When I signed up with Sar-El for this volunteer program, the country was relatively quiet. The missiles continued to hit some of the smaller communities near Gaza on a regular basis, but it was a one-sided assault. Soon after purchasing my tickets, Operation Cast Iron, as the “event” in Gaza was called, was in full swing. (It has never been called a war.) I never thought twice about changing my plans. I knew that the army bases would welcome volunteers with open arms, as the need was more critical. I convinced my friend Patsy, whom I met at Matzrap last year, to sign up with me.
Volunteers-for-Israel (the American organization supporting Sar-El) sent out an urgent email in search of volunteers. And volunteers they got! During the winter months of January and February, Sar-El usually has 4-5 bases where volunteers are working; currently the 12 bases where volunteers are assigned.
We were to meet at the Arrivals Hall at Tel Aviv Airport for our assignments. The meeting times were staggered depending on the base to which you were assigned. After checking in and getting a little tag identifying the assigned base, we waited for the bus. We would be heading south to the Negev – to Sde Teiman, a base that is just outside of Beer Sheva.
The bus ride was delayed, but uneventful. I’m not sure that I was prepared for what I saw! I had been told that Matzrap, the medical supply base where I was last year, was considered the Hilton of army bases. I now know that it was really the Four Seasons. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite meet all the standards of a Motel 6.
It did have a view, looking southeast to Beer Sheva. However, the facilities are a work in progress!
The barracks across from ours remind me of an entire block of row houses in utter disrepair; if you focus of the view to Beer Sheva, it is easier on the eye.
Three of us are sharing a room. The toilet and shower are about 2 “city” blocks away. There is however, a fire hose faucet that is just outside the barracks (brushing teeth under the stars comes to mind). Ah yes, let me get back to the room: the cot that I slept on the first night reminded me of a snowboarding “half-pipe”, and I was virtually crippled in the morning! We tied twine across the room so we would have a place to hang our towels and hammered a few nails in the walls for a variety of other items. Our clothes remain in our suitcases as there is nowhere else to keep them.
Let me digress a moment to the bathrooms. The initial tour left us speechless, and a bit outraged. The female soldiers (think teenage daughter) had not cleaned the toilets in quite some time!
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Yes, there are two showers, but look closely, only one shower head. We didn’t know, at the time, that this would be a foreshadowing of sharing facilities on the base. They have since been nicknamed the “Mean Girls”.
We received our uniforms. The process has not changed. The Madrichot, our fearless leader, hold up a pair pants and if it reaches around your neck, it should fit! The uniforms themselves have not changed – still quite fashionable. A little more “warehouse shopping” (absolutely NOT Costco) included large packs of toilet paper (24’s), a bucket, soap, broom and mogave (long handled squeegee), which is my favorite!
Sde Teiman is a logistics base that supports the troops in the south. There are 2 others: one for the north and one for the east. Since the increase in the activity in Gaza, the population on the base was swelled 10 fold. Usually there are 120 soldiers assigned and currently there are 1500. You get the feel that the base is an active one. Training goes on 24/7 with night maneuvers most evenings. There are trucks of all shapes and sizes.Our jobs entail sorting and repacking supplies for the soldiers in combat. This is just a snapshot of the base, more to come!
And the adventure continues…
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