Following the announcement by the veteran volunteer organization "Zaka Israel" that it would abandon the old name for Peaceful Ways and cease its activity in the field of honoring the dead, the organization's commanders and volunteers announced last night (Wednesday) that they will now operate under the name "Unit 360" - the National Assistance Organization, and will provide a response to disaster scenes.
""The new name chosen to accompany the teams' activities - 'Unit 360' - embodies the expansion of the organization's activities, which encompasses 360 degrees the full range of issues related to caring for the dignity of the deceased and the families left behind by the deceased, through a wide variety of activities," says the unit's founder, Hezi Shebaks.
The activities that the unit will carry out include:
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• Identifying victims at disaster scenes and removing bodies with the required dignity
• Handling the evacuation of bodies in critical condition (M.A.B.T.)
• Assistance in national disaster situations, earthquakes, landslides, epidemics, and warfare
• Diver and dog unit
• Support and psychological guidance for families of victims of terrorism and road accidents
• Organizing annual rehabilitation holiday camps for children who are victims of terrorism
• Awareness-raising activities among children and teenagers to prevent road accidents
• Locating missing persons
• Organizing funerals for the dead
• Collaborations with government bodies and parallel organizations abroad
Honorary Chairman of 'Unit 360', Israel Morgenstern: "We have created a system of connections and collaborations with emergency organizations around the world and among Jewish communities abroad. We will assist them with a wide variety of tools.".
The organization does not charge for any of its activities, is active 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including Saturdays and holidays, and provides service to everyone, regardless of religion, race, gender, or nationality.
At an exciting launch event held in Ashdod with the participation of senior officials from Israel's emergency agencies, members of Knesset, rabbis, heads of authorities, public figures, and senior business executives, volunteers were awarded 10 operational motorcycles last night, joining the organization's fleet of vehicles that will be used by volunteers to respond to disasters, God forbid.
The climax of the event was the "Kel Mala Rachamim" prayer, which was recited by Cantor RNG Yitzhak Hartman, the chief undertaker in the IDF and one of the organization's volunteers, before the dedication of the new operational motorcycles, in the presence of the bereaved families in whose names the motorcycles were dedicated.
The families of the terror victims, who stood by the moving event with tearful eyes, were accompanied by Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and the institute's rabbi, Rabbi Asher Landau, chairman of ZAKA Tel Aviv, Zvi Hasid, and the Chief Rabbi of Fire and Rescue, Rabbi Chaim Perel.
The motorcycles were commemorated in memory of the souls of the terrorist murderers Noam Raz, Chaya and Yosef Solomon, Raziel Shevach, Shir Hajj, Ziv Hajji, Aharon Benita, Nechama Hodya Assulin, Yanai Weissman, Rene Shnarb, Tamir Avichai, and their families participated in the event.
At the end of the event, the new vests were distributed to the volunteers, along with a volunteer card and all emergency equipment for daily holy work.
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