Facing October 7th

On October 7th, 2023, over 1,200 people were murdered across 22 communities in southern Israel. It was the deadliest day in Israel's history.

Hundreds of ZAKA volunteers were among the first to respond.

For weeks, they performed Chesed Shel Emes in scenes that defy description—recovering the dead, honoring every soul, bringing closure to families.

The largest mass casualty terrorist attack in Israel's history demanded the largest volunteer mobilization ZAKA has ever undertaken.

The cost in human trauma cannot be measured. Many who responded that day are still living with what they witnessed.

On this page, you'll find first-hand accounts from volunteers and ways to support their recovery, resilience and continued mission.

Walk with us

Together we'll help light prevail.

"I was working there almost two and a half months, collecting bodies, body parts, tissue, blood. We were working in the Kibutzes, we were working in the burned cars and the safe rooms."

"Everything I see is through a lens of the seventh of October."

"I'm always monitoring: is this affecting me, is my blood pressure going up, is my pulse going up... It took me five months before the first tears came."

"All of the people that I have been with in the south, they need a structure of help."

"This is the time where we need to help people. It's not going to go away."

— Nurith Cohn, ZAKA Volunteer

Confronting scenes of terror attacks inflicts psychological wounds on volunteers. The unprecedented scale of October 7th has elevated this toll, with over 30% battling PTSD.

ZAKA's PTSD recovery and resilience programs provide the specialized, expert care this trauma demands. Your partnership enables this work.

Helping Volunteers Recover

EnablePrograms

Explore and support ZAKA's PTSD Recovery and Resilience programs where volunteers who respond to traumatic scenes of terror attacks and catastrophes, receive specialized care for themselves and their families.

Individual Trauma Therapy

Duration: 24 Sessions
Participants per Session: 1 Volunteer
Associated Costs: $2,560/Volunteer

Wilderness Recovery and Resilience Workshop: Metzoke Dragot

Duration: 2 Days
Participants per Session: 24 Volunteers
Associated Costs: $680/Volunteer

Individual VR-Enhanced Trauma Therapy

Duration: 4 Months, 1-2 Sessions/Week
Participants per Session: 1 Volunteer
Associated Costs: $1,500/Volunteer

Social-Experiential Resilience Workshop

Duration: 1 Day
Participants per Session: 24 Volunteers
Associated Costs: $175/Volunteer

Family Support Workshop

Duration: 1 Day
Participants per Session: 24 Spouses
Associated Costs: $155/Person

Psychological First Aid

Immediate psychological first aid following high-stress events.

Experiential Resilience Program: Diving

Duration: 2 Days
Participants per Session: 6 Volunteers
Associated Costs: $500/Volunteer

Experiential Resilience Program: Horsemanship

Duration: 10 Sessions
Participants per Session: 10 Volunteers
Associated Costs: $1,160/Volunteer

Back a Volunteer

Individual Trauma Therapy

(24 Sessions)

Cost: $2,560/Volunteer

monthly donation

$36 $72 $90 $108 $216 $

Fully backs a volunteer if kept active for 72 months

"Walking through one of the kibbutzim, we had signs on every house to make sure that we collect all the bodies and all the remains. A sign was two circles. Those circles meant there's a body, at least one, if not more."

"I slip on a puddle of blood. And in front of our eyes is something unbelievable, something you cannot imagine."

"An elderly person, a Holocaust survivor that was killed brutally without any machine guns, without any grenades, without any bullets. But with knives, hammers, axes."

"Think about what happens to a volunteer after responding to that scene; how much pain it brings..."

"We need to make sure that every volunteer is strong and healthy. The volunteer, and his family."

— Simcha Greiniman, ZAKA Volunteer

PTSD Resilience and Recovery Center

HelpBuild

Help pioneer Israel's first national network of PTSD Resilience and Recovery Centers, built exclusively for the unique trauma civilian first responders endure.

This self-sustaining network will serve as a professional hub for specialized PTSD treatment, fundamentally expanding Israel’s mental health infrastructure for generations.

3D render of ZAKA Resilience Center floor plan showing therapeutic spaces

930 Square Meter Facility

Therapy Center with soundproof rooms
Serenity spaces for decompression
Creative therapy and VR technology areas
150 sq meter therapeutic garden

Render of Nefesh Place therapy center with specialized treatment rooms

Comprehensive Specialized Therapies

Individual and group trauma therapy
Couples and family support programs
Virtual reality treatment options
Physical rehabilitation and wellness

ZAKA volunteers supporting each other, showing the need for first responder care

Designed for First Responders

Immediate access to crisis intervention
24/7 remote support availability
Peer-led support groups
Specialized PTSD treatment protocols

Sustainable Financial Model

Private therapy services for public revenue
Government and municipal partnerships
Break-even timeline within 3 years
Self-sustaining operations model

Render of conversation place designed for professional training and peer support

Professional Training Hub

Certification for trauma-informed therapists
Expanding Israel's mental health capacity
Ongoing professional development
Research and best practices advancement

Phased National Expansion

Jerusalem pilot center (Years 1-2)
5 regional centers (Years 1-3)
10 nationwide centers (Years 4-8)
Comprehensive Israel coverage plan

Help Build Resilience—One Square Meter at a Time

"We've seen terrorist attacks and bus bombings over the past 20 years, but never anything of this magnitude..."

"We began working tirelessly for days upon days dealing with children murdered in front of their mothers and mothers murdered in front of their children."

"On the door of this sealed room, there was a note written years ago: bottled water, food, tuna fish, coloring books for the children. And at the bottom it said, 'a hug from Mommy.'"

"We found that mother killed in that home under that sign. There no longer will be any hugs for those children in that home. That's something that sticks with me."

"These scenes have taken a tremendous toll... Each one of us has memories that stick with him... We all need proper treatment."

— Eli Hazen, ZAKA Volunteer

Continued Mission

EquipVolunteers

Life-Saving Kits

Mobile Automated External Defibrillators

Portable Oxygen Support Systems

Basic Life Support Response Kits

Multi-Casualty Response Kits

Emergency Rescue & Recovery Vehicles

Complete Multi-Purpose Ambulances

Heavy-Duty Search & Rescue Pickup Trucks

Rapid Response Ambulance-Microcars

Rapid Response Ambulance-Motorcycles

Rapid Response ADV Motorcycles

Rapid Response Jeeps

Rapid Response UTVs

Chesed Trucks

Delivering equipment to mourners in need.

Emergency Rescue & Recovery Tools

Smart-PTT GPS Communication Devices

Helmets & Body Armor Vests

Diving Scooters

Drones

Stretchers

Multi-Purpose Ladders

Chesed Shel Emes Equipment Kits

Multi-Tools

Headlamps

Field Support Equipment

Community Aid Equipment Trailers

Forward Command & Control Trailers

Portable Generators

Portable Balloon Lights

Radio Relay Repeaters

Tents

"On October seventh there was this cursed road, Road 232. It was impossible to drive on. The whole way we drove between victims' cars, dozens of them."

"For three months, we had to dismantle what was required, cleaned, and ensured a full, dignified burial. There was soft tissue splattered throughout vehicles. There was blood everywhere."

"When trauma floods, simple things become difficult."

"You slowly become exhausted. Your body runs out of strength and you don't understand why the body won't sleep. People get totally drained."

"We had workshops afterwhich we received calls from volunteers' wives that told us 'my husband has been renewed.' They were able to sleep again, to experience joy, to be happy."

— Oz Avizov, ZAKA's resilience unit commander

"…I don't need these pictures, I have everything in my mind."

"Together with three other volunteers, we took an ambulance to the Nova. We came to a place of death. Bodies everywhere."

"Entering the kibbutzim, you could see the evil way in which entire families were murdered."

— Valeria Dyksztejn, ZAKA Volunteer

Through the Strength of Our Unity

ShmaIsrael

Following the October 7th attack on Israel, Avraham Tal has been accompanying ZAKA volunteers through their PTSD treatment. Deeply moved by their selfless dedication and their emotional struggles after exposure to unimaginable horrors, he was inspired to write a song.

Have a listen.

…and so the melody continues

Through all who care.

Your heart manifests deeds

LightPrevails

As you read these words, ZAKA volunteers are responding to one of thousands of annual calls for help.

Every mission, every life saved and every dignity preserved are only made possible with your support. Please consider becoming a partner with a donation.

Thank you. Thank you for choosing to walk this pathway through the volunteers' dedication to ZAKA's mission of True Loving-Kindness.