10 | DECEMBER 21 • 2023 J
N

PURELY COMMENTARY

T

he sheer horror of Oct. 
7, its scope, unimag-
inable barbarity and 
emotional devastation wrought 
grief and anger. It was so much 
more than per-
sonal. It was a 
riveting awaken-
ing from a long, 
self-imposed fic-
tion that we Jews 
were accepted in 
this world as part 
of it. 
Immediately 
following, donating money, 
participating in rallies, petition-
ing, sharing grief and mourn-
ing, even praying didn’t seem 
enough. Immersing myself in 
news only heightened my sense 
of futility. Faith and hope were 
markedly waning while frustra-
tion, rage and darker thoughts 
grew. I had to be there. Not that 
it would make a difference in 
the grand scheme of things, but 
I needed to look Israelis in the 
eyes, breath the same air and 
stand together in that place of 
our mutual destiny. 
The words of Abraham 
seemed prophetic as he 
answered God, “Here I am.
” 
Volunteers for Israel, and their 
partner, Sar-El in Israel, was my 
connection to apply and become 
a civilian volunteer to perform 
whatever functions were needed 
in Israel. At 78, I was fortunate 
to be in good enough health 
and was approved after a 
background check and doctor 
recommendation. 
That was the easy part. The 
hard part was explaining my 
decision to my loving wife, 
sons, family and friends. To a 
person, they expressed deep 

concern and worry for my 
safety and circumstance. So 
much pressure, all with the 
best intentions. No doubt, 
leaving for Israel in a war can 
be frightening with unknown 
results. So is everyday life if you 
think of it. 
On Nov. 8, I left Detroit to 
Tel Aviv via New York. It was 
a Thursday. El Al Airlines 
would fly me as the only airline 
servicing Israel from the U.S. 
That New York City segment 
was so impactful. Going 
through the El Al terminal, I 
found myself among hundreds 
of Orthodox Jews heading 
home to Israel before Shabbos. 
It was packed with families, 
most having three to five 
children accompanying their 
parents. A sea of black and 
white coats, fur hats, kippahs, 
fringes, long skirts and head 
coverings. Young children toting 
little roller suitcases, backpacks, 

and a myriad of electronics, 
books and stuffed animals. 
Not a spoken or demonstrated 
fear. It shouted to my mind in 
silence, “We are all going home.
” 
From that moment, I knew with 
certainty that this volunteer 
experience would be amazing. 
Sunday, Nov. 11, was the 
day to meet, check in with Sar-
El and get assigned to a base 
to begin my two-week duty. 
About 200 volunteers from all 
over the world were there as 
well — from France, Canada, 
Germany, Brazil, Argentina, 
Italy, England, South Africa and 
the United States. Israelis came, 
too. Assignments were given, 
dispatching some south to be 
housed in Bedouin villages 
and commute to a base for 
food distribution. Others for 
agricultural duties necessary 
to harvest or plant crops 
that represent a third of the 
economy. 

A DAY ON THE BASE
My group of 30 went to Tel 
Hashomer for medical supply 
distribution. Sar-El volunteers 
are part of the Israel Defense 
Forces, housed at bases, 
given uniforms with work 
assignments and supervised by 
Israeli soldiers who are part of 
the unit. The daily schedule was 
breakfast at 7 a.m., flag raising a 
8 a.m., work from 8:15 to noon. 
Then came lunch, followed 
by more work from 1-6 p.m. 
Dinner was at 6, followed by 
a group activity, education, 
demonstrations and mingling 
at 7. 
The work environment was 
comfortable. The base had 
several large warehouses with 
dozens of smaller “assembly” 
sections. These were air-condi-
tioned and served as each team’s 
unit where “missions” (the work 
to be processed) were assigned 
daily under the direction of 

Alan Vosko

guest column
Being There — One Volunteer’s 
Experience Assisting in Israel

Alan Vosko working to distribute medical supplies at Tel Hashomer