Israel - A Back to Basics Visit
Karin Hirschkatz

I have been to Israel a number of times ... on a kibbutz, on a family bar mitzvah tour, and on a mother-daughter summer vacation trip. This time I was back as a volunteer on an army base-quite a different experience!

My husband, Neil Katz, and I made the trip this summer with Volunteers For Israel, a non-profit, non-political organization that connects Americans to Israel through hands-on, civilian volunteer work in hospitals, nursing homes, and on non-combat Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases. Neil and I lived on a medical base and worked in a warehouse inspecting and refurbishing medical supplies before packing them into large backpacks for medics in the field. Just after we left, we heard that an Israeli soldier was shot in Gaza and one of the backpacks we had packed with medical supplies was used to save his life. We knew we made a difference.

We worked with volunteers from France, Spain, Peru, Mexico, Canada, Russia, New Zealand and Australia. Our ages ranged from 17 to 80+; about 25 to 30 percent of the volunteers were not Jewish. Discussions about religion or politics were not allowed. We slept on cots in army barracks with six or seven to a room, ate army food, wore work fatigues, and worked side by side with soldiers, most of whom were college-aged.

Like many of you, we have helped Israel in the past by writing checks, signing petitions, attending rallies and purchasing Israeli products, all of which are important. This added a new dimension to our support. It was an amazing experience and we plan to do it again.