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Last update - 10:35 07/08/2008
For Diaspora Jews, volunteering in Israel brings out Jewish identity
By Ali Berg
Tags: volunteering, Jewish World 

For many Jews in the Diaspora, volunteering in Israel is way of connecting with the Jewish state and their own Jewish identity. There are thousands of volunteers from abroad each year in Israel, and many programs which offer a chance to work for free.

These volunteers are employed by a myriad of organizations, such as the Magen David Adom emergency service (MDA), the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO), which operates institutions and services for the elderly, the young and new immigrants and the international Jewish organization B'nai B'rith.

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Almost one third of all Israelis are also volunteers in one form or another. In fact, the state was built by people with a strong volunteering ethos, who performed hugely difficult tasks for little or no pay.)

"The best part of volunteering was definitely being able to help the children and try to improve their quality of life," says Vanessa Border, 18, an Australian student who volunteered at WIZO Hadassim Youth Village in Netanya. Her job was to look after abused children who had been removed from their parents by the courts.

"I want to work with children in the future so this was the perfect opportunity to live breathe and think kids." she says. "Volunteering in Israel is like helping out a family member... How I see it is that everyone in Israel is family."

Ben Krowitz, 19, from South Africa, volunteered at Gvanim primary school on Kibbutz Ein Hamifratz, near Haifa. He found teaching English to children and helping within the community was immensely rewarding.

"To wake up at early hours, on my year away, simply to give something to the Israeli community, to teach English, to help the kids learn, I soon found out was not the effort I thought it would be, it was actually 100 percent satisfying," says Krowitz.

However, volunteering in Israel is not always so emotionally straightforward. Many go through extremely intense experiences as volunteers.

"Working for Magen David Adom was both the most rewarding, and scariest thing I have ever done in my life" says 18-year-old Jessica Marcuson from Australia.

"You find yourself watching people die right in front of you. I nearly gave up after watching a woman die in the middle of giving her CPR. Her family was surrounding me, crying hysterically, and I couldn't breathe. I had to force myself to take a few deep breaths and remind myself that by volunteering for MDA, I was doing an incredible thing."

Border recounts her most intense moment while working at Hadassim Youth Village: "When I was putting one of the children to bed, she looked up at me and said 'I wish you were my mom.' It was such a powerful moment for me, because it made me realize that I was making a real difference to these children who had been starved of love and affection."

So why volunteer? There are many reasons why thousands of people from abroad volunteer each year.

Volunteering also runs deep in the Jewish tradition. The tradition of Tzdaka (charity), which emerged from the command to "love your neighbor as yourself," encourages all people to help each other in times of difficulty or crisis. Others come from abroad purely for the experience of living in Israel.

When asked why she chose to volunteer in Israel, Border answers with a smile. "For us Diaspora Jews, volunteering in Israel is not an option... it's a responsibility."

So how does one volunteer? There are countless organizations which you can contact. To help out the Israel Defense Force contact Sar-El. Here you can work in nursing homes or IDF.

To volunteer at WIZO Hadassim Youth Village go to their website. Here you can expect to work a 5-day week, at the emergency center, the school or with foster families. All accommodation and food is provided for on the premises. There are many friendly Shnat Sherut volunteers working all year round, so the social scene is always lively.

To volunteer at MDA go to their website. MDA has over 10,000 volunteers. The volunteers are active in providing medical treatment to patients as part of the ambulances teams. Food and accommodation is provided for a small cost; and by volunteering for MDA you will meet hundreds of young volunteers from around the globe.

There are hundreds of options when it comes to volunteering in Israel. For information regarding all volunteer opportunities in Israel, go to the National Council for Volunteering in Israel's Web site, ivolunteer: National service volunteer fights trafficking in women

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