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Volunteering Abroad with OTZMA

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 11:17

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This awesome article is brought to you by Lauren Zink

Lauren is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where she majored in public relations and marketing. She recently completed MASA Israel's ten-month OTZMA volunteer fellowship. Read her blog about her time spent in Israel at holylaurenmoly.wordpress.com.

Israel is a country that is constantly misunderstood and misrepresented to the rest of the world, but by being a volunteer there one can be given the chance to truly and justly learn about this admirable land. MASA, an organization connecting young Jews from around the world with Israel, offers more than 160 programs to choose from. They range from very religious to not religious at all and many don’t require participants to be Jewish, which is a common misconception. Programs through MASA also vary in length, cost, and location. From teaching English, to painting bomb shelters, to working to create peace between Israelis and Palestinians, there is something for everyone.

I ultimately chose to volunteer abroad with OTZMA, a 10-month program where I moved three different times and participated in several educational trips. OTZMA allowed me to learn as much about Israel and feel as immersed into the culture as I possibly could.

Part 1: Learning Hebrew and Volunteering Part-Time

The program began with all 33 participants living together in an Ethiopian Immigrant Absorption Center in Ashkelon, a city located on the Mediterranean Sea about ten miles north of Gaza. Here we took Ulpan, an intensive Hebrew language-learning course, for five hours a day. The idea in learning Hebrew was to have a better grasp of the language so we could have more opportunities to communicate with locals.

In the afternoons we participated in volunteer projects. We had many options to choose from, including participating in and coaching youth sports, selling clothes at a thrift store, playing with children and helping them with their homework at at-risk youth after school community centers, and helping immigrants become immersed into their new land.

Every Monday we would spend the entire day traveling around Israel to learn the ins and outs of the country. The highlights of these education seminars for me was going into the West Bank and meeting with Palestinian settlers to learn more about the conflict. We also visited Druze villages to learn about the minorities living in the Galilee and we spoke with Knesset (Israeli Parliament) members to learn about the Israeli Government and just how complicated its system is.

Volunteer with children in Israel.

Many days were challenging, and most were tiring, but the best part of part one was that we were all together, 33 of us, and had become one big family. This love for each other only grew stronger as the program carried on.

Part 2: Volunteering Full-Time

In the second part of my trip, all of us split up into groups of two to seven people and lived in all different parts of Israel. We volunteered full-time: helping in Israel schools, playing with Bedouin children living up north, painting low-income homes and bomb shelters, and working on farms helping to preserve and create an even more beautiful land.

During this time we would also continue our education seminars, though they wouldn’t be weekly but rather once a month and typically for two to five days in length. The seminars would go even more in-depth into pressing Israeli issues both internally and externally.

Part 3: Interning or Volunteering on a Kibbutz

This part of the program was catered to our interests, backgrounds, and personalities. Here we were given the opportunity to use our college degree and explore our studies in a different part of the globe. I was fortunate enough to use my Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations interning at a media relations and public affairs firm in Jerusalem.

If you do not want to intern you can also volunteer on a Kibbutz or, if you find another program you want to participate in, you will be given the opportunity to do so during part three.

Overall

The best part about OTZMA was how it catered to my interests and helped me to utilize what I am good at to help others. Love soccer? Then teach soccer to Israeli children. Are you artistic? Help mentally-challenged Israelis by teaching them how to paint. Love yoga? Teach the downward facing dog stance to Israelis interested in meditation. The opportunities are endless and the OTZMA program is truly what you make of it.

Israel is an amazing, unique and underappreciated country. I believe the only true way to understand Israel is to travel there for yourself- but not just to travel, to spend time and to volunteer makes a big difference. The country was founded 63 years ago and with it being new and constantly in conflict, there are many opportunities to help. You can go there and from the very first day feel like you are not just making a difference for Israel and its people, but maybe more importantly, for yourself.

OTZMA program highlights

Time commitment: Ten months.
Location: All over Israel, from the most southern to most northern point. You will live in three different places during this program.
What do volunteers do?: English teaching, community development, farming and developing the land, working with minorities, playing and helping at-risk youth, painting homes and bomb shelters, and much, much more. This also changes year-to-year as the situation in Israel changes.
How much does it cost?: Every year is different, but plan to spend a minimum of $4,000 + airfare.
Fees: The fees cover housing costs, education seminars including travel and speakers, and other group trips including travel and hotels.