ANTALYA – Multinational collaboration has been a key component of the response to Monday’s deadly earthquakes in Turkey, with CADENA general secretary Benjamin Laniado pointing out to The Jerusalem Post on Friday the importance of international cooperation in the face of the disaster.
“The size of the disaster is immense, so when something like this happens the collaboration needs to be immense also,” said Laniado, who is also founder of the Jewish humanitarian NGO, from the field in Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
Laniado and his Mexico-based medical and rescue teams had spent two days in Antakya, where they had found one person alive in the rubble. The teams had also worked with the IDF to extract the remains of two local Jewish community members.
The conditions in Antakya, in the Hatay province, are terrible, said Laniado, with widespread destruction that was “difficult to describe.”
The CADENA team went from working with the IDF to being transported by the Turkish military helicopter to the Kahramanmaras staging ground. Since then, the Turkish military had given them missions.
The staging ground houses dozens of foreign and local state and non-state actors, with a Turkish officer appointed to oversee coordination.
On Tuesday night the officer had welcomed United Hatzalah of Israel’s team, telling them “I love you,” and giving them two thumbs up.
Dozens of states had sent medical and rescue teams to aid Turkey’s response to the earthquakes. Turkish media reported that after Azerbaijan, Israel had the second largest number of personnel operating in the country.
Foreign and local actors have been seen working hand-in-hand on the same sites in Kahramanmaras.
Laniado said that they had worked with eight different NGOs in addition to governmental teams from Bulgaria, Hungary and Israel in operations. They had also cooperated with local Turkish rescue teams, who Laniado highly praised.
“When there’s a disaster, humanity brings out all the good. Collaborations are important and it feels good,” said Laniado. “Humanitarian aid is addictive – you feel the dream of humanity in the field.
Laniado said that people from many different religions, states and militaries were working together to save Turkish lives.
Even being so close to Syria, where he had previously engaged in humanitarian missions, Laniado said as a Jewish person he felt no concern.
“When you’re a humanitarian I believe all the doors are opened to you,” said Laniado. “I believe all the universe works in your favor.”
Countries around the world come together to help
The operation has seen many states helping in Turkey that have otherwise strained relations with one another. This was highlighted on Tuesday when United Hatzalah’s Israel-flagged plane landed next to an Iranian C-130 Hercules to its left, and a Qatari Air Force transport aircraft to its right. In the Kahramanmaras staging ground, Russian rescuers had set up camp not far from French and German teams.
CADENA is Jewish humanitarian group founded in Mexico 17 years ago, and now boasts 15 bases and 15,000 volunteers around the world.
Laniado said that it was founded with the idea of putting the Jewish principle of tikkun olam – improving the world – into action.
“Every time there’s a difficult incident, Jews come, not just Israelis, but Jews, like our organization, come with a lot of courage and love,” said Laniado.