Give Us Your Shoulders

Pamela Andrews
Woodland, WA
July 14, 2003
The  beautiful and popular Hebrew song, “ISRAEL HAYAFAH” (Beautiful
Israel) says,  “In this land, everyone is a soldier, Give us your shoulder and pick up the glove (the challenge.) ”Ba'aretz hazot sheba kol adam chayal Hateh lanu shechem, harem hakfafa"

It is true-- Israel is a nation of citizen soldiers. Men and women complete three years of full-time military service after which men become reservists serving one month a year and as needed until age 45. In a country of only six million, it is an enormous drain on the economy each time a reservist is called up from the private sector to serve in the Army. At the beginning of Israel's military operation into the "West Bank", 20,000 reservists were called up. In the U.S., that is the equivalent of almost 1,100,000.  Sar-El volunteers help reduce the number of reservists called from the civilian economy saving Israel millions of shekels.

Though not Jewish, I have an irrepressible love for the land and people of Israel.  After three trips there, daily reading of difficult news in the country, sending pizza to soldiers and writing letters to the President, I wanted to do something with more direct involvement.  A search of the internet for volunteer opportunities quickly led me to Sar-El, an opportunity which seemed too good to be true.  Upon completing the application process with the excellent help and input of my NW regional representative, Josef Herz, I purchased my plane ticket and stepped off an El Al jet into Ben Gurion airport, beginning one of the most tremendous experiences of my life.

I was soon riding in a van toward a Home Front Command Base with an IDF soldier of whom, on other trips, I could only have taken pictures from a distance. By the next day, I too, was wearing an olive green uniform with the honorable insignia of the IDF. As the song says, “Hoshet et hayad le'anshei hazayit”, (Reach out your hand to the olive men) with olive not only being the color, but a reminder of the olive branch of peace, appropriate since the IDF is truly a defense force which is essential to the protection and survival of the country and operates humanely with consideration far beyond most other armies of the world.

I had many unique and enjoyable experiences during my time in Israel including meeting co-workers from around the world, a weekend of being warmly welcomed into an Israeli family, trips led by madrichot (IDF leaders), swimming in the Mediterranean, and Shavuot in Jerusalem. I did not have one moment of fear. There is great satisfaction in being part of a group that reduces the number of Army reservists who need to be called and saves Israel many, many shekels each year. It is a remarkably strong experience as a Sar-El volunteer to be welcomed behind the scenes in Israel, dressed in a uniform and trusted with an opportunity to support and contribute.

It was hard to leave, and I am already planning my next trip in 2004. May the message be spread: there is a place for everyone who will… “Give us your shoulder and pick up the glove” for Israel HaYafa.