By Karen Koven

Although I had visited Israel several times before, a chance encounter with two women on the beach in Tel Aviv during one of these stays resulted in my most meaningful time spent in the Jewish state.

They told me about their experiences as volunteers for Sar-El, where participants worldwide come to Israel to perform duties commensurate with their abilities for the Israel Defense Force. The more they talked, the more I knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of.

The Alliance for Israel in the Valley had all of the answers for me when I returned home.  I was interviewed, passed the physical requirements and was informed as to what I would likely find as far as living arrangements and assignments.  What no one could adequately describe to me were the rewards of taking part in this adventure.

This past May I landed in Tel Aviv to begin my three-week stint as part of a 46-member group from six countries and ranging in age from 29 to 86.  From the airport we went directly to our army base for an orientation.  We got our job assignments, room assignments, schedules and uniforms.  Although I knew I was only a volunteer, wearing the uniform gave me a great deal of pride, although the pants I received were about three sizes too big.  When I pointed this out to the soldier in charge he said, “So tomorrow, I’ll give you a belt.”  I found out later that, not surprisingly, the female soldiers have their uniforms tailored to fit.

The barracks on my base were a wonderful surprise.  The rooms were air-conditioned, with six cots to a room.  We had a TV lounge, a washer and dryer and separate bathrooms for the men and women so we did not have to shower on alternate days. 

On our first morning, we were introduced to what would be standard breakfast fare: tomatoes, cucumbers, cottage cheese, hardboiled eggs and corn flakes with chocolate milk.  Soldiers, volunteers and civilian employees all dined together.  We then attended flag raising.  Two days a week the soldiers joined us and we watched as they went through inspection.  We were allowed to remain “at ease”.  We next had a news briefing from our madricha, our soldier supervisors--and then off to work.

My camp had the responsibility of packaging medical supplies for hospitals, bases and field posts throughout the country.  We also cleaned and checked the performance of medical equipment.  Working alongside strangers with this grim task made fast friends out of an already congenial group.

The soldiers with whom we worked mostly were between the ages of 18 and 21.  They were extremely grateful to us, as they were aware that we were paying for the privilege of working alongside them at their jobs.

Lunchtime was a welcome break, especially since it was the best meal of the day with fruits, vegetables, rice and chicken.  (Dinner was similar to breakfast, with the addition of hummus).  Then it was back to work for several hours.

Our evenings were filled with fascinating programs planned by our madricha.  Two speakers especially stood out.  Once was General Davidi, who founded Sar-El during the first Lebanon War.  He had issued a worldwide call for volunteers to help pick crops while the men were fighting and the women were handling family businesses and tending to the children.  The response was tremendous and Sar-El was born.  The other speaker, also one of the volunteers, was a maritime engineer, who in 1948, had been part of a group that brought 1,500 Jews from Poland to Israel.  In addition to his time with Sar-El, he was attending a reunion with survivors of that group, who were celebrating Israel at 60. Other nights were filled with singing, game playing and debating everything and anything.  Several of us studied Hebrew with a teacher brought in by our madricha.

Weekends were welcome respites from our tasks and we all took advantage of the time to tour the country, connect with friends and family and enjoy the off-base luxury of hotel beds and bathrooms.  More than the pleasure of a private shower, however, was the pleasure of enjoying the spirit of Israel.  The dancing on the beach in Tel Aviv or the spontaneous singing to welcome in Shabbat by Yeshiva boys in the Old City in Jerusalem is what I see as the face of Israel.

I have a deep and abiding love for Israel, but working (and playing) with people from all over the world who are of like mind and spirit added new dimension to my feeling of connectedness.