Yehuda Meshi Zahav, founder and chairman of ZAKA, was tapped for the 2021 Israel Prize in the category of “Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to Society and the State,” Israeli Education Minister Yoav Galant announced on Tuesday.

Meshi Zahav, who in January lost his brother and his parents—his mother and father to COVID-19—said: “In a month full of tears of pain and sorrow after the triple family loss that I have suffered, finally my eyes shed tears of happiness with [this] joyous news. … Later in the day, I will go up to the grave of my late parents to tell them the good news and give them moments of contentment.”

Meshi Zahav emphasized that the award is “not only mine but belongs to the thousands of ZAKA volunteers in Israel and around the world who dedicate their lives to helping others, saving lives and honoring the dead.”

The Israel Prize, the nation’s highest cultural honor, is awarded annually on Israeli Independence Day, which this year falls on April 15.

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