Livnot U'lehibunot - Volunteer Programs in Israel

Interview with Sarah Schwartz, Livnot volunteer alum

Sarah Schwartz is a 30 year old yoga teacher and artist. She volunteered in Israel from Dec.5, 2011 to January 1st, 2012.

Volunteer in Jewish communities in Israel

GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with Livnot U'lehibanot in Israel?

Sarah: My first trip to Israel was six years ago. I participated in Livnot's ten day Birthright Israel program. I fell in love with Livnot's purpose and mission, compassion and generosity. Upon getting on the airplane to return to America from that program, I knew I must return to Israel when the time was right. Even though I imagined it to be sooner than six years, the timing was perfect. I knew returning to Israel was interwoven with participating in another Livnot program, thus I signed on for the one-month Galilee Fellowship program, keeping open the possibility of staying longer, perhaps indefinitely. This time around, as challenging as it was, I returned to America. I again promised myself I would return to Israel when the timing aligns.

One of my established commitments in America is teaching yoga. Teaching yoga deepens my own personal practice with this ancient and timeless art. I strive to live a balanced and yogic lifestyle. In the yogic tradition, volunteering, service, "karma yoga" is part of the system for living a spiritual life. Thus, volunteering, serving the community with Livnot feels aligned with my yogic ideals and with my Jewish ideals, Tikkun Olam.

GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Sarah: After an early breakfast and discussion of current Israeli events, as a group we ventured to the decided location to volunteer. Several projects we participated in over the course of one month were: painting the corridors of an apartment building in Canaan, and landscaping at this same venue; transporting dirt and rocks from an excavation happening underneath Livnot's campus; sang and danced with elderly in Tzvat's hospital.

GO: What made this volunteer experience unique and special?

Sarah: Livnot U'Lehibanot is an extraordinary and special program in and of itself. So being with Livnot, in Israel, and together as a whole, was immensely fulfilling and uplifting. Being in a hebrew speaking community afforded us the opportunity to learn hebrew, as well as "Israeli" customs. The community often expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Livnot's work, hich deepened my gratitude and appreciation for Livnot's work.

GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?

Sarah: Wow... This is a simple -and- complex question. I have pondered this quite deeply, and realize that my experience in Israel and with Livnot has shifted my entire being... I felt *home*... and for me, as I enter into my 30's, I seek to find *the* place to let my symbolic roots take hold... surrendering to the pull of *place*... nurtured by the land and its people... I felt I could let my roots go, in Israel. I felt home.

Interview with Rob Drowos, Livnot volunteer alum

Rob Drowos volunteered with Livnot from July 1-29 2011. He is from Baltimore, MD (USA), and is 24 years old. Rob works as the Juvenile Services Program Coordinator for the Eager Street Academy (school located within the jail in Baltimore), and is also an instructor at COR Martial Arts.

GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with Livnot U'lehibanot in Israel?

Rob: My volunteer experience was born out of mid-life (quarter-life?) crisis; I decided that I had enough with my job, life, etc., and booked a one way ticket out of the United States last spring. Israel was supposed to be a week-long adventure among many (in fact, I arrived there from South America, and had planned to continue on to southeast Asia).

However, I did not anticipate falling in love with Livnot. The entire program was designed perfectly for my needs- organized, but with no strict beginning and end dates (in that you could easily leave or extend your stay at any time); balanced (good mix of structured activities, community service, and leisure time); and inexpensive.

GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Rob: The day to day activity generally consisted of one of two main events- community service or an outdoor hike/adventure. During service days, small groups departed for various projects including immigrant absorption, construction, landscaping, and event staffing. Almost every day, volunteers were granted free time to explore the city and surrounding areas or simply relax.

GO: What made this volunteer experience unique and special?

Rob: More than anything else, Livnot was unique (at least to me) in its ability to provide its volunteers a true experience of community integration. The relationship they have with their hometown is both strong and deep, and all volunteers become a part of the communal "family" regardless of length of stay. I ended up staying at Livnot for an entire month, and to this day I still keep in touch with friends I met there as much as those I've known my whole life. In fact, I attended both a funeral and a wedding during my stay there (after becoming close with both families).

GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?

Rob: The trip simply reaffirmed deeply held beliefs of mine regarding community service- that the term volunteer is misused, since it is every person's duty as human beings to give back to their community, their country, and the planet as a whole. Many people, especially in America, are born into an environment that other would kill for; it is only fitting that we make sure those that come after us can benefit as well. This continues to be a tenet of my lifestyle, and since returning from Livnot I have increased my personal contribution to a local youth development program- not necessarily through financial support, but through my physical presence.

Interview with Gabrielle Brooks, Livnot volunteer alum

GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with Livnot U'lehibanot in Israel?

Gabrielle: I actually happened to find Livnot by luck. When participating in Taglit Birthright with my University, we spent one day at Livnot doing community and I knew that I needed to be apart of their program. It seemed like an environment that I always wanted to be in, people were playing all different types of instruments and everyone was helping to prepare food together.

GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Gabrielle: A typical day would begin by helping to prepare breakfast for everyone before beginning our community service work for the day. We would help by excavating the 16th century of Tzfat, painting different places in the city, and helping locals with their stores. Other days we would focus on these INCREDIBLE hikes that were very challenging but unbelievable.

We would return to campus and have thought-provoking discussions on so many different topics that are so relevant but rarely discussed. After cooking and eating dinner together we would have free time to explore the city and meet locals or hang around the campus and play music and relax.

GO: What made this volunteer experience unique and special?

Gabrielle: The sense of community that I felt when arriving made this experience so special. I arrived at Livnot U'lehibanot not knowing a single person or speaking a word of Hebrew and ended up making so many friends and leaving wanting to learn more about the spirituality of Judaism and continuing to search for my Jewish identity. I was only supposed to stay at Livnot for one week and I extended my trip THREE TIMES and ended up staying FOUR WEEKS! I still am in contact with everyone I have met and will always remember Livnot U'Lehibanot for challenging myself and allowing myself to appreciate the beauty in so many things. RADICAL AMAZEMENT!

GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?

Gabrielle: This program introduced me to the mystical city of Tzfat which I plan on returning to. I continue to search for communities locally that I could become involved in similar to Livnot.

Gabrielle Brooks volunteered in Israel around May 11, 2011 to June 23, 2011. She is from Dix Hills, NY and currently lives in Miami, FL.