Appleton — I would like to share some of my recent experiences in Israel. For two weeks in June, I worked as a volunteer in the Ma’on San Simon Home for the Disabled People in Jerusalem.
Upon arrival, I was afraid to travel on buses, eat in restaurants, or shop at supermarkets. I had a gnawing feeling of potential danger and when people entered a store I was in I wondered anxiously whether any of them was a homicide bomber.
This feeling only subsided once I began to contemplate seriously the advice given to me by Nir Barkin, community shaliach and head of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel Resource Center, before I left: that there were more than six million people in Israel and the probability of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time was extremely low.
Many Israelis seemed grateful that I was there, and several asked why I had chosen to volunteer. I emphasized that I needed to be with them during their time of need — now — and not some time in the remote future.
It seemed insufficient for me to simply send money to Israel or provide ongoing rebuttals in the local newspaper to the numerous anti-Israel articles, as I have often done. While obviously important, these and other pro-Israel activities would not suffice by themselves.
I wanted to show solidarity with my people through actions and deeds. I wanted to identify with Israelis by experiencing some of the daily harshness and stark reality they were confronting.
I longed to comprehend the complexity of their problems and to provide emotional comfort as best I could. I also wished to contribute to Israel’s economy in some small way.
A humbling experience
My placement at San Simon was a humbling experience. There were approximately 35 residents, almost all of whom had been confined to wheelchairs for many years.
They suffered from illnesses and misfortunes such as polio, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, loss of limbs and paralysis from enemy shells. Many required help with daily living that included feeding, grooming, dressing, bathing and toileting.
I assisted them with shopping and took them for walks in the park. At times they expressed their fears, and, as I am a clinical psychologist, I was able to explore with them the reasons for their depression and underlying anxieties. Occasionally, volunteers would also relate issues troubling them.
Residents would sometimes request that I clean their shelves and floors. At times I was asked to make sandwiches and tea for them.
Some residents were grateful for my help and would show it in different ways. One of the residents whom I used to feed daily would offer me plums and then insist that I take one “because I love you.”
Another resident gave me a tour of the Katamon Quarter where the San Simon home was located. He had been at San Simon ever since he was a child.
He was able to describe how, in 1948, Katamon had been a central Arab headquarters for attacks on nearby Jewish neighborhoods and how the Greek Monastery St. Simeon (San Simon) had been a major Arab fortification. He showed me the bullet holes in many buildings, including their residence, and spoke about how the Palmach forces of the Haganah had overcome the enemy.
One late afternoon I returned to the home with a resident. As we entered, a staff member blurted out, “There’s been another suicide attack!” In silence we watched the unfolding tragedy on TV.
Many Israelis derive strength from their faith. I remember a resident barely able to stand, laying tefillin. I remember a shopkeeper’s reply concerning a newspaper’s headline, “Hamas threatens chemical attacks.” He said, “G-d is with us.” I believe that over the millennia, He has been.
A resident subsequently confided that he saw little purpose to his life with him being so incapacitated. When I stressed that he was a wonderful source of inspiration to others, he lapsed into silence. He was courageous and frequently helped others despite his handicap. Since my return we have been e-mailing each other.
In retrospect, I traveled to Israel to provide support without thought of compensation, yet I returned greatly enriched by virtue of the bonds I had formed and the heightened sense of connection.
At a deeper level, I felt part of something larger and greater than myself, a part to which I had contributed in a meaningful way.
If you wish to be a volunteer, you can contact Barkin at 414-390-5705.
Bernard L. Green, Ph.D., is a practicing psychologist at Affinity Medical Group in Appleton. He is a native of South Africa and has lived and worked 28 years in the United States.
Loading ...
