Volunteer Spotlight: Nathan Adler

By Nathan Adler

There is something so powerful about volunteering in Israel. I just finished my fourth trip, and it’s rewarding and satisfying in a way that really can’t be explained. You don’t fully understand it until you experience it yourself!

Whether it was tying tzitzit to help protect soldiers in battle, waking up early to do agricultural work to support reservists, donating blood with Magen David Adom to help save lives, or going down to the Gaza border to prepare food at a rest stop for the soldiers - every single moment matters!

A particular experience that stood out for me was volunteering with Shlomi’s food truck. I spent my morning with a few other amazing people in the Gaza envelope, preparing 400 fresh pitas filled with shakshuka, falafel, and schnitzel. We then drove to the border and handed them out to soldiers coming out of fighting - tired, dirty, hungry so grateful for a little homemade bite, but even more grateful for the love, the hug, the care, the concern! But you must understand... their faces... the sweetest, most innocent, pure neshamot, doing God's work, doing Am Yisrael's work. They had literally just come out of battle, and the first thing they asked us when we pulled up with the food was: How are we doing! It was something I will never forget!

These are our heroes. These are our fighters. These are our champions. They’re grateful for the food, of course, but even more for the love, the smile, and the feeling that people truly care about them and stand with them!

And just simply to be able spend some of my time in Israel was an incredible opportunity. There is so much love, compassion, strength, and beauty packed into this small place - more than anywhere else I’ve ever been!

If you need a push to go volunteer, let this be it. Go. Volunteer. It will be one of the most meaningful experiences of your life.

Go now and thank me later!

Am Yisrael Chai

Nathan