JJ Packer Sar El volunteer transition to Joanne Packer RN MSN – Finale

As we head northwest from Jerusalem, we settle in for a “road trip” in earnest. The back of the bus was the place to be - lots of laughs and good tunes. Ami, our guide, provides service with a smile!










We are enroute to the Hadassah Youth Village in Neurim. A Youth Village (Kfar No’ar) was first developed in the 1930’s. Henrietta Szold used this model to provide a home for the children fleeing the Nazis. Called Youth Aliyah, they were a cross between a European boarding school and a kibbutz.

The Youth Village in Neurim is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, between Tel Aviv and Netanya. It screams: location, location, location with a beautiful sandy beach shoreline. This happens to be one of the largest villages in the country with about 200 boarding students and 250 day students in the 15 – 18 age range. The nurse at the village has a practice similar to that of a school nurse. The major difference is that she lives at the village and the children are knocking at her door 24/7!

Most of the children have behavioral and economic problems. More recently there has been an influx of Russian and Ethiopian immigrants. They need three basic things: food, shelter, and attention, with an emphasis on the latter.

Mendi Rabinovitz, the principal, is a dynamo administrator. Since many of the children come with skill and knowledge gaps, there is an obligatory curriculum with a focus on getting a diploma. Hadassah also funds many enrichment programs. Getting a diploma is a means to break the glass ceiling. Instilling confidence and developing emotional and social skills is an integral part of the academic program.



Mendi personally interviews each of the children and he always asks, ”What is your dream?” He describes the program at Neurim as having 3 major components: the first is dream trainers (set a goal); the second is life plan builder (for future based thinking) and the third is a planner of sexual behavior (when to say “no”). The success of this program in part is the teachers; he recruits the best! Every child must have a dream and life plan when they leave, as there is no safety net. Mandatory military service is a great equalizer for these young adults.

Although formal success is measured with matriculation to the university, Mendi looks at it through a different lens. Success is demonstrating good behavior, serving the country, having a passion to learn and making something of themselves.


Last year, Marlene Post, the former Hadassah president donated a new track to the village. With the influx of Ethiopian immigrants, the Village is currently training an Olympic hopeful in field and track. Stay tuned! Oh, yes…remember the group shots?

This Hadassah Mission is well planned! After leaving the village, we pull into what looked like an ordinary gas station, only to find that this is our lunch spot! The food was fabulous, but we really liked “nanna” – mint tea. Garnished with almost a plant of mint, it was another Kodak moment!








A former detention camp prisoner spoke with us at Attlit. This charming octogenarian woman recounted the experience at the camp. There certainly is a consistent theme amongst this age group – their lives were difficult; they overcame amazing losses and hardships; and they are full of spunk and vitality.




Our travels continued through Haifa with a tour of the city and shopping at the gift shops of one of the hotels. I took the opportunity to “take care of business”, as I was soon going to be traveling on my own.



Our final destination was Tsafet. This town's name is spelled so many different ways -- Tzefiya (in the Talmud), Safad, Zefat, Sefad -- it's easy to get confused and think they are entirely different places.

At almost 3000 feet of elevation in the mountains of the Upper Galilee, Tzfat is the highest town in the country and its proximity to the heavens may be a correlation to its being considered the center of Kabbalah. Its reputation as the center of mysticism shouldn’t discount that it is considered one of the holiest cities in Israel, along with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Hebron.

.
Initially settled by the Crusaders, the thriving Jewish settlement grew, declined and then survived Ottoman rule. The Ottomans made Tzfat their capital through the 16th century. Jews began to come in large numbers after they were expelled from Spain in 1492 (while Columbus was sailing the ocean blue). Safed did not become an important center of Jewish life until the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It is not mentioned in the Torah and was apparently not settled until Roman times. Among them were respected rabbis, spiritual leaders, and poets who gravitated to the center of revived Kabbalah study. It is most closely associated with Jewish mysticism, the kabbalah, whose foremost exponent, Rabbi Isaac Luria, lived and taught there.

The "bible" of the kabbalists, the Zohar, was written by the second-century talmudist Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who believed each word and line of the Torah had a higher meaning.


A Kabbalah rabbi gave us the basics: it is about reading between, behind, and all around the lines! Each letter and accent of every word in the holy books has a numerical value with special significance, which offers added meaning to the literal word.
















The town is a maze of cobblestone streets that lead to ancient synagogues. The doors of Tsafet present many Kodak moments! . Many of the doors of buildings in the city are painted blue to remind people of heaven.

In addition to the kabbalist, Safad also attracted numerous other Jewish scholars and spiritualists including Rabbi Yosef Caro. There is a very charming old synagogue, dating back to 1535 named after him. He authored the Shulchan Aruch, the code of law that remains the foundation of Jewish religious interpretation today. The synagogue was once Caro’s study hall. It was rebuilt in the mid-19thcentury after being destroyed in the earthquake of 1837. The Ark contains a Torah scroll that is at least 400 years old. The turquoise paint here, considered the ”color of heaven”, is believed to keep away the evil eye.





The next morning we toured the Chule Valley. I must say it was a refreshing departure from the hospital and historical sites. Driving around in golf carts, we were able to cover a lot of ground at the Agmon Hahula. This Nature Reserve contains the last vestige of wetlands preserved after the rest was drained in the 1950’s to create arable land. Over time, people realized that in addition to affecting the water quality in the Sea of Galilee, the project had destroyed the habitat for millions of birds migrating across the Hula Valley between Europe and Asia.





Pelicans, wild geese, storks, cranes, plovers, and raptors once again have a sanctuary. The attraction for them is the swampy waters that abound with carp, catfish, and perch. Our total count of bird sightings was twenty! In addition, there is a large reed habitat dense with thickets of papyrus.




Nearby is a reconstructed farmhouse-like-museum that was once owned by Russian immigrants who converted from Christianity to Judaism. As the story goes, in 1904 the Dubrovins came to the swamps of the Hula valley, persevered through many hardships, and began farming the land. This property was eventually donated to the Jewish National Fund and was first open to the public in 1986. The food was fabulous….I am still thinking about the smoked and grilled chicken and these little chocolate molten cakes whose centers were oozing halvah!......yummmmm

Rosh Pinah, for all of its small size and out of the way location, has played an important part in the resettlement of the Jewish people in Israel. This includes contesting the city of Petah Tikvah for the distinction of being the first settlement in modern Jewish history. The name Rosh Pinah means "cornerstone," which comes from Psalm 118: "The stone that the builder has rejected has become the headstone of the corner." Today it is a picturesque village that reflects late 19th and early 20th century Israel.



On our last day on the mission, we find our heroines, the nurses, investing in the economy in the galleries and shops of Tsafet – true Zionists are we! The road trip continued through one Jewish National Fund's forests on a very scenic narrow road. I actually thought that I might be able to find the trees that I planted during my days in Hebrew school (how silly was that idea?) We are heading west toward Nazareth for a stop at Tsipori.


The excavations at ancient Tsipori/Zippori/Sepphoris (multiple spellings are the norm) have proven to be one of the most exciting archaeological sites in the Galilee today. The modern dig, launched in the mid-1980s, has revealed the remains of a moderately sized city that served as the regional capital during Roman rule. Climbing to the summit of the acropolis, it is not hard to understand the strategic location of the city, overlooking the sweeping valley of Bet Netofa. In fact, it has been suggested that the town's name - Zippori - comes from the Hebrew word 'tsipor' (bird), because the spectacular view from the hill, which gives one the feeling of flying.



Much of what has been uncovered in the excavations attests to the very pluralistic quality of Zippori over the centuries, including a Roman theater, a Jewish residential quarter, ritual baths, churches and many, many mosaics.



The most celebrated find on the site was the mosaic floor of the roman villa thought to be the governor’s residence. Depicting a series of drinking scenes. The most stunning detail is the exquisite face of a woman, by far the “finest mosaic” ever found which has been dubbed “the Mona Lisa of the Galilee”.

The real significance for Jewish tradition were the rabbis who gave learned responses to real-life questions of civil and religious law, basing their judgments on the dos, don’ts, and between the lines principles of the of the torah. These rabbinic opinions were transmitted orally from generation to generation and like court decisions, became legal precedents and the heart of Jewish jurisprudence. Rabbi Yehuda summoned the greatest rabbis to Tsipori to pool their experiences and codify the so-called oral law. The result was the encyclopedic work called the Mishnah. Further commentary was added in later centuries to produce the Talmud, the primary guide to orthodox practice today.

Last stop before the airport is Tel Aviv. We encountered very heavy traffic as we wound our way to Menachim Begin Square. The streets were closed for a celebration that would culminate with the lights being turned off in a moment of energy conservation. A brief memorial service at the site of Menachim Begin’s death was a teary moment. A street musician played a mournful version of Hatikvah as we lit a candle and said a prayer.

Last stop was dinner at the Lelitt Restaurant. Another fabulous meal with lovely red wine and a nice story behind the scenes. The restaurant cooperates with the Elem Association for youth in difficulty. The teens work side by side with the staff and part of the proceeds are donated to the organization.
During dinner, the restaurant did turn off the lights and we finished eating by candlelight – a lovely ending to a great mission.

As the bus headed to the airport with my colleagues who were returning to the states, I hailed a cab for the next chapter in my great adventure….

JJ Packer Sar El volunteer transition to Joanne Packer RN MSN – Part 2

Before I introduce you Henrietta Szold, I want to mention another dynamic Hadassah woman. Last fall during the early planning stages for my sabbatical, I read an article in one of the freebie nursing magazines about Nancy Falchuk. She was the newly elected president of Hadassah International and she is a nurse. The article, which portrayed her as a dynamic leader, was in my sabbatical folder since then.

I love it when the stars align and good things happen. Just before leaving the country I received an email that we would be having High Tea with Nancy and the former president, Marlene Post (also a nurse). Needless to say, the article came with me to Israel.


Nancy Falchuk was as warm, charming, and a “people person” as one might expect of someone in her position. She was thrilled with the article, as she had never seen it in print! She spoke with us about Israel’s nursing shortage that is expected to worsen in the next decade. The first clinical master’s program has been established at Hadassah School of Nursing. There is only one nurse practitioner in the country; advanced practice nurses do not have the support of/or partnerships with their medical colleagues. Complicating the outlook to remedy this shortage are the Ministries of Health and Finance. These two cabinet posts set the “caps” on admissions to the school of nursing. Since they are not on the same page re: the dire prediction of the workforce, the limits have remained unchanged. Currently 1200 nurses graduate each year; 2000 nurses are needed. Nancy closed her comments by issuing a call to action to get involved and be proactive in facilitating change.

Henrietta Szold was, in many respects, a forerunner of Jewish women's liberation. When her mother died in 1916, she graciously refused the offer of a close male friend to say the Mourner’s Kaddish for her. She believed that women could and should perform the duty as the laws and customs never intended them not to considered as valuable or valid as when performed by the male sex!

Her most outstanding lifetime contribution was creating Hadassah Women, the largest Jewish organization in American history. Although a Zionist organization, Hadassah was involved in meeting the health care needs of both the Jews and Arabs in Palestine. Today, the renowned Hadassah Hospitals: Ein Kerem and Mt Scopus, continue in that tradition providing care to all. The Arab leadership initially (and unfortunately) rejected the early spirit of volunteerism and non-discrimination, as they feared that it would lessen the hatred between the Jews and the Arabs. In early 1948, just before the State of Israel was declared, Arab troops ambushed and murdered seventy-eight Jewish doctors and nurses from Hadassah Hospital.

During the 1930’s, Henrietta involved Hadassah in a program to rescue Jewish youth from Germany; she later expanded the program to Jewish children throughout Europe. The Youth Aliyah program is believed to have saved 22,000 children from the concentration camps. Henrietta was the “ima” (mother) to all of them; she never married and regretted never having a child of her own.

To this day Henrietta Szold is regarded as one of the genuine heroic figures of American-Jewish history. A scholarly woman and a passionately committed Jew, she was a tireless worker on behalf of her adopted country.



The history lesson is over for now. The Nurses’ Mission continued at the proverbial crack of dawn with a post–breakfast presentation by Judy Seigel Itzkovich, a columnist from the Jerusalem Post. Much to our surprise, she was a dynamic early morning speaker. At a point in her career at the Post, the editor decided to shake-up the staff and each of the writers had to pick a new topic to cover. Judith became the Science and Health writer (with no science background other than being 8 months pregnant). She has learned a lot about healthcare, science, and politics; ultimately proving her credibility as an ally to health care providers and an intrepid journalist. She re-iterated the “politics” of the nursing shortage in the hospitals with similar dire projections. She did tell me that school nurse positions were eliminated due to budget cuts and the services were now being provided through private contracts. The issue of school health services was in the news recently. An outbreak of measles necessitated immunizing a group of young children at school. Unfortunately, the children received the wrong dosing (nothing harmful), but the trauma of the injections was enough to make headlines.








On our way to the hospital, we stopped at the Mount of Olives to pay our respects to Henrietta. Greeting us was Abbed Sayad, the Arab caretaker. Abbed knew Henrietta, and for the past 63 years since her death, has cared for her plot according to her wishes. We each received a sprig of rosemary during the short graveside memorial service.



This was the day of dynamic speakers. At Hadassah Hospital – Mt Scopus, Anna Woloski-Wruble, a “nurse doctor” spoke with us about her faculty practice at Hadassah. Her specialty is sexual healthcare, focusing on quality of life and life satisfaction issues. She is an observant Jew, married to a rabbi, with a practical sensibility and a sense of humor. This is the perfect equation for her success in counseling/caring for the Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox woman whom she sees in her sexuality clinic.



There are many group pix along the way; I won’t bore you with too many! (but a couple in case Pennie, one of our leaders is reading the blog.)









We toured the new outpatient Center for Genetic and Chronic Diseases. It is a beautiful facility run by a physician director and nurse manager, who are the poster health care professionals for “teamwork”. They have rooms for cardiac testing, pulmonary testing, metabolic testing, and day treatments.






Barbara Sofer, also a columnist for the Post, brought Henrietta “to life” in her library at the hospital. We each had the opportunity to sit in Henrietta’s chair for a photo op. As far as I was concerned, they were HUGE shoes to jump into!

In our travels, we stopped at the memorial for the 78 doctors and nurses who died in the ambush by the Arabs. We said a prayer, read all of their names, and left a wreath from Hadassah.


Well after sunset, we found our nurse heroines touring the tunnels at the Western Wall and leaving prayers tucked in the cracks at the Wall. It was a very different experience being at the Wall at night, as I had previously been there in the heat of the noontime sun. The moonlit sky was lovely and the cool breeze was great.

Enough of this…..tomorrow we pack our bags and head north!

JJ Packer Sar El volunteer transition to Joanne Packer RN MSN – Part 1

The volunteer stint at Matzrap ended on a high note, with thank you cards from our bosses and many Kodak moments. The last evening was one of those: how well do you really know each other. I managed to stump the stars with my fundraising endeavors for the MS Society. We packed our bags; we cleaned the compound; we waited for the inspection; and we boarded the bus in record time! (I’d say less than 10 minutes)

Had a last night out with friends - great wine, food and lots of laughs! By noon the next day, I was at Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, awaiting the arrival of the bus with the nurses from the Hadassah Nurses’ Council Mission. Our tour guide at Independence Hall was a delightful Albanian woman who was informative and funny. Of course I was thinking about my friend Sue’s Albanian family. It never occurred to me that Jews would have emigrated from Albania to Israel.

Independence Hall was once the home of the first mayor: Meir Dizengoff. (Say that fast Mayor Meir Dizengoff!) It is also the place where Ben Gurion declared the independence of Israel on May 14, 1948. The museum’s Hall of Declaration remains unchanged today. The original microphones are on the tables as well as a portrait of Herzl, the Zionist leader. A visit to this museum will make you want to sing Hatikvah, which we did!

It all seemed like a great start with 23 perfect strangers; unfortunately, I was ill prepared for the pace we would keep going forward for the next 8 days!
Our welcome Shabbat night dinner was an inauspicious beginning for what ultimately was a fabulous mission. The speaker, who will go unnamed, droned on and on and on….I excused myself at 9:30pm - dessert and coffee had yet to be served. (For the last 3 weeks, supper was a dairy meal that lasted 45 minutes at the most!) I had a light bulb moment that I hadn’t planned for a necessary transition and it was unfolding before my very eyes! (The positive oy sign is never good and I was invoking it regularly.)

Shabbat morning found me back at Kol Haneshama; although Friday evening services were extraordinary, Saturday morning felt familiar. We did a walking tour of the old city: exploring the Christian Quarter, which I previously mentioned. Enroute to the quarter we walked though Mishkenot Sha’ananim. This was the first neighborhood outside the walls of Jerusalem, built by Sir Moses (Moshe) Montefiore in 1860 as a more benign alternative to the wretched conditions of the Jewish quarter at the time.


This was also the neighborhood where we had a picnic lunch on our outing from the army base. Sometimes it takes more than one visit for the history to register. Not so in this case because I was quite enamored with the windmill the first time we were there. I did learn the history of Montefiore’s Windmill.

Sir Moses Montefiore was a prominent financier in the mid-19th century; a rare phenomenon for a Jew at that time. Much of his life was spent financially aiding his fellow Jews in distress. In this endeavor, he visited Palestine, as this neighborhood was formerly known during the Ottoman Empire, seven times. In 1857, this limestone windmill was built to provide a source of income for his planned neighborhood of Mishkenot Sha’ananim. Unfortunately, the prevailing winds were inadequate and the new steam driven rivals prevailed. The restored carriage in which Montefiore traveled is on display nearby.

Our wake-up calls were scheduled for us and we were up and out on the bus at 7:30am for our introduction to the Hadassah Hospital at Ein Karem. This felt like a real nursing conference with speakers talking about the history of Hadassah, current practices and the future of breath health; public health issues of the Arab population, and plans for the future of the hospital (think capital campaign). Many of the faculty from the school of nursing joined us at lunch.
I spent half the day with a pediatric nurse in an intermediate surgical unit. (There are no school nurses in Israel at this time.) Staffing at the hospital was a bit frightening for me with a ratio of 1:8. The parents were certainly involved in the day to day; but it was busy.



I had the opportunity to feed a little Arab baby who was a few days post-op. His mom was not able to visit due to an infection and dad had taken some time off from the bedside. Hannah, the nurse in the unit, recounted that she had one of those wonderful teaching moments with this baby’s father when the other children and their families were at the hospital’s Purim party. It was an opportunity for her to teach him with privacy about caring for his newborn.
The Abbell Synagogue at the hospital is the home of the famous Chagall windows. We were invited to a ceremony honoring a nursing colleague that was held in the chapel.

It was a Kodak moment for Penn Nursing Alum:
Dr Nira Bartel, Dr Orly Rotem and me! The reception may have been a snoozer, but the tour of the windows was a great one. Here’s the story behind them.

Hadassah @ Ein Kerem is one of the leading general hospitals in the Middle East. It is also the teaching hospital for Hebrew University’s medical and dental schools. When the US-based Hadassah women’s organization approached Marc Chagall about designing windows for the new hospital, he was so delighted that he donated his time and work for the project. Inspired by the Bible, he created 12 bright windows in primary colors with Jewish and esoteric symbols and characteristically Chagallian beasts. The techniques of the glassmakers created a very thin pane, which gives an illusion of depth. During the War of Independence, the windows were damaged in a bombing of the hospital. Chagall repaired the windows at no cost; he did replace one of the holes with a small circle of clear glass as a reminder of the battle for independence. During our tour of the windows and synagogue, Claudia, our guide, made reference to Anita Diamant’s book: The Red Tent (which she told me she read in Spanish)!

Our day continued with a tour of the Emergency room and the new Maternal and Child Center.

Group pictures were a frequent request from Pennie Branden, one of our intrepid leaders. The lobby of the Maternal Child Health Center is a unique design.

The colorful neon on every floor is kid friendly, but in time of need, the lobby can be converted into a mass triage center with oxygen and suction apparatus available in the ceiling (with the removal of the panels.)

Our day finished at the home of a nursing faculty member. It was a lovely evening, with great food and wine. Red wine helps! I must admit that I’m still in search of a few good laughs! This group really needed to lighten up!

More to come about my new best friend Henrietta Szold….

Weekend Excursions and Field Trips (Just like Middle School)

Let me tell you something…when Thursday comes along and the bus arrives to take us off the base, we are very happy campers! The ride to the Central Bus Station is 30 – 45 minutes, depending on traffic. The congestion around Tel Aviv looks like rush hour in any major city! Central Bus Station is another story: dirty and very confusing. There are up escalators, but none going down. On each landing of the bizarrely designed stairs is a toilet. They are difficult to distinguish: men/women, but it rarely matters, as they are nothing you would want to go near: one’s olfactory senses are on high alert.

Jerusalem was one of the first stops. The monochromatic limestone has a pink glow in the sunset. There are quarries around the city and all of the buildings are required to be built with this “Jerusalem” stone. The Old City is divided (not evenly) into 4 quarters: Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian and. From my room at the Beit Shmuel, I had a bird’s eye view of the Jaffa Gate. From this access point, you wander through the maze of narrow Armenian streets in search of the Jewish Quarter.
The Armenians are very polite and persistent in their solicitation of your business.

The Cardo, a former market that was excavated, has been recreated as a relatively new shopping area with many galleries. A 6th century mosaic map of the old city has been preserved on the inner wall. Needless to say, we all invested in the Israeli economy. My most favorite travel pix are those of brides and grooms….here they are in the Jewish Quarter.

During the Nurses’ Mission, we toured the Christian Quarter and explored the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Given that it was holy week, I felt a little guilty competing with the Christians to see 4 of the 12 Stations of the Cross. The few non-Jews traveling with us gave us special dispensation! It was an amazing experience standing on the most hallowed ground of Christianity.

Set high on the hill overlooking central Jerusalem is Mount Herzl, named after Theodore Herzl, the man considered to be the founder of founder of modern Zionism. The steep slopes are a cemetery for many of the former presidents and prime ministers. It is also the largest military cemetery.

Yitzhak Rabin’s headstone is most striking. Reflective of the controversy and division during and after his career, the headstone is designed with a split in the middle: half is dark stone and half is light stone. It is now cordoned off with a rope and has 24 hour video surveillance due to past episodes of vandalism.

One of the newer areas is designated for the fallen soldiers of the 2nd Lebanon war. The markers are covered with memorabilia: epilates, pins, pictures, cigarette lighters and medals. One in particular caught my eye: a picture of a father and son at one of the Eagles football games and a Phillies batting hat. Michael Levin, a young man from the Philadelphia suburbs was killed in the war. I pieced together that he was first in Israel during high school; made aliyah in 2003 and died in the war in 2006.

Therapeutic black mud is readily available in the Dead Sea area. Application of the mud takes a variety of forms: random application to the entire body; specific application to joints (elbows, knees, or along the spinal column for example), or mud fights! Waiting for the mud to dry is determined by then finesse with which it is applied. Thick applications take forever to dry. This is followed with a hot sulfur shower, which quickly dissolves the body mask but is caustic in close proximity to one’s eyes and face.

The Dead Sea is no ordinary body of water! Lets start with the fact that it is a lake, not a sea; half of it lies in Jordan, and the other half in Israel. At more than 1300 ft below sea level, it is the lowest place in the world. Sand is nowhere to be found, which makes some type of foot wear a necessity. The sea bottom is very hard, white and with ridges that can slice through the deepest of calluses. The makeup of the water is about 23% salts: this facilitates floating, leaves your skin with a layer of oil when you emerge and makes you see stars if you have any cuts. Do NOT under any circumstances shave your legs – ouch!

The Mediterranean is bee-u-t-ful. A walk on the beach to feel the sand in my toes was the first activity after checking into the hotel one weekend. Tootsies in the water felt great! Tel Aviv or the Jersey shore - boardwalks and promenades are not much different.

Stay tuned for the highlights of Hadassah Nurses' Mission. It was a fabulous time seeing Israel through the eyes of a nurse. The drawback to the 4-star hotels is that WIFI is not included! Hence the delay in posting ...

The adventure continues....

Shabbat Shalom

Love from the Middle East,

Yehudit

Taking a Step Back - Sar El 101

I thought you might want to know a little about the volunteer program that has lured me to Israel. Volunteers for Israel (VFI) is a non-profit, non-political organization whose mission to American to Israel through hands-on, civilian volunteer work in hospitals, nursing homes and on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases.

The program began in 1982 in response to a manpower shortage caused by the first war in Lebanon. General Aharon Davidi sent emissaries to the United States and other countries to enlist volunteers to harvest crops and help maintain the economy while thousands of Israelis were serving in the army. More than 600 volunteers responded to this call for help.

Those initial volunteers were so enthusiastic about this opportunity that they asked General Davidi to continue the program after the crisis ended. Since its inception, more then 100,000 volunteers from more than 36 different countries have served. In Israel, the project is known as Sar-El (which unfortunately doesn’t create the an acronym in the transliteration of Sherut L’Israel), the National Project for Volunteers for Israel.

The Matzrap Army Base is a base within the Tel Hashomer Base, located in the greater Tel Aviv area. As I mentioned in a previous posting, this is a medical supply base where we package and re-package medical supplies for combat. We work and eat with the soldiers on the base.

Our volunteer group is twenty-one strong, representing four countries: USA, Canada, Holland, and Australia. The United States is represented by 9 states: PA, FL, VA, NJ, CA, TX, WA, NV, and OH (in no order). The age range is 42 to 83. There are 2 couples, one of which is traveling with their niece. A motley crew at best; but we do have fun!

The schedule is set:
7:10 - breakfast
7:45 – Flag raising with the other soldiers on the base
8:00 - 11:30 - Work
12:00 – Lunch
13:30 – 16:00 - Work
19:30 – Evening Activity (Mandatory!)

There is very little down time to care of the necessities: cleaning our barracks (toilets and showers) and doing wash. I figured out that if I wait long enough, the uniform will walk right over for me to get dressed in the morning….sad, but true.

Evening activities have fallen into three categories: interesting, snoozers and a combination of the two. I am proud to report that mine are “eyes wide open”.

One of my favorite speakers was an author Zipporah Porath: Letters from Jerusalem 1947-1948. Zippy, as she is known, went to Israel to study in 1946. She unintentially was caught up in the war and went on to found Young Judea. She wrote weekly letters to her parents. Many of these letters were bundled and made their way "home", through her contacts in the military and underground. After the death of her mother, whom she described as a "pack rat", she found every letter she had written in a file. With the encouragement of her family, friends and a persistent stranger (who was doing research and wanted to study her letters)who contacted her via the internet, she eventually retyped the letters into the computer and found a publisher.

She is a delightful, feisty woman at ~86 years young who is still fighting for Israel after 60 years. Zippy and I are pictured below with a signed copy of her book.

General Davidi came and spoke with us last week (busy week huh?). His topic was Extreme Islam. It can be summarized very easily: it's a very complex situation that has no easy answers. I was hoping he would speak about "aliyah" (immigrating to Israel), but the majority vote was for the former. (Pictured below as well)

Enough for this week....I stuggle with the blog every time I try post it, so I hope this all works!
I love reading your comments and getting emails, so keep them coming and I'll do my best as well.

In Tel Aviv this weekend, in search of a few more laughs.

Love to all....Shabbat Shalom
Yehudis (my hebrew name)

ps - the picks on top are titled (T to B) - PITT Still Life; KP Duty - (There is no soda fountain on the base.); Laundry Day (Where is Hank when you need him?);

Yes, There is a God, I am in Israel

Greetings from the Motherland!

These blogs are not being posted as often as I would like, as there is no internet services on the army base. Today I have snagged some wireless connection at the hostel: Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem.

The rudest awakening was logging onto Google and seeing Hebrew; was this sweet revenge for tapping into the wi-fi of an Israeli organization? 45 minutes later and with the assistance of a perfect stranger,I was able to locate the English button!

I arrived a week ago and was assigned to the Matzrap Army Base, which is located just outside of Tel Aviv. Remember Girl Scout camp? Well, this is not quite as luxurious! The room in the barracks that I share with four other women is basic at best:the mattress is 3" thick, the sheets are so narrow that they don't tuck in and the blankets are scratchy.Where is my 300 thread comforter cover? This is the first time in my life that I have slept with earplugs. Talk about snoring - it is not as melodious as the Colorado Quintet!

The morning after we arrived, outfitted in my very old uniform, we were told that the Brigadeer General of the Army, who is also the Surgeon General, would be inspecting the base. This entailed two full days cleaning the base in preparation for his visit! Picking up cigarette butts was the most disgusting...enough said. This base is the only medical supply base in the country. I like being on a base that prepares "helping" items,knowing that the soldiers will have what they need. We prepare and pack medical supplies for the soldiers.

We worked our first week and have landed in Jerusalem for the weekend. The evening of our arrival,there was a shooting at one of the Yeshivas. Six young men were gunned down by a single shooter who was then killer by one students, who is also a soldier. The most amazing thing is how young the soldiers are. The funerals are scheduled for this morning.

Off to explore the city, just want you to know that I am safe and enjoying the adventure!