Israel Search & Recovery Team Deploys To Sydney After Deadly Hanukkah Terror Attack

Australian authorities estimate that terrorists opened fire at a peaceful Hanukkah gathering on Sunday, killing 11 Jews and wounding nearly 60 others, several of them critically.

ZAKA, Israel’s internationally recognized volunteer emergency response and disaster victim recovery organization, is sending a dozen veteran responders, including specialists with extensive experience responding to terror attacks in Israel and abroad. The team will work in close coordination with Australian Law Enforcement and emergency agencies.

“Our mission is simple and unwavering: ZAKA is there for every Jew, no matter where they are, in times of crisis,” said ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern. “We bring deep experience from terror scenes, working hand-in-hand with Law Enforcement to preserve critical forensic evidence, while also ensuring the dead are treated with the utmost dignity and can be buried as quickly as possible in accordance with Jewish law.”

ZAKA teams are uniquely trained to operate at complex attack scenes, balancing the demands of criminal investigations with the religious imperative to honor the deceased. That expertise has been applied repeatedly following mass-casualty terror attacks, where sensitivity, precision and cooperation with authorities are essential.

The deployment is being coordinated from Israel as the team departs Ben Gurion Airport en route to Sydney. ZAKA officials said responders will provide both technical assistance and spiritual support to local communities grappling with the aftermath of the attack.

“ZAKA stands with and supports Klal Yisrael across the globe,” said Moshe Rozenberg, ZAKA’s U.S. - Based Executive Director. “When Jews are attacked for who they are, we show up, not only to help recover the fallen with dignity, but to send a clear message of unity, responsibility and care for one another, wherever we may be.”

As Hanukkah begins under the shadow of tragedy, ZAKA said its presence in Sydney is meant to bring professionalism, compassion and a measure of solace to grieving families and a shaken community, reaffirming that even in the darkest moments, the dignity of the victims will not be compromised.

Founded to honor the dead in accordance with religious tradition, ZAKA has evolved into a full-scale emergency response network, with over 4,000 trained volunteers operating 24/7 across Israel to honor the dead, aid the living and bring dignity in times of devastation. Today, it operates a wide range of units – from rapid medical response and urban search and rescue to water recovery and culturally sensitive burial teams serving Israel’s Jewish, Bedouin, Arab, and Druze communities. For more information, visit: https://zakaworld.org/.

In the wake of a deadly terror attack in Sydney on the first night of Hanukkah, ZAKA Search and Rescue is deploying an international team to Australia to assist authorities and the Jewish community in ensuring proper Kavod Hameit — dignity for the dead in accordance with Jewish law, faith and tradition. Photos Courtesy of ZAKA