Support Therapy for October 7 First Responders

We, Noah Ifergan (from Canada) and Matt Mann (from US), are yeshiva students in Jerusalem. We were in Israel during the October 7 terrorist attack.

On a solidarity trip a couple months ago, we had the opportunity to meet a volunteer from Zaka, an Israeli search-and-rescue organization. This encounter deeply affected us, as the volunteer shared his experiences as one of the first responders during the terrorist invasion on October 7th.

He recounted the traumatic task of personally extracting over 200 Jewish bodies from the South, many of which were found in a brutalized state. These encounters left the volunteer and his colleagues profoundly shaken.

Since that fateful day, PTSD has become a major issue among Zaka volunteers. The volunteer we spoke with expressed that he has been unable to sleep for more than a few hours a night since the attack, and tragically, some of his friends have taken their own lives.

The story of this courageous volunteer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has moved us deeply. In his honor, we have decided to participate in the Jerusalem half-marathon to raise funds for the therapy services that Zaka provides for its volunteers.