The Charlotte Jewish News- April 2026- Page 16
Returning to Israel: From Visiting to Volunteering
By Eric Laxer
My connection to Israel began early. I first visited at age 13, traveling there with my family for my bar mitzvah, and I have returned many times since, including for the bar mitzvahs of my two brothers. Those trips typically combined touring, visiting family, and learning about Israel’ s history and culture. While earlier visits were about seeing and experiencing, my three visits over the past two years were
Eric Laxer, Harrison Smookler and Michelle Crosbie
about solidarity and service.
As the events of October 7 unfolded, I felt a strong urge to travel to Israel and help in some way. As a physician, my initial thought was to volunteer in my field of orthopedic surgery. I reached out to several colleagues there and completed the Israeli credentialing process. Then, I waited. At the outset of the war in Gaza, and again at the start of the 12-day conflict with Iran, I received notice of a possible deployment to an Israeli hospital.
In both instances, my services were not required. Israel’ s medical system- advanced, highly capable, and deeply experienced in responding to national crises- needed far fewer external
By Jonas Fisher
I joined Friendship Circle and met my friend Cole about two years ago. Looking back, those weekly sessions have taught me some of the most important lessons of my entire high school career.
Before I started, I realized I hadn’ t really had an activity or part of my life dedicated to anything other than myself. Most of my time was spent on my own schoolwork, my own hobbies, and my own future.
Friendship Circle changed that. Having a specific time each week dedicated entirely to medical volunteers than initially anticipated. However, as the war continued, my desire to contribute in any capacity grew stronger.
I identified different volunteer opportunities and chose to participate in several of them, which I want to highlight in this article. The first was volunteering with Sar-El, and the second was with Leket Israel.
Sar-El, also known as the National Project for Volunteers for
Israel( the name comes from the Hebrew abbreviation for Service for Israel or Sherut L’ Yisrael), was started in 1982 by General Aharon Davidi during the Lebanon War. Farmers from across Israel were called for reserve duty, leaving a gap in meeting the needs of their farms. In turn, General Davidi’ s team traveled to the United States and recruited 650 volunteers to work their land. Following the war, General Davidi, who saw the value of volunteers helping in diverse ways, launched a program to place them on IDF bases performing various logistical functions. Since then, Sar-El has broadened its efforts, directing volunteers to other areas of need
someone else made me feel significantly better about the way I was spending my time. With this new addition to my life, I quickly discovered the“ helper’ s high” – that unique sense of fulfillment that comes from simply being there for another person.
Cole and I have spent almost every one of our sessions just talking. We’ ve covered everything: life problems, sports, music, our hopes for the future, and everything in between. Day in and day out, spending hours with him, I found myself learning more and more about his world. It wasn’ t about“ volunteering”
across Israel.
I completed my Sar-El application and was contacted by a representative for an online interview. The process takes 6-8 weeks, and after approval, I traveled to Israel and joined a group of about 250 volunteers. We were each assigned to specific buses that took us to our bases throughout the country. I worked on a medical base with 8 other volunteers in a warehouse that supplied medical equipment to medics and units throughout Israel and wherever those units were sent.
We packed bandages, splints, IV bags, tubing, needles, syringes, medical gloves, surgical kits, and pain medication. We worked hard, aware that the supplies we packed could provide care, comfort, and lifesaving aid to those on the front lines. This gave us a sense of purpose and connection. We met soldiers on the base who deeply appreciated our presence and support. They were amazed that we had traveled so far from our homes to work alongside them during Israel’ s time of need, including many volunteers who were not Jewish. We were amazed by the strength, resolve, maturity, and courage of these young Israeli men and women.
At Sar-El I met incredible people who return to volunteering repeatedly. For example, I worked with a woman from California who has been coming to Sar-El for 25 years and was there for her eighth time since October 7. I met a( non-Jewish) gentleman from Norway who drives a forklift in his hometown, was at Sar-El for his 13th time, and another( non-Jewish) gentleman from Missouri who was there for his 8th Sar-El volunteer experience. We were united by a shared love for Israel and a commitment to do what we could in support of its people. Through Sar-El I also volunteered with the Jewish National Fund. I was part of a group that stayed in a forest camp and spent three days clearing debris,
Picking clementines on Kibbutz Mefalsim along the Gaza border
restoring the land, and planting trees.
In between these multiday assignments, I worked with Leket Israel( Leket is Hebrew for to gather or to pick), helping farmers across the country. Leket Israel was started in 2003 by Joseph Gitler, who collected unused food and distributed it to needy families. The program later expanded to help farmers affected by labor shortages after foreign workers left and reservists were called to service. With other Israeli and foreign volunteers, I boarded a bus each morning at 5 or 6 a. m. and traveled for up to two hours to a designated farm to harvest, prune, sort, and pack food, including clementines, pomegranates, cucumbers, grapes, and olives, which were often sent to grocery stores or markets the following morning.
Working with the Jewish National Fund and Leket Israel were special days for me. As the People of Israel, we have a deeply meaningful biblical connection to the Land of Israel. One of the most important responsibilities we have is to take care of the Land by planting and growing,
so the Land can take care of us by providing sustenance and life.
Volunteering in Israel during the war was among the most profound experiences I’ ve ever had. The work was important, but more than that, it was about being there, about standing side by side with our Israeli brothers and sisters during their time of need. Seeing how appreciative they were to those of us who joined them is a feeling that will never leave me.
Despite improvements in the situation, Israel is still not at peace, as threats remain and the need for volunteers is high. I would encourage anyone who is able to consider volunteering. Organizations such as Sar-El, the Jewish National Fund, and Leket Israel make it possible to contribute in meaningful, hands-on ways. At a time when so much can feel beyond our control, volunteering offers a tangible way to make a difference.
To learn more about these volunteer opportunities, please contact Eric Laxer at sarelvolunteer. info @ gmail. com.
Beyond Words: What Friendship Has Taught Me
in a formal sense; it was about building a genuine bond.
Ultimately, I believe that perspective and the impact of helping others are the two biggest gifts I’ ve received during my time here. Friendship Circle didn’ t just give me something to do after school once a week – it gave me a new way to see the world and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a friend.