Transcript [00:00] She has seen some of the most horrific [00:02] sins imaginable. And now I'm going to [00:04] hear her story. Two years ago, I [00:06] attended a training day for tour guides [00:09] about how to guide visitors at the sites [00:12] of the October 7 massacre. One of the [00:15] speakers was a Zaka volunteer who shared [00:18] his testimony. After hearing him, I [00:21] immediately went on YouTube to see what [00:23] kind of information was available about [00:26] Zaka. And I realized that apart from a [00:28] few short clips, there really wasn't [00:31] much. So I contacted Zaka and offered to [00:35] make videos about their work so that [00:38] people outside Israel could also get to [00:40] know this organization and understand [00:42] what they actually do. So it took two [00:46] years but finally it's happening. When I [00:49] spoke with them, they gave me the name [00:51] of a woman named Nurit and two things [00:54] surprised me. First, they gave me the [00:56] number of a woman. I had always assumed [00:59] Zaka was an organization made up only of [01:02] men. And second, her name, Nurit. It [01:05] didn't sound to me like the name of an [01:07] ultraorththodox woman. Ultra orthodox [01:10] women often have like biblical names [01:13] like [01:14] Sara. So now I'm heading to Modí to hear [01:18] Nor's story about Zaka, about her work, [01:21] and about what she and the other [01:24] volunteers went through in the days and [01:27] months after October 7th. [01:31] So I'm very happy to sit here with you [01:36] and I must say that before we started [01:39] when I got the your contact from Zaka I [01:44] was very surprised first that you know [01:48] you're a woman and second your name. [01:52] Maybe you can start by not telling who [01:55] you are. What is Dhaka? Most of my [01:58] viewers are not Israelis, not Jewish. So [02:02] maybe you can start over there. [02:04] >> So my name is Irene Rit Khn. I was born [02:08] in Copenhagen, Denmark to a Jewish [02:10] Orthodox Jewish family. [02:14] And we came here, we made aliyah just [02:17] before the October war, the the first [02:19] October war, which is also called the [02:22] Yamkeeper War in 73. [02:25] and I have lived in Israel since uh [02:28] except two years that I traveled back to [02:31] Denmark for 2 years with my children. So [02:34] I come from a religious home but I'm not [02:37] ultraorthodox which is a um totally [02:41] different from our lifestyle. Zaka is an [02:44] organization a voluntary organization. [02:47] And it's a humanitarian international [02:49] first responder organization. And we [02:52] actually come in and we act upon [02:57] collecting [02:58] bodies and body parts whenever there [03:02] have been a non-natural death. Which [03:05] means that if somebody dies at home or [03:08] in hospital, that's not where we come [03:10] in. We come in if there's been a car [03:11] accident, if the building collapses, if [03:14] there's a nature disasters, that's where [03:17] we come in. According to Judaism, it's [03:21] very important to bury a body, a Jewish [03:25] body as quick as possible, preferable [03:27] the same day. So this is very very [03:31] important job to get as quick as [03:33] possible to the scene to collect the [03:36] body to bag the body to make sure it [03:39] gets to wherever it needs to get to [03:41] identify it and then [03:44] the family can have a holy burial. So we [03:48] call this job that we're doing that we [03:52] are respecting the dead and according to [03:55] Judaism we believe that in each and [03:58] every drop of blood [04:00] there is a part of the nishama of the of [04:03] the soul and that's why it's also [04:05] important to get everything everything [04:08] to bury everything [04:10] >> when when did you start volunteering [04:13] there [04:13] >> so as you said I'm not an ultra orthodox [04:16] Jew I'm not a [04:18] Jew and this organization Zaka was [04:22] established in the early 90s. It [04:26] actually happened after a terror attack [04:28] occurred on a bus number 405 from Tel [04:32] Aviv to Jerusalem where a terrorist in [04:35] the bus he just took the wheel of the [04:37] driver and made the bus uh fall down in [04:40] the ditch in a very deep uh wadi and [04:45] many people were killed and it happened [04:47] just beneath a village at the time now [04:50] it's a town of very religious people and [04:55] they all ran down to help to help out [04:59] and that's where the idea came from. So [05:02] this is an organization of [05:04] ultraorththodox religious men and until [05:07] not very long ago there were no women [05:10] volunteering [05:11] but then Zaka realized that they needed [05:15] people with special expertise like we [05:19] have a unit that are you know they're [05:22] riding they're driving jeeps you know [05:24] not not every has a jeep or drones for [05:28] example to search and I belong to the [05:31] scoop super unit. So whenever there's a [05:33] casualty in water environment, that's [05:35] where my unit come in. When I did the [05:38] course, I was the only woman in the [05:40] course. So we are kind of like an elite [05:43] group of the scuba unit and I am the [05:46] only woman there. Uh, and in all, you [05:50] know, Zaka, [05:52] I think there are about 4,000 volunteers [05:55] and there maybe 10 women. [06:00] >> And then 7th of October, you're all here [06:03] in [06:04] >> Yes, I'm here at home and already at [06:07] 6:30 in the morning, I can hear [06:12] something is going on. now because we [06:15] normally we don't turn on the the TV on [06:17] Shabbat. Um I was just speculating, [06:21] didn't know what was going on, but I [06:24] belong to a very unique community here [06:27] in Madí. [06:29] Um we have both uh uh synagogues and uh [06:34] and schools and kindergartens where the [06:37] ideology behind it is to combine or to [06:41] accept both religious and non-religious [06:43] kids for them to learn to live together [06:46] and to accept that you don't have to [06:49] agree to be friends. But we don't have a [06:52] rabbi. We have a committee. And I was in [06:55] the committee until 7th of October. [06:57] After that I I I [06:59] had different things on my mind but [07:01] until 7th of October I was still in the [07:03] committee. So at a certain time you know [07:06] there were WhatsApps [07:09] but from 6:30 I heard this loud you know [07:14] distant noise and I could tell that [07:17] something was going on. I remember [07:20] clearly that they said on the news that [07:22] 60 [07:24] terrorists have entered Israel and and I [07:27] was like 60 [07:30] and also because I'm in the committee [07:32] they started saying at 9:00 [07:36] you know the Nimi family who are also [07:39] members of our community they haven't [07:41] heard from their daughter since 7:15 [07:45] someone should go and be with them and [07:48] since I know Shaol and the mother [07:50] because we used to be together in a [07:52] theater group in our community. I said [07:55] I'll go and be with them. So my seventh [07:58] of October was you know my daughter [08:02] thank God and going to the family of of [08:05] Nimi of Ed and Nimi and being with them [08:09] with another guy from our community and [08:11] I felt that that's where I need to be. I [08:15] was with them the whole time. Also, when [08:18] they got notified, [08:21] you know, the the knock on the door. So, [08:24] I was there every day because there were [08:27] hundreds of people coming in. And [08:30] according to Judaism, you know, when [08:32] somebody dies, as I said before, it's [08:35] very important to bury them as quick as [08:37] possible. And then the custom is to sit [08:40] and mourn for seven days. And in those [08:43] seven days the family is actually [08:47] surrounded by friends and family [08:50] in order to you know help them go [08:52] through the first uh first week which is [08:56] very very difficult and hard. So [09:00] because it was the 7th of October and [09:03] the events in in in that connection [09:07] people would come in even people that [09:09] didn't know the families [09:12] they just wanted to be there to support [09:14] and it was beautiful to see you know the [09:18] Jewish people how they you know support [09:21] each other in these moments. So it took [09:25] a few days and that's why I actually [09:27] came down to the Gaza envelope and [09:29] joined my Zaka friends only in the end [09:32] of the second week locally because she [09:35] wasn't buried right away and I was there [09:37] for the seven days of of the Shiva of [09:40] the morning and also I have to say [09:43] because I belong to the scuba unit [09:46] I did not know that I was allowed to go [09:50] you know like I don't have the [09:52] experience of collecting bodies [09:54] you know, [09:56] >> I never did that before and and uh I [09:58] didn't know that we were, you know, but [10:01] eventually we understood that even [10:04] though there are almost 4,000 [10:05] volunteers, in the end of the day only [10:09] 400 were down there doing the job [10:13] because it was really, really [10:16] horrible. [10:18] And not everyone wanted to go through [10:21] this and not everyone is built for this [10:24] kind of job. Even though as Zaka we [10:27] always see bodies. That's what we do. [10:30] But this story was a different story. [10:33] >> Where did you meet them? Where was the [10:35] first um place? [10:36] >> So I went with a friend and I can tell [10:38] you I did not know where I was. [10:41] >> Okay. and everything was very chaotic [10:43] and everything was you know there was [10:46] >> was it in a kibut or the nova festival [10:48] or open area [10:49] >> I remember on the first day that we were [10:52] at the Nova we were at the [10:55] an army camp military territory where [10:59] we've collected bodies I collected [11:02] bodies at the military camp of Leim um [11:05] in the beginning I just joined one of [11:07] the friends and went in their car and I [11:09] had no clue where I was but I remember [11:11] the sensation. We met at a gas station [11:16] all of us cuz you know it was a it was [11:20] closed off the whole area and this is a [11:23] big area with towns like of [11:27] and all the kibuts. It was a closed off [11:31] army area. No one goes in, no one goes [11:34] out. It's there's a battle. It's a war. [11:37] So we had to go in as you know in in a [11:40] row of cars of zaka cars and I remember [11:45] the sensation of suddenly entering this [11:49] area where there were no people. [11:53] No people. And we're driving one behind [11:56] the other and you can hear the bombs cuz [12:00] they were bombing us all the time like [12:03] missiles and missiles and missiles. Then [12:05] we had to go through [12:08] uh Kibutad [12:10] in from the back gate to in order cuz [12:13] everything was closed and there were you [12:14] know the burned cars and the cars you [12:17] know were blocking the road of 232 and [12:20] you couldn't get anywhere and was just a [12:23] sensation of you know a mission and and [12:26] everything is quiet and and then you [12:28] hear the missiles and you come in and we [12:32] get divided into units. And uh you know [12:37] we get a mission of of collecting this [12:39] area that area and I see [12:43] first of all getting dressed because [12:45] we're in the second week the state of [12:48] the bodies are very bad and uh that's [12:52] where the stench you know the the the [12:55] smell is horrible the scene is horrible. [12:58] The the the bodies [13:01] and this is what I see. You see a body, [13:04] you get a body bag, you learn I learn [13:06] how to what to write down because we [13:09] don't know who this is. But, you know, [13:11] we we try to distinguish if it's a if [13:14] it's a soldier. My first body was in, as [13:20] I said, in the military base. [13:22] So, we try to distinguish if it's a a [13:25] soldier or a terrorist and um and we [13:29] would write that on the body bag. Some [13:32] some of the terrorists had um army like [13:37] >> Exactly. Yeah. That's why it was [13:39] important later on to identify all the [13:42] bodies and among those that we thought [13:46] were terrorists [13:48] were actually 21 Jewish bodies which [13:52] means that not only they had dressed [13:54] themselves in IDF [13:57] uniforms, they had also put these green [14:00] bands on the heads of some of the [14:02] kidnapped [14:04] Jewish people or Israeli people or you [14:07] foreigners or whatever. But they did [14:09] that in order to confuse obviously our [14:12] army in order for us to maybe kill our [14:15] own and which we we don't know but [14:21] that was the important part to check [14:24] everyone everyone and at le [14:30] I I collected [14:32] the first body um seven of October uh [14:37] massacre [14:39] And um from there [14:43] I don't remember what what came first [14:46] and [14:48] but in the end of the day we were in Ber [14:54] and one of the first things that I saw [14:57] there was one of the trucks the [15:00] that uh you know the terrorists had [15:02] used. you know, just seeing that being [15:05] there in in the army base. I saw some of [15:10] the motorcycles as well [15:13] and you know I ride a motorcycle every [15:15] day [15:17] to work and um [15:21] I couldn't touch my motorcycle for 10 [15:25] days [15:26] because of this because it had been used [15:31] to kidnap [15:33] you know our people. [15:35] It was very very emotional and very [15:38] difficult for me to get back on my bike. [15:41] You know, you see these things and these [15:43] are things that get burned into your [15:45] into your mind. And then my friends, [15:49] they asked me, "So, are you going to [15:50] stay for tonight for the barbecue?" And [15:52] I was like, "What? [15:55] What do you mean barbecue? We're in the [15:56] middle of a catastrophe." And they said, [15:58] "Well, we're making for the soldiers who [16:01] are protecting the kibuts berry. [16:05] we're going to make them a barbecue. And [16:07] I come to this event and it was very [16:12] it was very weird for me. You know, I've [16:15] been collecting bodies and now we're [16:17] celebrating. [16:19] There was music, there was dancing, [16:21] there was praying, there was, you know, [16:24] joy and happiness. And then I realized [16:27] that that was the only way that Zaka [16:30] could keep their peace in a way to keep [16:35] going to do this holy job of kudame of [16:39] honoring the dead. [16:41] doing this really, really horrific job [16:45] of seeing all these scenes and [16:48] collecting these bodies and cleaning and [16:50] clearing the houses from blood and [16:53] tissue, which we did for three months. [16:56] After we had collected the bodies, after [16:59] we had collect the body parts, which I [17:01] also did, we were still there to clean [17:04] and clear all the blood and tissue from [17:07] the walls, from the sofas, from the [17:09] cushions, from the ceiling, from the [17:12] fans. I remember from all over, [17:17] you can lose your mind. [17:20] So people would donate [17:23] to us Zaka [17:26] an evening with food and music and maybe [17:30] have a really famous singer come and [17:33] sing for us just to you know lift the [17:36] spirit and let us you know process and [17:40] let us you know um release whatever [17:46] was you know the feelings the emotions [17:48] the the aggression I don't know, [17:50] whatever was in our bodies. And I [17:54] realized that that would was the only [17:56] way to cope with what we were doing [17:59] during the day. And um I felt part of [18:02] something big. And I can tell you that [18:04] these people turned into my closest [18:07] people. I don't know if they're my [18:09] friends, but they're the people that I [18:11] can breathe with because they've been [18:15] through what I've been through. the [18:16] traumas that we've been through is [18:20] collective and it's something [18:23] that only they can understand. Can you [18:26] tell me what you what you saw? [18:29] >> Uh yes, of course. Um so [18:34] the first body that I I saw was at the [18:40] camp. There was it was just a body. It [18:44] was it was dressed. I I try not to look [18:47] at the face and because then it gets, [18:50] you know, too personal. It didn't look [18:54] like anything. But later on, I did see a [18:58] head, [19:01] just a head. [19:04] And of course, these things, you know, [19:06] they make you think, how did that [19:08] happen? [19:10] And uh I remember when we were in one of [19:13] the days when I was in one of the [19:14] kibbutzas, [19:19] you know, I see a finger [19:22] and you also you ask yourself, oh, [19:25] you know, why would there be a finger [19:28] without, you know, a hand or a body? [19:31] when I was in Anashlusha which I think [19:33] is a Musha that's where I also collected [19:37] bodies and and imagine you know there [19:39] were still bodies around as I came in [19:43] which was in the end of the second week [19:45] and still we were still collecting the [19:47] third week we were still collecting [19:49] after two and a half weeks there were [19:51] still bodies I mean we also know that [19:53] there were bodies that were harder to to [19:55] uh find so they were continuing [19:59] you know also a few months later but you [20:02] know the mess was it took two and a half [20:05] weeks more or less and we weren't the [20:07] only one picking them up. [20:08] >> So which scenes do you remember from the [20:12] kibutim from the from the nova? [20:15] >> Yes. So uh one of the times that we were [20:19] working in in Ber we came to this uh [20:22] location where we were searching for the [20:25] body of a 7-year-old girl. Um eyewitness [20:30] have said that um for sure she was in [20:33] that building. There were a few [20:37] um kibuts members in that building. Um [20:41] many terrorists had entered that [20:43] building. They had held them hostages [20:45] and then eventually they had killed them [20:48] all except for one. One of the [20:50] terrorists had exited the building with [20:53] this uh kibutz member to save his own [20:57] life which he did and she told um the [21:02] police and the army [21:04] that you know they had killed all the [21:06] rest of the kibutz members and there [21:09] were only many terrorists inside. So [21:12] what happened was that Israeli forces [21:16] had bombed this house to kill the [21:19] terrorist inside [21:21] and and the aftermath of that was that [21:25] um [21:27] we couldn't find the body of this little [21:29] girl. We found from her witness, we [21:32] found all the bodies except one. And for [21:35] three days, we were sifting through the [21:38] rubble in order to find something [21:41] because uh you know in order to go [21:45] through a process of of mourning and [21:48] healing and eventually [21:51] you need to bury something. [21:54] I mean we know cases where [21:57] Hamas had kept a dead body for 10 years [22:03] and the family couldn't [22:06] get on with their lives and they didn't [22:09] get their closure. So in this case in [22:11] Ber you know it was very important for [22:13] us to find anything something to show [22:18] the family that yes she was here and yes [22:22] she is dead and yes you can have your [22:25] funeral. So for three days and I [22:28] participated in this which is when you [22:31] think of it that you sit and sift [22:33] normally you know you do that with sand [22:36] on the beach or with food at home you [22:40] never use this method to find the body [22:43] parts and this is what I did as well you [22:47] know you sit there and and it's just [22:51] unbelievable and in the end not me but [22:54] in the end Well, those three days, [22:57] someone found just a little piece of [22:59] bone. [23:01] And this piece of bone was checked in [23:03] the laboratory [23:04] and they found that the DNA matched this [23:07] little girl. And that's all the family [23:10] got to bury. [23:13] But they held a a burial. They had they [23:16] they they got their closure, which is [23:19] 100% more than people who don't get a [23:22] body. [23:24] And [23:26] it makes all the difference and I was [23:29] part of that. So on one hand [23:33] it's horrific that that's all they got [23:35] but on the other hand I feel [23:38] full with purpose you know and and that [23:42] I could help this family get closer. [23:47] >> Exactly. Exactly. you know, even the [23:50] cars, you know, it quite early [23:55] they they started picking up these cars [23:58] because you have to imagine, especially [23:59] next to the Nova, there were about 4,000 [24:02] or more people at the Nova Festival. [24:05] There were at least 1,500 cars in that [24:09] parking lot. There was only one, you [24:11] know, road, one lane each each way with [24:15] ditches on the side. So there was no [24:17] place to to it was it was impossible to [24:20] escape because on both sides you know [24:22] the the terrorists were just waiting for [24:24] them in in IDF um outfits and uh they [24:29] were just you know massacring them and a [24:32] lot of people tried to escape with the [24:34] cars they got bombed and shot at. So [24:37] these cars and I saw some of them you [24:39] know they were just standing on the side [24:40] of the road. So uh you know Israel they [24:43] started collecting these cars to two [24:46] parking lots [24:48] after picking up the bodies. And in [24:51] these two parking lots we also came in [24:53] in order to clean and clear and pick up [24:56] body parts and blood and and tissue in [24:59] the cars. [25:01] And you know [25:04] seeing these cars [25:09] on one hand they had picnic gear. [25:13] They had baby toys, [25:19] tents, [25:21] games, [25:24] alcohol, [25:27] suitcases with stuff, [25:32] and it's shattered and it's splashed [25:36] with blood. [25:41] And also you would see a hood with blood [25:44] and you think so what happened here? And [25:47] you know in the beginning when I was [25:48] researching and asking you know my [25:50] friends from Zaka who had been there the [25:52] 7th of October and on the first week and [25:55] I I was asking around was there or [25:58] wasn't there rape because you know [26:01] nobody really knew [26:04] and nobody was talking about it. [26:09] And one of my friends said, "Are you [26:10] kidding me?" One of the bodies that I [26:13] collected, there was a woman and she [26:15] was, you know, naked half body and throw [26:18] blood down her legs and, you know, you [26:21] didn't have to be very [26:24] sophisticated to understand what had [26:25] happened there. And of course, later on, [26:27] you know, the evidence and the the [26:29] witnesses and the the women that came [26:31] back from captivity also talked about [26:33] it. [26:36] So yeah, I I I've seen hoods with blood. [26:42] So you know the hard part for me was if [26:48] I saw a lame like a leg, I saw a leg. I [26:52] saw an arm [26:55] detached from the body. [26:58] And so I'm not the witness of the the [27:02] the harsh way they they um mutilated and [27:08] they you know tortured. [27:13] But I can only imagine because I did see [27:16] an arm here and a leg here. [27:21] you know that something horrible have [27:22] happened here. When I was doing the job [27:27] of collecting these body parts, you [27:30] know, you try and not to do too many [27:33] speculations because then it gets much [27:36] harder to do this job. So also when we [27:39] went from house to house in the kibuts, [27:43] I never read the the sign. [27:46] >> So you don't know in which family home [27:48] you went? I didn't want to make this [27:51] personal. I didn't want to know who had [27:54] been who was killed in this home. No. So [27:57] the the I would say that [28:01] seeing body parts [28:05] is um [28:10] it it shakes your core, I think. And uh [28:16] it shook me more than seeing a a whole [28:18] body. But I think the [28:21] you know if I look back on why I'm that [28:24] traumatized [28:26] it's it's also cleaning and clearing [28:30] these houses. And then we started [28:32] thinking why is that? by the people who [28:35] were there the first two weeks and [28:37] collected the bodies and saw the whole [28:39] thing [28:41] um versus the people who were mainly [28:45] like me. We were mainly I mean I I was [28:48] there the last part of collecting bodies [28:50] but I was mainly collecting [28:52] tissue and blood and smaller body parts. [28:56] Why we had three people with that got a [28:59] heart attack from Zaka after the first [29:02] two weeks. Two of them didn't survive. [29:05] One of them who survived, he said that [29:08] he think that when we collected the [29:11] bodies, there was no time to think and [29:13] process. You were just like a robot. You [29:16] were just doing the job. But once we [29:18] came back to clean and clear the houses, [29:22] you had time to process what you'd seen. [29:26] And the thoughts of what have happened [29:28] here, the bloodshed, the shooting, you [29:31] could see, you know, a door of the [29:32] shelter room with holes around the [29:35] handle and some blood coming out. And [29:38] then you walk inside and you see a crib [29:42] full of blood and two bunk beds, you [29:45] know, of children full of blood. And you [29:48] can just imagine what a massacre had [29:51] just happened in here. and [29:54] and that's where people got sucked into [29:57] this story of 7th of October [30:01] >> and do you get help from from Zaka and [30:05] would say [30:05] >> so uh first of all you know the go the [30:09] the the government the you know the [30:12] system [30:13] gave us an opportunity to get help and I [30:17] I started with one person with one uh [30:20] therapist and I went for a few sessions [30:23] and I I I I just felt that it wasn't [30:26] working. So, he it didn't work with him. [30:29] Later on, I I tried with another woman [30:35] and then they said, you know, you you [30:37] can do with the money whatever you want, [30:38] you know, whatever makes you feel [30:41] better. So I actually started um since I [30:45] come from water and I I love [30:48] water environments. So I started rowing [30:51] in taking rowing lessons and rowing in [30:54] the Yaon River. [30:56] >> Do you ever talk about what you saw or [30:59] >> So what Zaka did until 7th of October [31:03] there was no help even though as as we [31:07] said you know we were always taking care [31:09] of bodies. [31:11] So how come those only establish a [31:14] resilience center after the sen of [31:16] October? And the answer is that [31:20] normally we would treat bodies from [31:23] accidents. And that's a totally [31:26] different concept than 7 of October. You [31:31] know, these were people had their coffee [31:34] that morning, said goodbye to their [31:36] kids, [31:37] and they went to torture and burn and [31:41] mutilate and rape and cut off lanes and [31:45] kill people for no other reason than [31:50] killing. [31:52] And they enjoyed it. They filmed [31:54] themselves enjoying this, being proud. [31:58] And this is something that a normal [32:01] mind, a western normal mind cannot [32:04] comprehend. [32:06] >> It is impossible [32:08] to understand that someone could do [32:10] these cruel action of sadism to another [32:14] human being. So just this made [32:19] created a lot of people in in in Zakal [32:22] with [32:24] trauma but also post-trauma. [32:26] many of those who were there the first [32:28] week. And just a few days ago, one of [32:31] the guys, he he called me, asked me for [32:33] help that I should treat him because [32:36] whenever he drives his car, he he he can [32:40] see the cars with the bodies that he saw [32:43] on that route. He he says, "I drive in [32:46] zigzag as if I'm still there." [32:50] So yes, Zaka realized actually one from [32:54] the scoopa unit, he realized that we [32:56] need a resilience center and he he got a [32:59] a psychologist and they have established [33:02] a resilience center. So what I did in [33:04] the beginning, I still came to the group [33:08] therapy in the beginning and that's [33:12] where we talked we talked of what we'd [33:14] seen and um and yes it was it was uh [33:19] very important for me to be together [33:21] with the guys [33:23] >> as as we said most of them are [33:25] ultraorththodox men. Do you think they [33:28] as ultraorththodox cope maybe [33:30] differently? Well, yes, of course. The [33:33] being religious person, you believe in [33:35] God and you believe that all of this has [33:38] a meaning and it helps people when they [33:42] know that this is not for nothing and [33:45] there is a meaning behind it and there's [33:47] a God who is in charge of everything and [33:51] and you can pray to him. Uh, of course [33:54] that is a a relief and it helps them [33:57] through uh through these dark uh moments [34:01] and uh and also the singing and the [34:04] praying together very powerful and [34:11] I think [34:13] I've changed. It has affected me. [34:17] It's [34:19] part of me. I think there's not a day [34:23] that goes by where I don't feel [34:27] different than others that haven't been [34:29] there. [34:31] Um like they don't know, [34:34] they don't really know or they wouldn't [34:36] understand and and walking through life, [34:41] you know. um Heming seminar of October. [34:47] I think it it it has all maybe also [34:50] changed me for the good. You know, you [34:53] know, make today my priorities are [34:57] different. I appreciate more the time [35:00] with my kids and family and uh things [35:04] that used to be important are not that [35:07] important anymore, you know, and and [35:10] living [35:13] living [35:15] in this reality. [35:18] And I think not only me and not only the [35:21] people who were down doing whatever they [35:23] were doing in the and also the people [35:25] who lived in the kibutas and got hurt [35:27] that day and got kidnapped and burned [35:29] and went through hell that day. But also [35:33] all the rescuers and I I think the whole [35:36] people, our people [35:40] are never going to be the same again [35:42] after 7th of October. [35:45] And to tell you the truth, I think that [35:47] seven of October was a turning point and [35:51] we could see, you know, [35:54] uh the waves across the globe since [35:58] October 7th. [36:00] Um so this is not something that [36:02] happened three years ago. [36:05] It's it was just the beginning, the 7th [36:09] of October, not not the end, not a a one [36:13] day event. [36:14] It's a continuing [36:17] reality, new reality. And I'm dealing [36:20] with it, I think, every day. [36:24] It's, as I said, it's part of my my [36:27] life. The the trauma of seeing [36:33] a scraping off from the walls, the [36:37] blood, people [36:42] cleaning [36:46] Like now when I talk about it, you know, [36:48] I can see it. If I close my eyes, it [36:52] comes back. [36:54] And [36:55] you know, I walk around and there are [36:57] things [36:59] that just sends me right back there. [37:01] It's always there. You know, I I can [37:04] look at a plant and I'll I'll see a [37:08] school bag on the floor. And I remember, [37:10] you know, cuz we came into this house is [37:12] private. Private. Can you imagine you [37:14] walk into a house, the doors open, [37:19] but some of the vents are still on [37:22] because, you know, people either were [37:23] killed or kidnapped or just rushed out [37:26] if they got rescued. And [37:29] everything was on. [37:33] food on the table, a cake, a birthday [37:36] cake, [37:38] personal stuff. You see people's [37:40] birthday. I mean it's [37:44] you know it's it's [37:46] very very [37:48] difficult [37:51] to walk into someone's [37:54] house into their bedroom and seeing all [37:57] their secrets and [38:00] you know all the things that you you [38:01] don't want other people to know. [38:04] And you have permission to just walk in [38:07] and clean and clear and and and the [38:10] mission was double because it was also [38:12] to to clean in order to bury it all, [38:17] but also to make sure that there's no [38:21] horrific scenes when they come back, [38:23] whoever survived. We would get sacks of [38:27] personal items that was covered with [38:30] blood or tissue and just sat there with [38:34] special chemicals to clean it so that we [38:36] could return it if there was someone to [38:39] return it to. [38:42] That was our mission as well, you know, [38:44] just to [38:46] to make it [38:49] I don't know if the word easy is a good [38:51] word, but to not to shock more than [38:54] needed the the the survivors that chose [38:58] to go back and then one day I remember [39:00] it was in November already 2023 in [39:05] November we were in Fawaz and again [39:08] there were no civilians you know you [39:10] walk in Turkey boots and grass is green [39:13] and beautiful trees and flower beds and [39:17] you hear the birds and then you turn a [39:20] little bit and you see disaster [39:24] houses, [39:26] bombed houses, burned houses, this [39:29] everything is destroyed and looted. the [39:31] places were looted and and then suddenly [39:33] this huge guy walks down this little [39:37] path in the kibut and I'm like you know [39:41] we we felt that we were the lord of the [39:43] lands you know it was only Zaka or the [39:46] or the police forces or the army but [39:48] there were no civilians and then this [39:50] guy he walks in and I'm like [39:54] who are you and he says well then this [39:58] is my home and I asked him so were you [40:00] here 7th of October and he says yes I [40:04] was [40:07] and I asked him can I film you telling [40:09] us your story and he says yes this was [40:13] in November and he tells us huge guy and [40:18] he tells us you know what I've learned [40:20] is that being lazy is not such a bad [40:22] idea [40:24] and why is that because he said I'd [40:26] always told myself I need to cut down [40:29] these bushes because they're they're [40:32] blocking our view from the window. [40:35] And I never got around to do it. [40:38] And that saved our life because they [40:41] couldn't see that we were inside [40:43] those terrorists that were in that [40:46] section on the kibuts. They didn't [40:48] realize that the houses were double [40:50] houses. [40:51] >> Mhm. [40:52] >> You know, two and two. So they hadn't [40:55] entered the second part of his house, [40:58] killed everyone. They had killed [40:59] everyone in that neighborhood and he and [41:02] his wife, they decided to go back and [41:03] live there. [41:06] >> Thank you very much. [41:08] >> Thank you. [41:10] Every time I come home after filming and [41:12] meeting people, I tell my wife how lucky [41:14] I am that my job is to meet such [41:17] remarkable people. The work she does is [41:20] incredibly difficult. And as she said [41:23] herself, she's getting treatment and so [41:26] are many of her friends and fellow [41:27] volunteers. They saw things no human [41:31] being should ever have to see. Many Zaka [41:34] volunteers are dealing with [41:36] post-traumatic stress. And I think it is [41:38] important that testimonies like these [41:41] exist online, you know, long detailed [41:43] testimonies in English so people around [41:46] the world can hear directly what [41:48] happened. Maybe I will make more videos [41:51] like this even though they are not easy [41:54] to make. But the story of the Zaka [41:56] volunteers themselves also deserves to [41:58] be told. I will leave a link below to [42:01] Zaka. Zaka is built around volunteers [42:03] but they still need vehicles, equipment, [42:05] training and donations. Also help fund [42:08] the mental health support provided by [42:11] Zaka resilient unit. helping volunteers [42:14] process what they have seen and [42:16] gradually returning to their everyday [42:18] lives and to functioning normally again. [42:22] So when you support Zaka, you're also [42:24] helping the volunteers themselves [42:26] recover from the sins they've already [42:30] been through. I think they're also [42:32] registered as a nonprofit organization [42:34] in the United States. Thank you for [42:36] watching and thank you everyone who [42:39] supports me here YouTube and coffee. See [42:42] you in the next video. Yalabai.
