19-Year Friendship Prevents Autopsy of Israeli Who Died in Namibia
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
An Israeli man who died in Namibia last week will be buried in Israel without an autopsy due to a 19-year-old connection. A ZAKA volunteer, Yossi Landau, was recognized by the local pathologist during a video call, who remembered Landau from a 2008 plane crash in Namibia that killed five Israelis. The pathologist, recalling Landau's work with ZAKA to preserve the dignity of the dead, agreed to forgo the autopsy, honoring the family's wishes and Jewish law.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- An Israeli man who died in Namibia will be buried without an autopsy due to a 19-year-old connection.
- The pathologist recognized ZAKA volunteer Yossi Landau from a 2008 plane crash in Namibia.
- The 2008 crash killed five Israelis, including diamond merchants.
- The pathologist remembered ZAKA's efforts to preserve the dignity of the dead.
- The pathologist decided to forgo the autopsy, honoring the family's wishes and Jewish tradition.
An Israeli man who died of cardiac arrest last week while on a trip in Namibia will be brought for burial in Israel without an autopsy, thanks to a chance encounter between a ZAKA volunteer and a local pathologist that occurred 19 years ago. The deceased's wife had reported his death to ZAKA's international unit on Wednesday, during the Sukkot holiday. ZAKA volunteers, along with the Foreign Ministry and Rabbi Yosef Rahimi, a Chabad emissary in Namibia, began working to repatriate the body.
Namibian authorities initially intended to perform an autopsy. Rabbi Rahimi, while liaising with local officials, arranged a video call with Yossi Landau, ZAKA's Lachish Sector Operations Officer, to explain the sensitivity of the procedure and request it be minimized. During the call, the pathologist recognized Landau and recalled meeting him 19 years prior during a plane crash disaster in Namibia that killed five Israelis, including diamond merchants. The pathologist remembered Landau and ZAKA's work at the time, particularly their emphasis on respecting the deceased.
Moved by the reunion and recalling ZAKA's dedication to preserving the dignity of the dead, the pathologist decided to forgo the autopsy entirely, honoring the family's wishes and Jewish tradition. "When the doctor saw me on the screen, he immediately said, 'You are familiar to me.' We remembered that we met 19 years ago in the plane crash where five Israelis were killed," Landau recounted. He added, "He remembered our work and our struggle for the dignity of the dead. I explained to him how important it was for us to prevent the autopsy and bring the deceased for burial intact." Landau described the encounter as an "exciting full circle," noting how ZAKA's efforts from nearly two decades ago helped them today to uphold the dignity of the deceased.
