Israel is a country full of heroes.

Some of their names are known around the world. Many others will never be known at all.

There are the heroes who rescued hostages from captivity, the people who gathered intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program, the people who helped locate hostages, and the intelligence officers whose work will probably remain classified for decades. There were those who tracked down Adolf Eichmann and brought him to Israel to face justice, and there have been countless men and women who participated in operations whose details we may never hear.

There are the people who have led Israel throughout the years since its rebirth in 1948, presidents, prime ministers, ministers and military commanders who carried responsibilities that most of us can hardly imagine.

There are the soldiers who fought for their homeland, those who were injured defending it and those who never returned home.

There are the rescue teams who travel across the world when disaster strikes, digging through the ruins after earthquakes, helping communities after floods and bringing Israeli knowledge, technology and humanity wherever they are needed.

There were the heroes of Entebbe, who flew thousands of kilometers to rescue Jewish and Israeli hostages when almost everyone else considered the mission impossible.

There were those who had to deal with the horrific aftermath of the Munich Olympics massacre.

And there are the people whose heroism is much quieter.

The ZAKA volunteers who walk into scenes most of us would not be able to look at, because even in death every human being deserves dignity.

Doctors, nurses and medical........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)