From the initial hours of the war thrust upon Israel on October 7, as the magnitude of the horror became apparent, ZAKA volunteers were called straight into the field. The horrendous things they witnessed did not deter them and they worked tirelessly under fire to find and retrieve every sign of life in order to preserve the dignity of the murdered and bring them to burial. ZAKA volunteers had to face the horrifying atrocities that the merciless murderers left behind and unintentionally became living witnesses to the terrible and monstrous abuse that occurred there. For many weeks, these angels of grace worked to find traces of the dead and to collect evidence, for the sake of the families who sought any trace of their murdered loved ones so they could bury them properly and respectfully. The last few months have increased appreciation and admiration for the heroism of ZAKA volunteers to new heights. These volunteers are part of a horrific and historic chapter in the story of Israel. A chapter of true virtue. To all philatelic items issued on May 2024
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