Sara Zisl Meshi Zahav, 81, the Jerusalem-born mother of ZAKA founder and chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, succumbed on Monday to the coronavirus, according to a Haredim 10 report. She was the wife of haredi writer Menachem Mendel Meshi-Zahav and the daughter of the famed writer Yosl Sheinberger, who was the long-time secretary of the Eida Haredit .
One of her uncles was Amram Blau, a founder and leader of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav was also an active anti-Zionist until July 1989, when he was involved in a search and rescue operation for dead and injured following a terrorist attack on a bus that crashed below the yeshiva where he was studying. Prior to that, he was the chief organizer of demonstrations on Shabbos.
He founded ZAKA following the terrorist attack on the bus and gradually changed his views to the extent that two of his sons served in the Israel Defense Forces, and in 2003, he was invited to light one of the Independence Day torches. Meshi-Zahav has since become involved in many social welfare endeavors and is also a frequent guest at diplomatic events.
Following his mother’s demise, Meshi-Zahav said that when meeting other people, he is always meticulously careful to observe the Health Ministry’s regulations. It never occurred to him that the virus would get to him in the most painful way with the death of his mother, who he said was a woman of great virtue, having done many charitable deeds and having the quality of loving kindness.
