PURELY COMMENTARY

10 | FEBRUARY 15 • 2024 J
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enough — unpack various 
donation boxes, sort the 
contents and then move them 
to a dedicated spot. 
As a clueless Canadian 
navigating my own way, when 
I arrived, I walked into the 
main part of the building and 
stumbled upon a memorial for 
the victims of the Nova Festival 
on the main floor. 
Day 4: After following up 
on some WhatsApp farming 
volunteer group posts, I 
confirmed my volunteer work 
with food rescue organization 
Leket (www.leket.org/en/) at 
an orange orchard in the south. 
Leket provided a chartered bus 
from various locations around 
the country to bring volunteers 
to help pick fruit. 
Prior to Oct. 7, there were 
tens of thousands of foreign 
workers working in Israeli 
agriculture. Since the attacks, 
most have left the country, 
leaving Israeli farmers with a 
massive shortage of workers. 
Regardless of how much 
money we donate to various 
causes, Israel still needs people 
to pick fruits, vegetables, tend 
to the animals, etc. 
Day 5: I volunteered at 

another farm in the south via 
Leket — this time, tomatoes. 
I noticed that aside from 
volunteers, there was only the 
owner of the farm, his teenage 
son and one Thai employee. 
I asked the owner how many 
employees were working on 
the farm before Oct. 7. His 
response was more than 30. 
Imagine being a business 
owner with over 30 employees, 
and one day, it suddenly drops 
to one without knowing when 
the rest would return — if they 
return. 
Day 6: What is rarely 
reported in North American 
media outlets is that tens if not 
hundreds of thousands of Israeli 
families living in the south 
near Gaza and in the north 
near Lebanon had to evacuate 
their homes. Many are staying 
in various hotels throughout 
the country. The WhatsApp 
group dedicated to volunteering 
with the displaced families had 
several opportunities, including 
entertaining children and the 
elderly, and helping parents who 
likely have someone in their 
family serving in the army. 
On my walk over to a hotel 
in Jerusalem, I purchased 

dozens of decks of cards as my 
plan was to play cards with the 
kids and show them how to 
build card castles, as activities 
like that remove the language 
barrier. 
At the hotel, I first sat in the 
lobby and listened to several 
adults tell me their stories from 
Oct 7. It was heartbreaking 
but important. Just listening to 
them helped remind them they 
are not alone, as there are many 
people in other countries who 
support them. 
One man with special needs 
told me he was pushing his 
mom in a wheelchair toward 
a synagogue in Sderot when 
they were suddenly stopped by 
other people who told them 
to immediately go home, lock 
their doors and windows, 
and wait in their safe room. 
The next day, they discovered 
terrorists had thrown grenades 
into the synagogue. Had they 
not encountered people to 
warn them, they likely would 
have been killed.
The day ended on a more 
uplifting note. As the kids 
arrived back at the hotel 
from school, I entertained 
them in the ballroom, which 
was designated as their play 
area. When asked why I was 

there, I responded, “To help. 
I also volunteered on farms, 
donated blood …” only to 
be interrupted by all of them 
shouting in unison in English, 
“Thank you!” 
The enthusiastic smiles on 
their faces would melt your 
heart like butter. Despite being 
kids, they are well aware of the 
situation all over the country in 
all industries. 
Day 7: I went to another 
orange orchard with an 
organization I found via 
the WhatsApp farming 
volunteer group. It is a tranquil 
experience to spend a day 
outside on a farm or orchard 
picking fruit/vegetables. 
Day 8: Tel Aviv — Hostage 
Square (outside the Museum of 
Art). The plaza in front of the 
museum is where people have 
placed various exhibits that 
are a constant reminder of the 
many people still held hostage 
in Gaza, including children and 
the elderly. 
For more information, to 
make a donation and for other 
ways to help, visit https://
stories.bringthemhomenow.
net. 
 

Rory Scherer is a resident of 

Toronto.

ABOVE AND TOP RIGHT: Hostage Square in Tel Aviv holds various 
exhibits about the remaining hostages.

Reminders of the hostages are seen all over.

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