personal stories

My Own Israeli Miracle

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.

Gritty and Rewarding Work

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. 

Omlettes For Breakfast

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!

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.

In Support of Israel

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.  

A Very Special Army

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. 

Actively Giving Thanks

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. 

Contributing via Sar-El: Age Irrelevant!

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. 

Sue Adatto – Sar-El: Sharing the Experience

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.

David Meir – From Sarasota to a Sar-El Army Base

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.

Order Out of Chaos

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. 

Expectations Surpassed

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.

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