Hi,

Hope you’re having a great day.

I wanted to tell you about the amazing people of Zaka.

… Like the wonderful members of the IDF who spent weeks in Haiti?

The volunteers of Zaka should inspire us and make us proud.

(You may have seen pictures of them inHaitisaying the Shabbat prayers in their prayer shawls.)

Zaka is the largest volunteer rescue and recovery organization in Israel.

They are often the first to respond to a terror attack, accident or disaster.

And there’s more to the story.

When these Zaka people came to Haiti?

They were already very tired.

Because they didn’t come fromIsrael.  They came fromMexico.

They had flown there to help with a terrible tragedy.

A helicopter crash that took the life of a prominent Mexican Jew.

Moshe Saba was a pillar of the Jewish community in Mexico. 

And one of the most influential people in all of Mexico.

He was more than a successful businessman.

Moshe Saba was a billionaire.

He was the major supporter of virtually every Jewish institution in Mexico.

And was the address for every person in need.

He was known all over the Jewish world for his philanthropy.

And Zaka flew to Mexico to help.

… From the accident scene that took the life of one of the world’s richest Jews?

They flew to one of the poorest countries in the world.

And without resting, went right to work.

The first thing they did when they arrived in Haiti?

They expressed a special bond with their fellow Jews.

There were ten Israelis known to be in Haiti.

And with advanced satellite communication equipment and street maps?

They searched for and found all of them.

Then they went to work around the clock searching for Haitian survivors.

… The people of Zaka showed us a very Jewish perspective.

The bond between fellow Jews is very deep.  And very old.

It goes back over 3000 years when we stood at Mount Sinai.

And the love and concern we should have for every single Jew is unique and special.

But when we stood together at Mount Sinai?

We were taught that every human being is created in the Image of G-d.

And when you pull a human being out from a collapsed building?

Whether rich or poor.  Famous or unknown?  Jew or non Jew?

You have done something very G-dly!

All the best,