For the second time in a month, tragedy has struck the ZAKA family of volunteers.
Mommi Ben Chaim, a ZAKA volunteer from the South Hebron region, hurried to the scene of tonight’s fatal shooting attack near Kiryat Arba and began his sacred work at the site. ZAKA volunteers at the site were horrified to discover that one of the victims was his wife Cochava and stopped their work in order to convey the tragic news to their fellow volunteer and offer him emotional support at this difficult time.
ZAKA volunteers from Beitar, who also arrived at the scene, continued clearing the site, so that their South Hebron ZAKA colleagues could escort Ben Chaim away from the scene.
While attending to the dead and injured at the railroad minivan crash earlier this month near Kiryat Gat, ZAKA volunteers discovered that Aryeh Bernstein, a veteran ZAKA volunteer from Beitar Illit, was among the dead. Bernstein was killed together with his wife, four children and one grandchild.
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7 Responses
Hashem yerachem!
The PA murderers want to disrupt the “peace process”, for their own reasons, but let it be thus. NOW, Bibi must tell Obama, “No, this is too much, we will restore ALL checkpoints and cannot waste our time in DC or anywhere else in meaningless charades designed to be a second Wansee Conference”.
Everysingle time a checkpoint is lifted, death prevails. Hashem Yerachem on these tzedekai olem.
this is not about the PA or Obama, or the peace process! Have you people heard of Hashem??
They should make a precondition that Israel will not be nudged again about checkpoints, or any security related issue. The latter though would mean not to give them any more land, so…
Yiddishemishpacha, of course this was min Hashamayim and fully in His control and part of His plan. But one can’t ignore the political ramifications, and that the rotzchim who carried this out clearly had an agenda. Now everyone’s putting pressure on Israel to see how much they truly want peace (sic, sick).
Unfortunately I couldn’t edit my earlier post to include my profound pain for the family. HaMakom yenachem eschem b’soch she’ar aveilei Tziyon V’Yrushalayim.
ZAKA is an organization dedicated to Klal Yisroel, whomever and wherever they are. Twice this month they have had to deal face-to-face with horror and tragedy within their own group. Is there a siman for Klal Yisroel to see in the way this pattern of confronting an event within their own ranks and similar patterns regarding timings of other hardships other have occurred?
From the Artscroll Sefer Yehoshua, Perek 7, pasuk 6, footnote: According to Rambam (Hil. Taanis 1:1-3), it is a positive commandment of the Torah for every individual to cry out and search his ways at a time of national calamity, for G-d visits calamities upon Israel to inspire each Jew to repent for his misdeeds. If someone fails to recognize that tragedies occur through an act of G-d rather [than] through happenstance, he is considered cruel, because he will not be motivated to improve his behavior. as a result, G-d will beset Israel with more troubles, until all are motivated to change their ways.