Speeches

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Welcoming Remarks

ZAKA Ceremony to Inaugurate Search and Rescue Equipment

Safra Square, Jerusalem

Thursday, April 19, 2007, 6:00 p.m.

Good evening.  I am delighted to be here this evening with all my friends from Zaka.  Thank you for inviting to this auspicious ceremony to inaugurate an impressive array of specially equipped rescue vans and motorcycles.  This beautiful equipment was generously donated by Keren Morasha, the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited, based in New York, which honors the heritage and values of its founders, Bella and Harry Wexner.  I understand that each is outfitted with lifesaving resuscitation equipment that will enable ZAKA volunteers to save more lives in the aftermath of an accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Since its establishment, ZAKA has become world renowned for its humanitarian efforts.  The organization shares its accumulated knowledge, expertise, and professionalism with rescue teams and governments throughout the world. Your network of volunteers around the globe often responds at a moment’s notice to provide immediate assistance and expert advice in handling multiple-victim disasters.  ZAKA volunteers were involved in rescue and identification efforts following the synagogue bombings in Istanbul and the terrorist attacks in Mombasa and the Sinai; and they participated in the rescue efforts of the Tsunami victims in South East Asia. 

Your volunteers have also saved lives and brought comfort to numerous families in my own country.  We Americans will always be grateful for the selfless assistance of your volunteers during the dark hours following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.  We also remember your expert help in the aftermath of the Columbia space shuttle tragedy in Texas.

Unfortunately, just three days ago, yet another tragedy occurred in the United States.  More than 30 lives were tragically taken by a lone gunman at a university in Virginia – Virginia Tech.  One of the victims was a Romanian/Israeli, Liviu Librescu, a Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, a survivor of the Holocaust.  Proessor Libresc gave his life on Holocaust Day in protecting his students.  To quote President Bush “We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving G-d to comfort those who are suffering.”   

Last year, on Tu B’Shvat, I was delighted to visit the ZAKA office in Jerusalem and meet with you, Mr. Meshi-Zahav, and Chairman Feldstein, as well as other founders and volunteers, and to present you with a certificate of appreciation for ZAKA’s voluntary relief work following the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans. I am happy to be with you again today, to join this group effort to honor ZAKA’s ongoing commitment to saving lives, in Israel and abroad, in an even more tangible way.  After all, it would take a lot of certificates to do as much good as even one of these beautiful pieces of equipment! 

In closing, I would like to thank you gain for your exemplary voluntary assistance.  It is truly a virtue that places you among the world’s great humanitarian heroes.