Jewish Journal Article...

So I was given a few questions to answer from a woman who wanted to publish a "menshe" article in the Florida Jewish Journal...It stressed me out a bit, sometimes it's hard to find the words, especially on delicate matters such as the war. I hope it all came out right...whaalaah..enjoy.

1) What is life like in Israel right now and are you affected by Gaza?

The recent war (Or shall I say “operation”) along with the past elections has naturally made it a fascinating time to be living in Israel. It was only a few months ago that I attended a seminar in Sderot, a city in southern Israel that is being hit by kassam rockets almost everyday. The very moment I got off the bus the alarm sounded, “T’seva Adom,” the warning that goes off when a kassam was fired into Israel from Gaza. I rushed to the nearest bomb shelter, with only 15 seconds to get there. Moments after, we walked out of our safe haven and carried on our afternoon as if nothing had ever happened. Since that day I often count fifteen seconds in my mind as I go about my everyday activities and I try to imagine the terror that these innocent people face each day.

I recall a conversation that I had with a friend that I had made while I was sitting in a pile of army uniforms at a base in the South of Israel outside of Beer Sheva. My fellow ‘OTZMAnakim’ and I were a part of Sar-El which is an opportunity to volunteer in the Israel Defense Force. Ironically enough, we did this volunteering within the very week that the Operation Cast Lead had begun in Gaza. This particular new friend was from the Kassam infested town of Sderot. Unable to understand how someone can wake up every day in a state of fear I asked him how he gets by living in a town that has been under attack consistently for the past eight years. He simply said to me, “You can either laugh or you can cry, you can live every moment in a state of panic or you can put it as far from your thoughts as humanly possible and just live”.

I think back to before I came to Israel and only knew of the situation here from what I saw on the news. Of course I thought it was heart-breaking but now that I have been here during all of the recent events I can put faces to theses real-life nightmares. I have friends, years younger than myself that one moment we were sitting having a Goldstar together at their favorite bar and the next moment they are on their way into Gaza. After six months of living here, I not only feel pain for my people, but I see the constant tragedies of the Middle East from every angle. All I can wonder is when will it all end and can’t we all just get along? If the world could just live by a few simple Beatle’s lyrics, “All we need is love.”

2) How would you describe Project Otzma and your volunteer work in Israel?

‘OTZMAnakim’ joke about how we have the Otzma description down to a science. We always get the same questions. “Why are you here, and what are you doing” seems to come up every day from interested and curious Israelis. I would describe Otzma as the most rewarding, self-fulfilling 10 month post-college experience. It is hard to step outside of the whirlwind while it is in full circle, but as I try to put this experience into words, all I can say is that I can feel the warmth in my heart each and every day for the work that I am currently doing here in Israel. The first three months in Israel was spent living in an Immigration Absorption Center in Be'er Sheva, another city in the South of Israel. I had the opportunity to get accustomed to a side of Israel that most tourists do not get the opportunity to see. Five mornings a week were spent studying in an intensive Hebrew learning class called Ulpan. My afternoons were occupied with volunteering with an organization called Almcha, an organization for Holocaust survivors. My time was spent visiting with an elderly woman named Tamar. She loved to make me tea and a plate of cookies while we kibitzed and she encouraged me to work on my Hebrew. Now that I am no longer living in Be’er Sheva we continue our connection through the phone and email but it was inspiring to see how just giving my time really made a difference to a single person.
I am currently living in the north of Israel in a town called Afula. Each morning I work in a classroom of eight children with Cerebral Palsy at the Yuvalim School. This school is the only school in the north of Israel for students with severe Cerebral Palsy. Two days a week I go from the Yuvalim School to the Hamifal, educational children’s homes. This is a beautiful community of homes that is similar to an orphanage house in America but I feel this name does not serve its justice. I spend time with the oldest group of boys and girls on two different days after they get back from school. The teens love to practice their English with me and they also get a kick out of teaching me Hebrew. I have built connections with each one of these children that come to this community to live away from their broken homes. One day a week I teach English informally to a group of high school students in a program called Atidim. Atidim is a program that gives educational and financial help to "the cream of the crop" students who are less advantaged before they leave for their army service.

4) What inspires you to volunteer?

As Ghandi said, "Be the change that you want to see in the world." A year ago while I was sitting in my home in Gainesville, Florida, I was at a crossroad in my life. I was tying up my graduate year as a Gator, and trying to decide what is next. To all graduates, this is the famous question at the fork in the road. I realized it was my time to really make the change that I was always was talking about. When I thought of where I could make the biggest impact, I thought about what in my life held the most meaning. To me my love of Israel inspired me to return, to give back to this place that has always held my heart. My love for Israel, and for my people, inspires me to want to continue giving back and educating others. At the end of the day I continue volunteering because it inspires me to know I made a difference in at least one life.

6) What is the most meaningful part of volunteering to you?

I must admit on the first day that I came to visit the Yuvalim School I could not fight back the tears as I bit my lip trying to keep my strength and composure in front of these children. I was not sure if I had the strength in me to do this volunteering each day but I knew in my heart I needed to try. Now, a month into my volunteering I could not be happier that I did not turn my back on these beautiful children. I have seen the impact I have made as my teacher has told me that when I am gone the kids look for me. She told me she hates the days that I am off because my ‘positive spirit’ makes a real difference each day in her classroom. This is simply the most meaningful part of the volunteering. When a young teen asks me, “Will you be my friend forever, will you be there for me” I look at her and tell her of course I will and I truly do mean it. Her response, “Ya, we’ll see, you live your life, once your gone I won’t hear from you”, a response that was way beyond her years. It is also a response that I know comes directly from the lack of love and stability that she has seen in her own life. The fact that this girl has began to depend on me and trust me as her ally, this is the reason I do what I do. This is what inspires me to want to volunteer and to continue what I am doing during my experience here in Israel. It is not just getting up and going to work every day that I find fulfilling but it is the emotional side of what I do. To see that each and every day, my presence means something to the individuals that I work with and to know I am impacting other’s lives, I truly feel rewarded and fulfilled.