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.