ZAKA Search & Rescue responded to over 7,000 cases in Israel and abroad in 2025, the organization announced in a press release. ZAKA is a rescue and recovery NGO dedicated to saving lives and honoring the dead.
In 2025, ZAKA volunteers were sent to help after over a dozen terror attacks, more than 2,300 traffic accidents, including the recovery of 160 fatalities, and over 500 Chesed Shel Emet operations involving work accidents, drownings, and other unnatural deaths. ZAKA’s Chesed Shel Emet department handles and identifies deceased individuals, with the goal of preserving their dignity.
“ZAKA’s responsibility is to the deceased and to their families who need answers,” said ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern. “Our volunteers work quietly and professionally to ensure every person is treated with respect and that families can bury their loved ones with dignity and certainty.”
ZAKA's specialized units
ZAKA also maintains a search-and-rescue unit for missing persons that participated in over 40 operations this year, as well as a Rapid Response Motorcycle Unit to provide immediate medical assistance. The Resilience and Healing Unit supports volunteer well-being.
Divers and Jet Ski Units are used for water recovery, Jeep and ATV Units for difficult terrain, and a Drone Unit for aerial search and mapping.
In many cases, ZAKA volunteers are first on the scene, stabilizing situations and preserving critical information.
ZAKA also maintains its International Rescue Unit, recognized by the UN, which deploys volunteers worldwide to support victim identification and recovery. After the Bondi Beach terror attack in Sydney, ZAKA sent a team to assist the authorities and the Jewish community with identification and to provide the dead with dignity.
It also responded to the flooding that occured in Texas along the Guadalupe River, with volunteers who aided in the recovery operations and returned the deceased to their families.
Additionally, ZAKA’s Legal Unit assists families with legal processes and helps prevent unnecessary autopsies.
Founded as a small group of volunteers, ZAKA now has over 4,000 trained volunteers operating at all times across Israel, including teams staffed by Jewish, Muslim, Druze, and Christian volunteers who can serve their communities with cultural and religious sensitivity, and seeks to aid those in need both in Israel and across the globe.