In a raw and emotional conversation at the Jerusalem Post Washington Conference, Moshe Rosenberg, Executive Director of ZAKA U.S., explained how the horrors of October 7 transformed his life and changed global perspectives on trauma care, dignified handling of the deceased, and first-responder resilience.
Rosenberg opened by recalling the moment he decided to leave his long-time business career: “On October 8th I heard the news, and I felt I couldn’t just go on with life like nothing happened,” he said, and went on to describe the unprecedented psychological toll on ZAKA’s veteran teams. “Until October 7, every member who returned from a call had to stop at the office, talk to a therapist, and only then go home,” he said. “But October 7 was a whole different level. They were exposed to things that no one had ever been exposed to.”
In some homes, only volunteers with at least 10 years of experience were allowed to go in. “That’s how severe it was. Nothing in the textbooks was enough,” Rosenberg said. “One of our volunteers spoke to a psychiatrist. After ten minutes, the psychiatrist said he needed to step outside for a cigarette. He went out and never came back.” ZAKA responded by creating a new resilience model. “We hired a top psychiatrist and connected her with a professor from John Jay College,” Rosenberg said. Together, they are developing a textbook to guide first-responder care worldwide.
The model is already being shared through ZAKA’s partnership with the U.S. National Sheriffs’ Association. Central to ZAKA’s mission is ‘kavod hamet’, which means honoring the dead. Rosenberg explained, “Authorities often focus on documenting forensics and clearing the scene,” but they may overlook that “this body was a human being waiting for its family’s closure.” He also stressed the importance of support for families of volunteers, stating, “Behind every volunteer is a wife who provides warmth, love, and support so they can continue their work.”
ZAKA now offers PTSD workshops, therapeutic family retreats, and support programs for spouses and children, a model they are sharing now globally. “Today,” he concluded, “we are applying what we learned yesterday to build a better tomorrow.”
Written in collaboration with ZAKA