Zaka agrees to take MDA's orders at terror attack sites

Zaka, the body evacuation unit organized by haredim whose volunteers often arrive at the site of terror attacks on motorcycles before Magen David Adom ambulances, has agreed to take orders from the most senior MDA professional there—unless Zaka volunteers get there first.

This was one point of agreement reached by Health Ministry senior official Dr. Michael Dor, who tried on Tuesday to mediate between heads of the two organizations. Zaka and MDA's complaints about each other in the wake of terror attacks have become increasingly bitter in recent months.

Magen David Adom director-general Avi Zohar contends that Zaka -- which was set up in 1995 by Eda Haredit activist Yehuda Meshi-Zahav to collect body parts after Palestinian suicide bombings -- has been interfering with MDA's lifesaving activities and even competing for public attention and foreign donors.

Zaka, for its part, argues that its 800 volunteers (many of them haredi but some national religious and secular) undergo intensive MDA first-aid courses and reach the scene on motorcycles even before MDA ambulances arrive; they feel obligated to save lives if MDA is not yet present.

The ministry spokesman, Roby Steinberg, said it is aware of the fact that Zaka volunteers who have taken MDA first-aid and resuscitation courses have less training than MDA medics, who have no motorcycles and thus tend to arrive later due to traffic jams. "MDA's director-general Avi Zohar has never come to us and said he wants motorcycles so its staff and volunteers can get to terror attack sites earlier," said Steinberg. "For various reasons, it is difficult for us to intervene between the two organizations, but we will have another session with them next week."

MDA policy and budget is supervised by the ministry. But Zaka has in the last two years raised large sums abroad thanks to films and media clippings on their work to save lives and preserve the dignity of the dead. MDA insists on strict lines of demarcation between Zaka volunteers and MDA professional paramedics and medics and claims the wounded would be better off if Zaka arrived only to take care of the dead. "There are usually too many people on the scene after a terror attack in cities and they fall over each other," Zohar maintained.

Steinberg said that Zaka has a ministry license to use only five of its 20 ambulances for evacuation of the wounded and injured, but that it sometimes uses all 20 for this purpose, instead of reserving 15 only to remove bodies. The donations have been used to install expensive resuscitation equipment and defibrillators on all Zaka ambulances, he said. The ministry has not decided if it will take action against Zaka for using vehicles unlicensed for lifesaving, the spokesman continued.

Zaka counters that since they often arrive on the scene first, they cannot ignore the cries of the wounded and must begin lifesaving immediately. "We wear two-sided vests -- red for lifesaving and yellow for removing dead victims. We may compete for funds from donors abroad, said Zaka spokesman Zelig Finer, "but MDA should be happy that we're able to buy the equipment we needs. MDA gets funds from the government, charges heart attack and road accident victims for ambulance transfers, and sometimes they apply sanctions. We don't get any state funds, and we don't go out on strike."

The Knesset Public Complaints Committee, headed by Torah Judaism MK Rabbi Yisrael Eichler, delved into the Zaka-MDA conflict on Tuesday The meeting summary composed by Eichler stated that while the committee congratulated both organizations for their lifesaving efforts, and that every suitable Zaka volunteer should take first-aid courses, "press reports with accusations against Zaka are not correct." He urged the two organizations to reach a modus vivendi in cooperation with the ministry and the Israel Police.

Freakin' unbelievable. Red Magen David doesn't want ZAKA rendering first aid to any terror victims who are still alive because ZAKA is supposed to take care only of the dead? This reminds me of the old joke, "Are you sure he's dead?" asks the dispatcher. Sound of gunshot. "Yeah, I'm sure that he's dead."

Since ZAKA is usually the first on the scene, it would be criminally negligent of them to collect the dead pieces while there are living victims who are in need ot first aid. Then ZAKA can turn over the patients when the MDA paramedics arrive.

This is no time for competition and turf wars. MDA should shut up and fall on their feet and kiss ZAKA for the work they do.

BTW I contribute to both orgs but I think I will increase my donations to ZAKA.

"If I were a rich man..."

I would donate a fleet of Harleys to MDA, and I would set up a training course for haredi man and women to be police officers and security guards, especially after the #14 bus bombing in which the terrorists disguised himself in haredi garb.

I know that haredim might be reluctant to volunteer for security jobs, maybe I need to go over there myself to persuade my brother and sister haredim of the need to save Jewish lives. Anybody want to contribute to Alouette's recruitment drive?

Question:

Yehudah HaMaccabiyah, if I read my (Catholic) Bible aright, authorized Jews to carry weapons and fight on Shabbat in order to preserve Am Yisrael.

Has any modern Beit Din opined on this during the current crisis?

Has any modern Beit Din opined on this during the current crisis?

I believe that the Yesha Council has issued a similar psak din.

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