At the start of the current Gaza war, the world was shocked by the horrors of Oct. 7 but also surprised by the wave of volunteerism that swept through Israel.
Almost everyone who wasn’t called up for IDF reserve duty took part in Israel’s war effort in other ways—volunteering in agriculture, cooking for soldiers, assisting evacuees from the north and the south, and more.
As the wife of a reservist myself, I experienced the same assistance; my neighbors cooked for my children and me almost daily, and teenagers offered free babysitting. This spirit of volunteerism not only helped those in need, it also invigorated the nation and made us feel part of a large and indomitable human fabric.
Members of Jewish communities from almost every corner of the world joined these citizens. Working for Masa Israel Journey, I was amazed to see the extent of the solidarity. These volunteers came from all over the world and volunteered wherever needed. Their very arrival in Israel is inspiring and admirable, as it’s not taken for granted that people would willingly land in a country in the midst of a cruel war, filled with a genuine sense of mission.
As nine months have passed, the extent of volunteerism in Israeli society has decreased. It should come as no surprise—people are frustrated by the ongoing war and need to return to their daily routines even if they don’t want to. In a country like ours, there is not much time to lament the situation we’ve fallen into—work calls, mortgage payments, children, bills and grocery shopping. People also need some time to relax.
Many citizens still volunteer and give of themselves, which is commendable, but the scale has naturally decreased.
However, there is a phenomenon that has not only not diminished but has grown stronger: the young generation of volunteers from the Diaspora communities is still here. This was also a significant story at the beginning of the war, with the news frequently broadcasting the arrival of volunteers from around the world who came to express support for Israel in the most direct way possible.
Over time, the news shifted to other topics, and when they spoke about the Jewish world outside of Israel, they focused more on the rising antisemitism, the constant fear people live in, and the violent demonstrations on campuses. These are also important issues, and the Israeli public should know that Jews around the world are experiencing a very complex period, perhaps the most complex since the 1940s.
But this should not distract us from looking at the positive and optimistic aspects. I stand in awe of the groups that continue to arrive in Israel, people who go straight from Ben-Gurion Airport to a farmer’s field or evacuation hotels to help. So many people still need this assistance.
At the beginning of the war, we at Masa received thousands of requests from young adults from all around the world begging us to allow them to come to Israel to volunteer. Not just to study, not just to intern at a glittering high-tech company that would give them an important line on their résumés. To volunteer.
In December, we launched a unique program, unprecedented in the history of Masa, which is used to running long-term programs ranging from a few months to a year in length. The six-week program’s sole purpose is for participants to volunteer for Israeli society and learn about it. Alongside intensive volunteer work, the fellows receive content related to leadership, get to know Israeli society, tour the south to see up close the disaster that occurred nine months ago, and even receive training at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to gain tools to deal with antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment they are likely to encounter.
We might have expected that as the war drags on and evolves, members of Diaspora communities would continue with their lives, support from afar, donate money and hold support rallies in their countries. In any case, they would come here less. But we keep opening groups.
Just this month, we at Masa received a group of about 200 teenagers from North America, campers in the Ramah movement, who came to volunteer and tour Israel for six weeks.
“I learned about Israel in Hebrew school, but I had never been here until now,” said Rachel Fader, a teenager from Long Island who is volunteering in Israel through the program. “Israel wasn’t a big part of my life, but since October 7, I’ve researched and learned, and Israel has become much more significant to me.”
The parents of the teens in the group also landed in Israel for a solidarity mission, and are spending some of the time with their children, sending a clear message to the world about what they want their children to learn and apply in their lives.
At the same time, other groups of volunteers in Magen David Adom have also started. This group includes fellows from North America and Europe, most of whom have a background in emergency medicine. One group is based in Beersheva and another in Haifa, joining shifts in ambulances, and treating injured people in routine and emergency situations.
One of the volunteers, Hattie from London, is studying to be a paramedic in her country. She decided to use her summer vacation to come to Israel and volunteer, and what better way to volunteer than in her future profession?
“I wanted to act actively for what I believe in,” she told me.
We spoke following an event where she was called with the ambulance to assist a woman in labor, delivered the baby with her colleagues from MDA at the woman’s home, and then accompanied her to the hospital in the ambulance.
“I’m in the emergency medicine field, but this was the first time I got to deliver a baby. It was amazing. I spoke to her all the time in my basic Hebrew and tried to calm her down. I don’t think she understood much of my words, but she understood the body language, the calmness I tried to convey to her. This just proves to me how similar we are, and in the end, it’s all about body language. I’m excited to have come and done this.”
Hattie told me she wasn’t afraid to come to Israel, and her family supported her. I got chills hearing her talk so passionately about Israel and the volunteering she’s doing.
Another group operating here is in collaboration with Masa and StandWithUs. The latter organization represents Israel worldwide and works to combat antisemitism and support Israel. Members of the organization came for a volunteer program and also to meet the country they represent globally. To see and feel it firsthand in a way no tourist experience can provide.
These groups operate alongside the original volunteer program, which continues to attract young Jews from all over the world, as well as older participants up to age 50.
For anyone who thought Israel’s connection with the Diaspora had weakened or that the youth were losing interest in Israel, I suggest thinking again. The young Jewish world is fully committed to Israel, more than we could have imagined. When I talk to the fellows and ask them why? Why come to Israel, why now? many of them say they feel that helping from afar is not enough; some have “survivor’s guilt” (which is, in my opinion, unjustified, but it is a subjective feeling).
But whatever the reason, the bottom line is they are here, and their presence not only helps the farmer for whom they are picking apples. It helps them feel more connected, it helps us, the Israelis, get to know our brothers and sisters from the Diaspora up close. It helps build a more meaningful and stronger future for the Jewish people, in which we are truly one people, not as a slogan, but as a way of life.
The more I talk to these enthusiastic young people (who have already moved me to tears of excitement more than once or twice), the more I am convinced that the Jewish people, wherever they are, are invincible.
Tal Bar-on Morali is an employee of Masa Israel Journey.