Civilian Voluntary Service in the Israeli Army

by Ira Zimmerman 

Sar-El has components which enable Israeli seniors, disabled Israeli veterans and the mentally impaired to volunteer. There are opportunities to volunteer in hospitals and nursing homes during a four week commitment. Sar-El serves an important need for the Israeli military and health care systems which are run under stringent budgetary constraints.

In the army, many volunteers refurbish used or damaged military equipment, which saves Israel millions of dollars.

Participation in Sar-El enables volunteers to witness the socialization of the 18 to 20 year olds who serve for three years. These young people go through a national rite of passage which transforms them from school children to young adults in a tough part of the world. Sar-El volunteers work beside these young Israelis and have meals with them. The encounters are not always predictable. The young soldiers have pride in the Israel Army, but they feel like their lives are on hold for three years. There are soldiers who view the middle-aged foreign volunteers as slightly insane for wanting to spend time on an army base. Other soldiers express appreciation to the volunteers for using their vacation time to help Israel.

Besides the interaction with young soldiers, the interaction among the volunteers is a rewarding experience. Many volunteers have participated in Sar-El multiple times. Many volunteers are well-educated, professional people. Not surprisingly, the volunteers' commitment to Israel is beyond question. But their religious and political views, domestic and foreign, are far from unanimous. For this reason, the volunteers are discouraged from having political discussions on base, although such discussion is not strictly stifled. Group cohesion is considered important. Volunteers with a common language are grouped together on the same base.

The living conditions on military bases are austere, but not more so than an average person can bear. Men and women sleep in separate quarters even if they are married. A short period on an army base is good therapy for people who want a break from their day to day routines.

The work is not very demanding. Most of it is menial, but there is a sense that whatever work one is doing is meaningful because it is for Israel. All volunteers are issued Israeli Army uniforms, but not weapons. Also unlike regular soldiers, the volunteers are not permitted to wear their uniforms off base.

Depending upon the base, breakfast is at 7:00 a.m. Flag-raising and briefing is at 8:15 a.m. The morning work shift is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with a break at 10:00 a.m. After lunch, the afternoon shift is from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The main meal is lunch. The diet includes lots of Israeli salad and hummus. There is an abundance of high-fat food and starches to put meat on the bones of the young soldiers, a significant portion of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. After a light dinner, there is usually a presentation for the volunteers on topics like military history, the experiences of olim, martial arts - but not religion or politics. Once a week, there may be an afternoon trip off base to places like a shopping mall, a museum, or an historical or military landmark.

Every military base in Israel has a synagogue irrespective of how close one base may be to another. Each Beit Hakenesset has a library including Shas, Mikraot Gedolot, Shulchan Aruch, and other works which one might expect to see on a rabbi's bookshelves. Whether there are daily minyanim depends on the nature of the base. On combat bases, the prospects for a minyan are good because the soldiers live and sleep on combat bases.

Combat bases are usually off limits to volunteers. For bases with non-combat functions, the soldiers do not live on base. They commute to and from the base daily. On such bases there may not be a shacharit or maariv minyan. If there is a mincha minyan, there is also about ten minutes of learning led by an officer. An informal discussion develops during these ten minutes. "Informal" describes the atmosphere on army bases in general. An officer is likely to be called by his or her first name. This informality is consistent with the informal social manners observed in all of Israel.

The volunteers are on their own for Friday and Shabbat. They are not permitted on base. Many volunteers make plans to visit friends or relatives. Sar-El madrichot are available to assist volunteers in making weekend plans and in dealing with other personal matters. There are a number of Sar-El affiliated weekend activities off base for a fairly inexpensive charge. These Sar-El affiliated activities are generally kosher, but not necessarily Shomer Shabbat. Many hotels in Israel offer generous discounts to Sar-El volunteers.

It is hard to imagine a more meaningful immersion into Israeli life than donating one's labor for the benefit of Israel, getting to know Israeli soldiers, sleeping in barracks, living on an Israeli Army diet, and sharing this experience with other people from golut who are devoted to Israel. The venture cements one's connection with one's brethren. It sensitizes one to the burdens - and to the satisfactions - of maintaining the land to which all Jews may come should new perils be visited upon the children of Jacob. This is not the type of volunteering that one easily forgets.

Ira Zimmerman
USA