Scene of the attack
Scene of the attackOlivier Fitoussi/Flash90

Chaim Bleich, a volunteer with the ZAKA organization, was one of those sent to the scene of the Neve Yaakov terrorist attack to accord the bodies of the murdered Jews their last earthly respect and prepare them for Jewish burial. He later related his experience to Israel National News.

"I live in Pisgat Zeev, just minutes' walk away from Neve Yaakov. My brother, who is also a volunteer with ZAKA and also works for MDA, was my guest for the Shabbat meal. When we got the first messages about the attack we didn't immediately head there, as there were dozens of volunteers located closer to the scene who had already arrived there. But just a few minutes later, a call went out for more volunteers to get there and my brother and I got on our motorbike and headed to the scene.

"When we got there, we realized that all the wounded had already been evacuated and that help was needed mostly with the bodies of those murdered," he continues. "As ZAKA volunteers, my brother and I reported to the police at the scene and then started to deal with the bodies. It took all night - we worked right through, still dressed in our Shabbat clothes as we'd left right in the middle of the meal.

"It was an especially difficult experience," Bleich recounts. "Unfortunately, we have both been at multiple attack scenes, but they were all during the week. This was different - being there in our Shabbat clothes, and keeping in mind the applicable halachot [Jewish laws] for Shabbat. It was very hard."

"The fact that the attack occurred in a neighborhood that is predominantly Shomer Shabbat [where Shabbat is observed] also made things more complicated," Bleich adds. "The duration of the attack was relatively long, and the victims were spread out over a large area. The nature of their wounds also made it harder to accord the bodies the proper respect. This was a very complex scene and we worked for many long hours. We did everything we were permitted to on Shabbat and on Motzaei Shabbat [Saturday evening, after Shabbat was over] another team was sent to finish off anything that hadn't been done."