SINCE I AM THE ONE WHO ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO GO HOME AFTER SAR-EL & WRITE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE, I THOUGHT I WOULD POST THE ARTICLE THAT I WROTE AFTER MY FIRST SAR-EL EXPERIENCE.
"Very good people for us are like a defense wall during night and day.” (from Samuel I)
These are the words which our Commander said to us as he bid us farewell at the end of our two weeks of Army service. The certificates which we received from Sar-El and the IDF, signed by Davidi (the Chairman of Sar-El) and our Base Commander will be a constant reminder to me of the wonderful and meaningful experience that I and 19 other people (ranging from 20 years old to mid-60’s) shared during these two weeks in May and June, 1997.
Putting on the IDF uniform each day really gave me a feeling of belonging to Tzahal, the Israel Defense Force. We worked hard and really gave it our all. We built fortifications out of iron bars and wire pieces which then were filled with cement and which will be used at the Syrian and Lebanese borders. One day we were taken up to the Syrian border to see where our fortifications were used. It was a very emotionally draining experience—looking across at Syria about 100 yards away, following the young soldiers through the maze of bunkers underneath the base, and hoping and praying that none of the fortifications which we so painstakingly made will ever have to be used.
The living conditions were definitely “Army” quality, not your typical vacation hotel. We awoke at 6:30 am, breakfast at 7:00 (which consisted of bread, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, chocolate spread, and coffee, tea or juice). After breakfast we boarded our bus at 7:30 for our ½ hour ride to the base in the Golan Heights where we worked each day. (Our home base was near Tzfat). We worked until 10:30 am, then took a snack break which was usually bread, cheese, tomatoes & cucumbers). Then back to work until lunch at about 12:30, which usually was vegetable salad, melon, meat (chicken, schnitzel or kabobs), rice or pasta. After lunch we worked all afternoon and then returned to our home base for a 5:30 dinner which was substantially the same as breakfast, sometimes with the addition of yogurt or cake.
We lived in barracks, 6 or 8 of us in a room with bunk beds, a common toilet and shower. These were definitely sparse living conditions, but it gave us a real sense of camaraderie. By the end of our 2 weeks, we all really knew a lot about each other.
Our madrichot (group leaders) were 3 young female soldiers, all of them adorable, sweet and enthusiastic. For those of us who are parents, they became our surrogate children; and yet they were taking care of us. It’s hard for me to imagine that both my 23 year old son and my 21 year old daughter would already be finished with their Army duty.
These two weeks were an experience like none other. It was definitely hard work, but very rewarding. Would I do it again? Definitely yes! Despite the heat, mosquito bites, calloused hands and rust which permeated our skin. The feeling of contributing to Israel, to the Land of our people, is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.
Perhaps one of my cousins (a retired Brigadier General in the IDF) said it best when he told me, “Now you are a partner with us....”
(August 10, 1997)
AND SO, AS THEY SAY, THE REST IS HISTORY. I CONTINUED DOING SAR-EL PROGRAMS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL I MADE ALIYAH IN 2001. WORKING FOR SAR-EL IS ALMOST AS MUCH FUN, ESPECIALLY WHEN I VISIT BASES AND SPEND TIME WITH ALL THE VOLUNTEERS.
Pamela Lazarus,
Program Coordinator
Sar-El
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