The team is led by ZAKA International Rescue Unit head Mati Goldstein and ZAKA International Rescue Unit Chief of Operations Chaim Weingarten.
In particular, the ZAKA volunteers worked to recover, identify and bring the remains of Israeli passenger Eyal Baum for a full Jewish burial in Israel. Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, agreed to a request by the Baum family to bring a ZAKA delegation from Israel to assist in the recovery operation.
ZAKA volunteers have been on standby to fly out to the crash scene since offering their assistance last week.
On March 24, the Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps, killing 144 passengers, among them 16 schoolchildren. The co-pilot deliberately crashed the German Airbus, according to Lufthansa officials and investigators.
At the request of the Baum family, Lufthansa paid for the team of ZAKA volunteers to fly from Israel to help in the search and recovery efforts. The Israeli ZAKA team members, along with volunteers from ZAKA France, were helicoptered into the crash site, where they immediately set up a command center and began working in cooperation with the local and international recovery teams.
ZAKA delegation head Mati Goldstein stated that "Our mission is to ensure a full Jewish burial for Eyal Baum, and to assist the international teams in the search and recovery efforts.”
ZAKA, a UN-recognized humanitarian organization founded in 1989, can deploy anywhere in the world within hours according to the organization’s website.
Commenting on the French Alps location of the crash site, Goldstein said that the terrain was challenging.
“It is difficult terrain to cover, but we are prepared to work for as long as it takes," said Goldstein.