New Jersey Star Ledger
Thursday, March 13, 2003
BY REBECCA GOLDSMITH
Star-Ledger Staff JULIS, Israel --
"It's very easy for Americans to write a check, but when you come here, you feel like you're doing something," said Robert Matuzsan of Robbinsville. "'Well done is better than well said,'" he said, quoting Benjamin Franklin. Matuzsan and Harold Goldring of Fort Lee signed up for the stint months ago. At the time, the conflict in Iraq was a vague but growing threat. Now they are prepared to be wartime helpers in a country bracing for the slim but serious possibility of an attack by Iraq. Neither one considered backing out as the prospect of war became imminent, they said. "When things get a little rough, don't avoid it," said Matuzsan, 54, a Vietnam veteran who owns a Trenton hair salon. "You make a commitment." A military history buff who dresses like a Colonial soldier in Revolutionary war re-enactments, Matuzsan said he loathed the idea of being the kind of "sunshine patriot" Thomas Paine descried in his patriotic tract, "Common Sense."
Goldring, 73, a retired advertising executive, said he wished he had moved to Israel as a young man, when the country was first formed. Now he views his contribution as playing a "very, very tiny role in helping the state."
The idea for the volunteer program was born during the Lebanon war in 1982. Called Sar-el, short for the Hebrew words meaning Service for Israel, the program has brought 88,000 volunteers from every continent. Of those, a few thousand have been devout Christians. But most, like Matuzsan and Goldring, are Jewish and fierce backers of Israel.
"One person said, 'Why don't you help our troops at home?' I said, 'I did a
couple of years in the Marine Corps. I did that,'" Matuzsan said. "Even though
we're Americans, we identify with the state of Israel and with the Jewish
people."
Bunking together in a spartan four-man room, their accommodations include narrow
army cots, cubbies for street clothes and access to a communal bathroom.
In the mess hall yesterday, they filled plates with sliced chicken, chicken soup
and pieces of fried schnitzel, a kind of processed poultry patty that is typical
in Israel. The salad bar was stocked with Middle Eastern standards such as
humus, babaghanoush and chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. About a dozen birds
fluttered among the rafters and fans, as if waiting for a few crumbs after the
midday rush.
The volunteers' assignments are not glamorous. During their stay, they help with
chores in the kitchen, the campus store and around the fuel tanks. Lately,
volunteers have been drafted to help spruce up the gas mask kits that are
standard issue to all Israelis to protect against the threat of chemical and
biological warfare.
Yesterday, Matuzsan and Goldring spent the morning in the cavernous maintenance
shed wrestling with the ball bearings that keep the country's fleet of fuel
trucks running smoothly. Outside, a sudden downpour and cold snap made for raw
hands and feet that grasped for footing on a concrete floor slick with water and
fuel.
Elbow-deep in grease, they took directions from soldiers half their age through a combination of key phrases and body language. Few of the volunteers speak Hebrew, and many of the soldiers do not speak English.
"Whatever the job is, it is," Matuzsan said. "It's not a career. We're here to
help out. Anything is fine."
The program gives the soldiers and volunteers a chance to get to know each other
and to gain an appreciation for their respective cultures.
"The kids that we've spoken to, they are just astounded that volunteers come,"
Goldring said. "They can't get beyond the amazement that people" would want to
help in this way. "It's very heartwarming."
Israel has a near-universal draft for all citizens when they turn 18. In
addition, the army is increasingly turning to its reservists for help. Some
Israelis feel the duty is onerous, especially because most ultra-Orthodox Jews
qualify for an exemption to the draft.
Matuzsan and Goldring, who served in the American military during the Korean
War, said it took some time for them to get accustomed to the prevalence of
female soldiers. During an evening outing to a local shopping mall, the women
soldiers who served as their guides carried M-16 rifles.
"They were guarding us," Matuzsan said. "It was a little awkward."
Goldring explained, "It's not in our psyche to have 18-year-old women protecting
us."
Naama Saggy, one of the gun-toting young women, said she enjoys working with the
volunteers, even when they quip that she could be their granddaughter.
"Seeing people come here, especially at this time when it's difficult, it helps
the country," she said. When they go back home, they spread the word about
Israel, telling others, "It's not like TV. People actually live here. It's a
beautiful country. Nice people. Nice soldiers."
contributed by Norman Sheinwold