ZAKA welcomed the joint announcement of renewed diplomatic ties between Israel and Venezuela, which came weeks after ZAKA and Home Front Command teams provided humanitarian assistance following two powerful earthquakes that struck the country in late June, the organization said on Tuesday.
On June 24, twin 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck the South American country, leaving more than 6,000 people dead and at least 16,000 injured, according to Reuters.
ZAKA said Israel’s humanitarian operations became a significant channel of contact between the two countries during the absence of diplomatic relations and helped pave the way for the renewal of ties.
“Today, when the countries announce the opening of a new page in relations between them, we are proud to know that the large ZAKA family was there at the moment when a bridge of humanity, compassion, and solidarity was built,” ZAKA CEO Zvi Hassid said.
Baruch Nidam, director of ZAKA’s International Division, which oversaw the organization’s humanitarian mission in Venezuela, highlighted the cooperation between ZAKA personnel and local teams during the operation.
“Our activity in Venezuela proved once again that the language of saving lives is an international language,” Nidam said.
Nidam also welcomed the renewal of ties between Israel and Venezuela, praising the volunteers who participated in the mission
“Today, when the ties between the countries are reopening, we look back with pride at those volunteers who operated there in the most difficult moments,” he said. “Alongside the professional capabilities, they brought the Israeli spirit of mutual responsibility and human dignity.”
'Bridges are built first of all by human beings'
Nidam said the mission demonstrated the International Division’s broader purpose of providing humanitarian assistance regardless of the state of Israel’s diplomatic relations with a country.
“For us, this is the true meaning of the International Division at ZAKA: to be there when we are needed, anywhere in the world, and to extend a hand even when there are not yet diplomatic bridges,” Nidam said. “These bridges are built first of all by human beings.”