Following the devastating floods that swept through the Hill Country region of Texas in early July, ZAKA Search and Rescue has deployed a specialized team to assist in recovery efforts, responding to an urgent call for support from Texas emergency authorities. The disaster, caused by the rapid and unprecedented rise of the Guadalupe River, left a path of destruction across multiple counties, with lives lost and many still missing.

ZAKA, Israel’s internationally recognized volunteer emergency response and disaster victim recovery organization, joined local and federal teams on the ground, bringing its expertise in rapid and respectful recovery to the heart of the disaster zone. The mission is fully coordinated with Texas A&M Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) and under the supervision of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), marking an important collaboration between faith-based humanitarian responders and American emergency agencies.

The deployment was organized and launched through the leadership of ZAKA Director of International Relations Marnix van Ede, and is led on the ground by ZAKA International Commander Nachman Dyksztejn and his wife, Valerie Dyksztejn, a software engineer and trained ZAKA responder. Their efforts underscore ZAKA’s unwavering commitment to honoring the dignity of those who have passed, even in the most challenging conditions.

“This mission is unlike any other,” said ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern. “We are not just bringing advanced tools and trained responders. We are bringing a commitment to uphold the sanctity of life and death. Our role is to ensure that every person who perished is found, recovered with care, and, where possible, laid to rest in accordance with their faith and traditions. That is the essence of dignity, and it is what we owe to every human being.”

ZAKA’s team is contributing both specialized skills and advanced technologies to support the operation, including collaboration with Professor Barak Fishbein from the Technion, who developed an AI-based model for mapping flood behavior and identifying areas with the highest likelihood of locating the missing. These tools are enhancing the precision of recovery efforts and allowing authorities to focus resources where they are needed most.

For ZAKA, the work is not only about logistics or speed. It is about values deeply rooted in Jewish faith and tradition, which regard the human body as sacred, even in death.

“Our mission is not simply about responding to a disaster. It is about restoring dignity to those who are gone and compassion to those left behind,” said Nachman Dyksztejn. “In Jewish tradition, we are commanded not to abandon the dead. We go wherever we are needed to help families reclaim their loved ones and ensure they are treated with the respect they deserve.”

ZAKA’s deployment was made possible through a coalition of partners and supporters in Texas and beyond, including Bridges for Peace, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, the Berea community, Rabbi Avraham Sheinberg of the San Antonio Jewish community and Chabad emissary Rabbi Tal Shaul. The Israeli Consulate General in Houston and the Government of Israel have also played a key role in facilitating this mission and strengthening ties between ZAKA and the local agencies.

“This is the sacred work ZAKA was created to do,” said ZAKA’s U.S.-based Executive Director Moshe Rozenberg. “We are here to ensure that even in the chaos of disaster, the dead are not forgotten and their traditions are not lost. Every moment counts in preserving dignity and providing closure. That is what guides our work, and that is what brings hope in the face of tragedy.”