Following the devastating floods that swept through Texas Hill Country in early July, the Israeli-based ZAKA volunteer emergency-response and disaster-victim recovery organization has deployed a specialized team to the state after a call for support from Texas authorities. The disaster, caused by the rapid and unprecedented rise of the Guadalupe River, left a path of destruction across multiple counties, with at least 135 lives lost and many still missing.
The mission is coordinated with Texas A&M Task Force 1 under the supervision of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, marking a collaboration between faith-based humanitarian responders and U.S. emergency agencies.
Deployment was organized and launched through Marnix van Ede, ZAKA director of international relations, and led on the ground by international commander Nachman Dyksztejn and his wife, Valerie Dyksztejn, a software engineer and trained ZAKA responder. Their efforts underscore a commitment to honoring the dignity of those who have passed, even in the most 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.”
Its team is contributing specialized skills and advanced technologies to support the operation, including collaboration with Barak Fishbein, a professor at the Technion‒Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, who developed an AI-based model for mapping flood behavior and identifying areas with the highest likelihood of locating the missing. These tools enhance the precision of recovery efforts and allow authorities to focus resources where they are needed most.
“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 Dyksztejn.
“In Jewish tradition,” he explained, “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.”
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; Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Tal Shaul; the Israeli Consulate General in Houston; and the government of Israel.
“This is the sacred work ZAKA was created to do,” said U.S.-based executive director Moshe Rozenberg. “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.”
