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My
Sar El Adventure began on May 20, 2005, when I flew to Israel, from the
USA, for the 4th
time. All of my previous trips to Israel had been on organized tours,
which are really a great way to be introduced to this wonderful country,
but this time, I wanted to contribute something to help the nation and
people of Israel; my labor and sweat. I am not Jewish, but I hold a
reverent interest, a fascination really, in Israel, because Israel is
the backdrop of Torah, and other scriptures. Without those faithful
scribes stubbornly and accurately copying the scriptures, I would not
know anything about the wonderful stories of the faithful, like, King
David, Joshua, Abraham and Moses. Or about the God, that is
revealed in the Torah. To visit the locations told about in the
scriptures, is an amazing thing. Anybody can read about the Dead Sea
Scrolls, but think about actually seeing the place that they were
discovered, or actually look at the rolled out scroll of Isaiah, that is
over 2,000 years old, fantastic!
I worked on two
different bases, one a general supply base in the north, and another,
which was a small medical supply base not far from Tel Aviv. I was
fortunate enough to be on my Sar El tour during Israeli Independence
day, and time was taken at the base to commemorate the event with a
traditional toast to the fallen soldiers of Israel. In addition, we had
an “eternal flame” at the base for a couple of days that was guarded
around the clock. The volunteers were allowed to participate in the
guarding of the flame, along with the regular soldiers. I considered
guarding the flame to be a special honor for sure, and one that I will
not forget. The work was exactly as advertised, menial, but while
menial, there was a good variety of different tasks to
accomplish, and, because there were many helping hands, we
accomplished a lot. Because we felt that we were accomplishing
something, we knew that our efforts were valuable.
The
regular soldiers made us feel welcome, and seemed at times, to
be somewhat amazed that folks from all over the world would come
to help them; they oftentimes showed their appreciation. Each
evening, we had a lecture by our Madrichot or sometimes, by a
special guest speaker. The lectures or demonstrations were
usually interesting, and most often fun. I went on about 3
Sar El field trips. We had a special guide that went with us as
we toured different places in Israel such as, Jerusalem, Safad,
and Zikhron Ya’aqov. One weekend, I went on one of the special
tours arranged by Pam, the Sar El coordinator. I had such a
wonderful time on this extra tour meeting people from other Sar
El bases, and seeing several places in Israel that I had never
been to before. The “extra tour” was definitely worth the
additional money. |
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One
the weekends, a bus or shared cab, would take us to either Haifa
Rail station, or the Tel Aviv bus station. From there it was
really no problem in getting around. The Madrichot are
especially good at helping with transportation, and the booking
of accommodations. It is not that they are holding your hand
during the weekends, but they make arrangements, and are usually
available if you need to call them. Oftentimes, people team up
with fellow volunteers to explore during the weekends. The train
system is a great way to get around, but sometimes on the
weekends, they are crowded with soldiers who are either going
home or back to duty. One time on the train, I was standing,
surrounded by soldiers, in the area between cars. A young
soldier named, Mia, spoke good English, and I enjoyed talking to
her, she helped me figure out where I needed to go. We
eventually found some seats toward the front of the train, and
continued our conversation. I stayed at the Sar El Hostel,
Bet Odet, a few times and while it is certainly not plush, it is
kept clean, and it is located in a wonderful location, if
one is on foot. What was going to happen to me during the
weekends, was probably the thing that I was concerned about the
most before the trip. It was kind of a gray area to me. Sure,
there were times when I needed to ask for help, but, for the
most part, weekends were more of an adventure than a problem.
I could go on and on an
on, particularly about my weekend activities, but, I think you probably
get the idea. I would put my Sar El experience as one of the very best
adventures I have experienced, and I have had a few. I plan on serving
Israel through Sar El again sometime in the future. |
