menaelbakara

I confess that after leaving the US Navy 48 years ago, I still  miss certain aspects of the military life: the feeling of patriotism, its sense of purpose and even pageantry.  As a recent volunteer in the Sar-El program, to support the Israeli Defense Force,  I felt those stirrings again.

Israel is a land where miracles happen. It is known. Here is my story.I visited Israel for the first time with the Overseas Adventure Travel tour in 2010. We were on Mt. Bental. I was born in Leningrad after the WW II. My step brother and my uncle both died in the front.

The bunk beds in which we slept (four to a room) were narrow and hard. The army issue sleeping blanket warm enough in the cold desert night. No hot water for two days. Army food included lots of humus, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, some omelettes,  and most days hot dogs for lunch.  At dairy meals we had three kinds of  cheese and “leben”—the tasty, sugarless Israeli yogurt. Why leave the comforts of home in the USA for this modest fare? For me the answer was simple: because after the last war (during which Israel was hit with over 1500 bombs and its people cowered in bomb shelters day after day), I could not let my hands stand idle. 

Ever heard of Sar-El? This time last year I hadn’t, but [when I gave] an airport lift to a Canadian friend of mine, [he] put me right. He told me that he was off to Israel to join a Sar-El group and that I should go and find about it myself.

My first voyage to  Israel dates back to 2009 and  I fell in love with this country. After that  I decided to learn Hebrew; and since I wanted to improve my knowledge of the language,  I started to look for a way to do some volunteer work in Israel in order to practice what I had learnt so far.

I can’t decide on my most bizarre experience of the last week – was it the heater where  the red “off” button turned it on and the green “on” button turned it off? – was it the bird that flew over my head during dinner? – was it the soldier who told me to clean 320 chairs with no soap? – was it the omelettes for breakfast and dinner for five days in a row? I couldn’t possibly decide. 

What an experience [I had]! My group was assigned to the Southern Command base in the Negev about 20 miles southwest of Beersheva. I volunteered for work in the field, which involved finalizing maintenance on tanks and armored personnel carriers and then closing them up in what amounted to industrial grade zip-lock bags. It was extremely physically challenging but I can say that I enjoyed every moment.

Shalom! My name is Bertha Perez. I was born in Colombia, and I live in Portugal. I grew up in a family always active in the military. I always dreamed to support volunteerism in military bases, and when I learned than in Israel it was possible, we arrived in Tel Aviv on July 3, 2011.

When rockets were raining down last November, many people wanted to do something tangible to support Israel. I, for one, wanted to do more than go to a rally or write a letter to the editor. After expressing my frustration to my daughter, who lives in Jerusalem, she suggested I look into Sar-El. I did, and on January 2 I headed to Israel for three weeks of volunteering on a military base. It has been a remarkable trip that I will always cherish.  

Israel has the only Army in the world with ‘Defence’ in its name.  In the past 12 years I have served as a volunteer on Sar-El sixteen times, and it grieves me greatly to hear Israel and the IDF maligned in the press, and yes, sadly even amongst Jewry.  I had arranged to join a tour of duty with Sar-El in November, 2012, but a few days before I was due to leave the UK, the latest Gaza crisis began. 

The opening theme of this week’s Parasha is thankfulness, appropriate of course for Thanksgiving weekend. First, although Jacob doesn’t say it expressly, when he speaks of all that he has brought with him, material as well as familial,  it is with profound gratitude. 

Keeping busy and staying productive is a great way to feel young. This summer I was doing volunteer work in Israel. I was on an Army base there performing non-military, non-combat, apolitical volunteer work. To my surprise I noticed that many retired people in Israel come on a regular basis to work on Israeli Army bases as civilian volunteers. 

Everything was awesome and wonderful. I bet that there are no experiences like this program. It  was my first time joining the military volunteer program; first time to touch the tanks; first time to wash the weapons; first time to try to learn Hebrew…

For the past two summers I have participated in the most rewarding volunteer work ever, in my favorite place – Israel.  I traveled to Israel to be a Sar-El volunteer, where I spent three weeks working alongside Israeli soldiers and other volunteers from all of the world – Spain, Ukraine, Prague, Italy, Holland, Zimbabwe, and Hong Kong. My fellow volunteers were Jewish as well as Christian.

Sometime between 2005-2007 I read an article in the Sarasota Manatee Jewish News “Volunteers Wanted” and it gave contact information regarding VFI, Volunteers for Israel. I  recently returned from Israel, from a VFI tour, actually two three-week tours, back-to-back. I joined 14 other volunteers at a base near Be’er Sheva for the first tour. On the second tour we were 11 volunteers on a base a little west of Tiberias.

 “I Stand for Israel”, a bold and straightforward statement. However, what does one do to demonstrate that commitment? How can I work alongside the people of Israel?

There is much still swirling around my head as I process the ups and downs of my most recent journey to Israel earlier this month. What lingers about at the moment is a very special happening during the first week of the trip as I transitioned yet again from flabby civilian to IDF volunteer. I’ll explain.

Vitaly is “Pazaam.” He said the “Sherutim Team” (bathroom team) is the “Best of the Best.” Our team paints the girls’ sherutim better than even Mr. Clean and the White Tornado. We work hard but also have time to tease each other. Roxy calls Pam “Wide Zone.”

As soon as my steel wool pad made visible progress removing the rust, I sensed a connection to Israel unlike any other. No other advocacy for the Jewish State I was ever engaged in gave me a feeling of contributing like seeing that rusty super-sized axle on the bench start to shine. 

Some fathers and sons spend time together fishing or attending sporting events.  That was not the case for my son and I. However, I discovered that working with my son on an Israeli military base can achieve the same bonding experience. 

At least once a year for over twelve years now, my parents have been volunteering with the Israeli Army, through the amazing programs run by the Sar El organization. If you add up all the army time they’ve done throughout the years, it would total about six months of service.

I recently made my first trip to Israel, volunteering for three weeks with theSar-El program. It was an incredible experience.

Operation Pillar of Defence was the historical backdrop to my third Sar-El programme.  Up in the hills of the Galilee, near Afula, I spent my first week on a massive armaments and heavy artillery base for reservists.  Something was about to happen, was the general feeling amongst my fellow Sar-elniks.  We didn’t know what of course: there was simply a sense of unease.

I served in Sar-El from 9th – 27th June 2013, this was my second Sar El program, having done one previously in 2011. After submitting my paperwork, booking my flight and packing, I was a little apprehensive as to whether the coming program would live up to the wonderful experience I had in 2011.

It was probably about twenty years ago when I first heard about Sar El.  My neighbor’s parents were visiting from California and they had just returned from a  two week stint of Sar EL.

Our bucket list adventure started with an idea of volunteering for  Tzahal, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF),  which welcomes Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers from all over the globe, with no age restrictions.