Rona's Blog of her time on the Sar-El Program
Day 1: Today we got to the base, and met our two madrihhot.
The
word translates roughly to leaders or guides; anyhow, they are soldiers who
speak very good
English, who will answer any questions we have, explain what we need to know,
assign us our work, and provide security for us when we leave the base together
as a group.
This is an "open base." That means the soldiers come in for duty
40 hours a week and commute from their homes. I'm kind of disappointed, as
this will mean less interaction with the soldiers, but on the other hand,
it means the accommodations are somewhat more comfortable and private. We
are
four to a room, in a building that feels kind of residential, rather than
in a barracks. Men and women are in separate buildings. I feel as if I'm
in a
crowded, basic college dorm, but anyhow, it's all nice and clean.
Day 2: I'm lucky: none of my roommates snores. I'm sharing
a room with three smart and funny women. They hail from New Zealand, Northern
Ireland, and Finland.
The rest of the women are from the U.S. and Canada. This morning we had breakfast
at 8:30, and it was a typical Israeli breakfast: platters of scrambled or boiled
eggs, bread, jam, a fabulous cuke, tomato
and onion salad, and yogurt. After that, we went to get our uniforms. Khaki
shirts,
pants, belts, sweaters, hats and warm jackets, and black army boots were
distributed. We were then instructed to trade between ourselves until we
ended up with suitable
sizes. We're a somewhat motley crew: almost everyone has sleeves a bit too
long, or pants a bit too loose, but we're all comfortable. Once dressed,
we were taken for a tour of the base. At various points where volunteers
were
needed, one or two or four people were dropped off. This base is a maintenance,
refurbishment and storage depot for combat vehicle parts for the entire northern
region of Israel. Materiel such as jeep engines, tank treads, tires, mysterious
small parts, and huge shock absorbers are sorted, inventoried, assessed,
cleaned, repainted, repaired, oiled, wrapped for long term storage, and so
on.
After dinner the base commander thanked us for coming, and explained that
the reserves are currently replacing soldiers who are assigned to the Gaza
disengagement
process. It's actually been several years that this particular base has gotten
no reserves to work, and volunteers really are needed.
Day 3: Today we began our daily routine. At 7:00a.m. we have to be in our uniforms at the flag pole, with all of the soldiers who've arrived at the base by then. I think that because this is a small open base it's more casual here than at a typical base. There's a serious looking bald guy who is in charge of discipline. One of the young soldiers had his shirt not tucked in and was not standing at attention. The discipline guy came up to him and kicked him with a serious look on his face, then the soldier just laughed at him and they both laughed as they kind of play tousled before the soldier fixed up his uniform and the flag raising went on. We have a brief meeting with the madrihhot, who make any announcements they have as well as give us a brief recap of the top news headlines. Since this base is far from any towns, we can't go out and buy one of the good English language newspapers available in Israel. I think these young girls do a better job of editing headlines than the editors of satellite news on CNN and BBC we can watch in the rec room after work.
We work for an hour before breakfast. Then, back to work for three
more hours, then lunch, then three more hours at the job. Lunch is the main
meal of the
day, after which we return to work for another three hours. Work at the
paint shop is quite fun.
There is economy to an impressive degree. Our rags at the warehouse are
pieces of uniforms which were stained or torn beyond repair. A volunteer
who had worked
previously at an army base which revamps medical supplies told me that
he had to review first aid kits, checking safety seals and expiry dates,
and
replacing
what needed to be replaced. Anything with an expiry date within a year
would be sent to hospitals where it would be used while it was still
good. He said
he came across bandages from 1943! As long as the items are still good,
nothing is thrown away.
After work, we get an hour and a half to relax before dinner. I like to take walks around the base and enjoy the spectacular views of the Galilee, the city of Safed and Lake Tiberias. Today is clear, and I could see all the way to the Syrian border, including the snowy peak of Mount Hermon. After dinner each evening, the education department of Sar-El has a lecture or interactive evening of some kind. This evening we all told a bit about ourselves. Of our English speaking group of 12 men and 8 women, less than half are U.S. and Canadian citizens. There are people from France, Scotland, England, Argentina, Holland and elsewhere, with a great variety of professions and pastimes. The youngest is a 17 year old from Mexico, and the oldest is a 76 year old man from Norway who is here to work for six weeks as his fifth Sar-El stint. I am one of a few who are doing this for the first time. I have yet to figure out what it is about getting up so early in the morning, working for no pay, eating mediocre food, and sharing a room with strangers is so addictive.
Day 4: I've been painting parts today. One of the women recounted that she had worked several years earlier at a base repairing headphones in radio helmets. There were many older ladies volunteering there since it's an easy sit-down job. One lady started kissing each helmet as it was done, wishing the soldier who would wear it a safe tour of duty. Everyone working that job did the same, so hundreds of helmets were kissed by Jewish grandmothers. I like the anecdote, because it makes the point that we (Israeli soldiers and foreign volunteers) are here out of love, out of the desire to protect life, not out of hatred nor from a desire to take land or reap revenge.
Day 5: The weekend starts this afternoon for us. As Sar-El
volunteers, we are entitled to use the soldiers' hostels around the country
for a small fee.
The Sar-El program
coordinators in Israel offer weekend tours as an option, for a reasonable
fee.
We're all sorry to learn that Johanna, one of the madrichot, is leaving:
she is such a cheerful dynamo. She's going to be in the south next week
on an Air
Force base with a group of volunteers from Peru. As I daydream about how
good the food will be and the sharp beige uniform I'll get to wear if on
my next Sar-El stint
if
I get
to work on an Air Force base, I realize that I may be turning into a newly
minted Sar-El addict, even if I still can't explain exactly why.
Week 2, day 2: I was transferred to a different warehouse today. The work here is less physical, and a bit dull: mostly inventory and putting bar code labels on packages of parts. But I really like it because the supervisor here is even nicer than the last guys, who were great. Zadok, my new boss, came from Iraq at age 10 in 1960, and later fought in the Six Day War. He is the absolutely the sweetest guy in the world. Because the work here is simple and methodical, this is where Israeli citizens who can't serve the army fully can make themselves helpful. Every other morning Zadok supervises groups of mentally handicapped draft age kids who do things slowly but with great attention to detail. They are clearly happy to be here, as a useful part of their society within the framework of the army just like everyone else their age. Two afternoons a week a group of senior citizens from former Soviet republics come in to work. They are recent immigrants who speak almost no Hebrew, but they also are proud to be able to contribute to the security and economy of their new nation. Zadok speaks only Hebrew and Arabic, but with the patience of Job, he gets everyone doing something to help get the jobs at hand done. During one of our lengthy coffee breaks, he showed me a huge envelope full of cards, letters and photos from volunteers around the world who had worked with him over the years.
Week 2, day 3: By now I've gotten to know more about my fellow volunteers. As a Jew who's been to Israel many times before, I am moved by the fact that the eight non Jewish volunteers are giving of themselves and share my feeling that Sar-El is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to Israel's existence. It is far more fulfilling to me as a supporter of Israel to donate time and effort, rather than buying an Israel bond or a certificate to plant trees. I'd bet that feeling of purpose explains why people spend their precious vacation time and buy airline tickets to Israel for this experience over and over again despite the basic living conditions and the possibility of being assigned seemingly mundane (yet essential) tasks.
Week 2, day 4: The weather's been gorgeous, so I asked if I might be able to do some gardening. So today and tomorrow I'm weeding, fertilizing and raking. Looks like they're pretty flexible about work assignments, which is good to know.
Wow! The time has flown. Looking back over my two weeks, although everything was done at a very relaxed pace, I realize that my group and I did a significant amount to support the IDF by getting the various jobs done and relieving trained soldiers and reserves to do what they were trained for.