L
ike many Jewish
Americans, Steve Linder
experienced anguish in
the wake of Oct. 7, helpless-
ness over the Hamas massacre
and outbreak of Jew hatred in
the U.S., such as that of a pro-
Hamas encampment he visited
on the campus of Michigan
State, his alma mater.
He protested to MSU offi-
cials, complaining that dem-
onstrators were shouting “gas
the Jews” and calling for geno-
cide.
He judged the reactions of
university administrations
dilatory, even spineless. How
might an individual, a Jew and
a Spartan, confront such evil?
“My wife was concerned
about how angry I was get-
ting,” he said. “I talked to
some people about getting
some messaging going on
behalf of Israel, the kind of
thing I did in the political
world. Nothing I tried to do
was working. We just weren’t
pushing back.”
He decided the moment to
act had come. Fortuitously, a
friend mentioned Sar-El. The
little-known agency associated
with the Israel Defense Forces
hosts volunteers worldwide to
assist with the mundane tasks
of military logistics: stacking
mattresses, assembling battle
rations, maintaining trucks,
compacting trash — the mil-
lion and one unglamorous
tasks that free combat soldiers
to fight.
Via the internet, Linder
familiarized himself with Sar-
El’s purpose and requirements
and knew it was for him. In
early June, he flew to Israel,
was shipped to an IDF base
near Beersheba and spent a
week working in a sweltering
warehouse with a group of
overseas volunteers.
He made Israeli friends
and met soldiers, prayed each
morning at the base synagogue
and spent a few days touring
the country. At age 70, this
self-described “proud Jew”
who grew up in Flint hearing
occasional antisemitic taunts,
was visiting the Jewish state
for the first time. His love and
patriotism toward America in
no way was diminished by the
lure of Israel.
“I always wanted to go
when I was young,” he said.
“But I didn’t have any money.”
At age 70, having capped a
successful career as a political
consultant in Lansing, he now
could afford to underwrite
a volunteer mission himself,
spending “$7,000 or $8,000”
that reflected travel expenses
and a voluntary contribution to
the agency.
Making a
Difference
ERETZ
26 | AUGUST 1 • 2024
J
N
Steve Linder
makes first-time
trip to Israel to
volunteer with
Sar-El.
DORON LEVIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Steve Linder
models one of the
helmets he packed
for IDF troops.