After Two-Day Battle in Moldova, Rabbi Akiva Rand’s Body Released Without Autopsy

After two days of intensive efforts in Moldova, officials completed the release of Rabbi Akiva Rand’s body without an autopsy. Rand, a Jerusalem resident in his 30s, was killed on Wednesday in a fatal car accident in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital. His body is expected to be brought to Israel for burial next week.

ZAKA’s international unit worked at the crash site to treat the dead with dignity and collect remains and evidence for burial in Israel. From the moment the incident was reported, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Israeli Embassy in Moldova, and ZAKA coordinated the response, supported the family, and pushed for the body to be returned for burial.

At the same time, ZAKA waged a legal and bureaucratic fight with local authorities and the Moldovan justice system. Although the authorities demanded an autopsy, ZAKA succeeded in securing the release of the body without one and arranging its transfer to Israel.

ZAKA Europe commander Nachman Dikstein said the nearly two-day effort ended “with God’s help” and thanked the Foreign Ministry, the embassy, Chabad emissary Rabbi Mendy Axel in Moldova, and all the teams in Israel and Moldova who worked around the clock. ZAKA deputy chief of operations Chaim Weingarten also thanked Dikstein, ZAKA’s legal department, Michael Gutwein, Yossi Landau, the international volunteers, and several American activists who intervened with U.S. government officials, including Rabbi Moshe David Niederman, Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, and Tzvi Gluck.