“We are not just bringing advanced tools and trained responders. We are bringing a commitment to uphold the sanctity of life and death” said ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern.

TJP Staff Report
July 23, 2025

Following the catastrophic floods that swept through the Hill Country region of Texas in early July, ZAKA Search and Rescue deployed a specialized team to assist in recovery efforts. The mission followed an urgent request from Texas emergency authorities, amid a disaster caused by the rapid and unprecedented rise of the Guadalupe River, which devastated multiple counties and claimed numerous lives.

Statewide, the death toll had reached 137 confirmed fatalities as of July 23, with two people — one adult male and one young girl from Camp Mystic — still missing in Kerr County, the hardest-hit area. Authorities said one missing person’s body was recovered on July 22, reducing the count to two.

ZAKA, Israel’s internationally recognized volunteer emergency response and disaster victim recovery organization, joined local and federal teams on the ground. The mission is coordinated with Texas A&M Task Force 1 and supervised by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), underscoring a meaningful collaboration between a faith-based humanitarian responder and American emergency agencies.

The deployment was organized under 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 work underscores the organization’s unwavering commitment to honoring the dignity of the deceased, even under extremely 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 the operation, including collaboration with Professor Barak Fishbein of the Technion, who developed an AI‑based model for mapping flood behavior and identifying areas most likely to yield missing persons. These tools are helping authorities focus recovery efforts more precisely.

For ZAKA, the mission is not only about logistics or speed — it is grounded in 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 Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest and the government of Israel also played key roles in facilitating the mission and strengthening ties between ZAKA and local agencies.

“This is the sacred work ZAKA was created to do,” said Moshe Rozenberg, the organization’s U.S.-based executive director. “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.”