Name: B. Haran, Freelance Writer, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Company: Volunteers for Israel, or Sar-El
Placement: Gap Year Work
Country: Isreal

INTERYEAR -'-STOP-OVER IN ISRAEL'

When I got back to Ireland I was met with universal gasps of: 'You went WHERE?' and 'You did WHAT? Okay, these days everybody goes to Australia, Thailand or even Vietnam but nobody goes to Israel and does a volunteer week or two.

There's nothing wrong with seeing the sights- especially on the cheap in Vietnam- but a week on an Israeli Defence Forces base shouldn't be missed. Not only do you get to meet and mix with more Israelis than ever you would at some beachfront café in Tel Aviv but the learning experience is well worth the work involved.

In Israel, the days of spending some holiday time at a Kibbutz are almost gone. These days the way to go - on the cheapand interesting - is via an organisation called Volunteers for Israel, or Sar-El. Their informative web page is at www.sar-el.org.

Their links and photos tell the story about what they do and how to apply. There are loads of photos of and from the volunteers. I went into a one-week programme although you can do longer stints - two or three week periods.

Most programmes begin on a Sunday morning and you're met at Tel Aviv Airport by the Sar-El co-ordinator, an Israeli-American, Pamela Lazarus. While you do have to pay your own way to Israel, all food and lodging are covered by Sar-El while you're on the base. Uniforms are provided but no guns are involved!

The morning I arrived saw about fifty volunteers gathering at the airport. A totally international group - but I was the only person from Ireland. After we were divided up into groups we set off in a bus to 'our base' just outside Tel Aviv. What a diverse group we were - aged from 17 to 72; men and women, Jewish and Christian; students, retired people, a surgeon, a psychologist, a total computer geek!

We worked from about 9:00 to 4:30 with tea breaks and snacks plus lunch in the base canteen. The work itself wasn't hard …mostly sorting and packing army uniforms and equipment in a big warehouse. The work changes from base to base. The Israeli soldiers were delighted to have the help.

There was a brilliant atmosphere and a lot of laughter mixed in with the work. Girls do military service in Israel too so there were 'G-I Janes' working with us. Israeli civilian volunteers also joined us from time to time. Our group leaders were young Israeli soldiers who were raised in English speaking countries. They had activities each evening for us on the base - boredom was never a factor!

Be sure to bring a camera, as there are lots of photo ops. Israel is a tourist's dreamland even if you're not religious…although obviously there are religious sites for Jews, Christians, Muslim and Baha'ai alike. Tel Aviv rocks and the beaches and mountains are gorgeous. Down south, Eilat is a paradise for divers. English is widely spoken.

Prices are quite moderate compared to Western Europe…certainly as compared to Ireland! Transport is remarkably cheap for train, bus, taxi or 'sherut' (shared taxi-minivans). Accommodation ranges from hostels to five star hotels. There's even a hotel in Tel Aviv that will give a nice discount to Sar-El volunteers. The Hotel Adiv in Tel Aviv, one block from the beach, charges only US$65 (about 45 Euros) per night, big buffet breakfast included- and the hotel is really first class.

Getting there is easy enough as most major airlines service Tel Aviv's new Ben Gurion Airport (TLV). Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and South African Airways plus El-Al the Israeli national airline. Fares can vary widely so be sure to cruise around the Internet and your local travel agents that offer student discounts. After you've volunteered with Sar-El you can get discounts on tours and museums/sites within Israel.

A good, comprehensive guidebook is essential. I used the Lonely Planet's and just skipped the parts about the Palestinian Territories for the purposes of my trip. There is so much to do and see. You'll need to come up with a Plan A, B and probably C. Israel is a small country so you can dart about quite easily between activities and sites. The hardest task is deciding what to do in a limited period of time! Too much on offer!

Sar-El has volunteer programmes once or twice per month all through the year. Check them out at www.sar-el.org, and then try www.lonelyplanet.com, www.goisrael.com, www.jpost.com or any of the hundreds of Israeli sites that even show beach web cams for the surfers out there! U-Tube also has many Israeli information, music and beach clips.

Enjoy and Shalom!

20 March 2008
B. Haran
Freelance Writer, Co. Kerry, Ireland

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