Travel David Klein Gallery presents Fernando Botero NO-STAR HOTEL How to spend three weeks in Israel in a rewarding, non-vacation environment. Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Saturday, September 8 — October 20, 2001 Opening Saturday, September 8 1-4 pm Preview the exhibition at dkgallery.com 163 TOWNSEND BIRMINGHAM MI 48009 TELEPHONE 248.433.3700 FAX 248.433.3702 HOURS: MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 11 - 5:30 David Loeffler, kneeling at left, joins fellow volunteers in front of two Israeli armored personnel carriers. DAVID LOEFFLER Special to the Jewish News I heard a loud rumble as I walked along the dirt track, and I looked up. "Want a ride?" the driver asked. I hopped in, pulled on a helmet, and off we went. I was riding in an Israeli armored personnel carrier. Our group of 10 volunteers was working for 2 1 /2 weeks in Sar El, or Volunteers for Israel program. Stationed at an army base near Tel Aviv, we were from the United States, South Africa and Ireland. The program was started in 1982 to supply civilian volunteers to assist the Israeli army in non-combat-related jobs, reducing the number of individ- uals called up for miluim (army reserve duty). Volunteers are sent to army bases (and a few air force bases) throughout Israel, where they share living quarters, meals, and work assignments with the soldiers Our base was a small one, intended for overhauling armored personnel carriers. Teams of regular army sol- diers worked on the APCs with reservists. My team included Yossi, a reservist from Ramie, as well as Nir and Danny 19-year-old soldiers. We removed the motor (made in Detroit) and the transmission, cleaned them and the APC, replaced gaskets, fan belts, oil, water and anything else that looked the worse for wear, then put the APC back together again. Following a trip to another work area, a test drive and some welding, it went back to the field. I would love to say what a tremen- dous contribution I made, but I dis- covered some interesting things about myself: • I was in decent physical condition for a 50-year-old man with a desk job, but in pretty bad condition com- pared to the average 18-year-old. It took me twice as long to climb up and down the APCs as it did for the other team members. IF • YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR FITNESS •• Let us help you be the best you can be - with 1 on 1 training at our club. A patient friendly program designed just for you to help you reach your realistic fitness goals. Change your life by changing your lifestyle. Muscle theraPy and nutritional donsulting available. Call us today for - a FREE consultation. •Nutritional Counseling • Muscle/Massage PETER , _ NIELSEN'S Therapy Personal Trainin I Club 4119 Orchard Lake Rd. (at Pontiac TO West Bloomfield Visit our Website www.peternielsen.com ( • Children's Fitness Programs • Free Consultation 248) 855-0345 en Siver • Though I am a graduate veterinari- an, this was of limited value inside of an APC. • Though my conversational Hebrew is pretty good from having lived in Israel for several years, I knew none of the relevant words for the work involved (bolt, nut, screw, wrench, pliers). These three factors resulted in our team being somewhat less effi- cient when I helped than when I did not. Our group included three students completing their senior year of high school, a sophomore from the University of Florida, a 37-year-old policeman from Dublin, Ireland, a retired fellow from Miami, and three retirees from New York. Bert, a retired locksmith from Scarsdale, Harry, an INTERNATIONAL P IQU CHA ON •TV Celebrity Anchor for Southfield City Council Community Activist, Volunteer, Historian, Committed Resident, Good Neighbor. VOTE SEPT. I i th To Maintain Southfield's Quality of Life Paid for by the Committee to Elect Ken Siver • 17255 Dorset DETROIT JEWISH NEWS ■ Southfield, MI • 48075 IFIRuDAYS A INTERNATIONAL NEWS PLUS 372 Oullette Avenue • Windsor, Canada 8/24 2001 101 ..•-••, •