A small gesture deeply moved Gidalia Sabiner, a ZAKA volunteer from the Jerusalem district, when he found a cake and a handwritten note on his operational vehicle this week. The note, left by an unidentified Israeli woman, was addressed to “the quiet heroes,” praising people who work out of the spotlight doing the hardest tasks, and saying, “I just wanted to say that I see you.”
The message added, “I salute you, and I am not alone. Many stand and see you. So thank you very much for your hard and important work.” It was signed, “An Israeli citizen. Am Yisrael Chai,” and included a lighthearted postscript that the cake was kosher.
Speaking to Kikar HaShabbat, Sabiner said he would be happy to meet the woman and thank her. “It was such a special moment for me that I couldn’t stop the tears,” he said. “We do our work out of a sense of mission, quietly, without seeking recognition. Suddenly receiving such a simple but so genuine gesture touches the heart deeply and gives a lot of strength to continue.”
Sabiner has spent years, like thousands of ZAKA volunteers across Israel, working at difficult and sensitive scenes, often away from public attention. The article said that is precisely why the anonymous gesture meant so much to him.