Last Wednesday, my wife Anita and I joined 100+ volunteers to pack cartons of food for Israeli soldiers. We were picked up by bus at about 7:30 a.m. in Rehovot, a city between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and transported to an Army facility. At the base, we were joined by like-minded individuals from Modi’in and Ra’anana, two cities in central Israel. Everyone was eager to contribute, and the common language was English even though the supervising staff were young Israelis. Most volunteers were in their 70s with the oldest being 94 - a “young at heart” new immigrant from South Africa.
Before commencing our tasks, the commander explained what to do in case of a rocket attack and the route to the nearest shelter. This information turned out to be highly germane. The volunteers then took places at an assembly line with everyone having a specific chore to carryout. We placed individual food items efficiently into small cartons as they moved past our stations on the assembly line. The pace was fast, the stress level was high, but no one complained. Sweat quickly appeared on our arms, backs and brows as we worked constantly for hours. Young supervisors assisted by providing the raw materials and cold water. The assembly line did not stop, and each station was occupied. Any misstep would result in a soldier lacking critical nourishment while in battle. No one wanted that on her/his conscience.
After about three hours, at approximately 12:30 p.m., we were given a lunch break. We ate a hot meal outside, sitting either on the ground or on large boulders. Spirits were high; we were contributing!! Work commenced again at about 1:30 p.m. and we went back to the same regimen. However, after about an hour the air raid sirens blasted, and we had to quickly go to the shelter. It turned out that this was not trivial for many of the elderly volunteers. Several barely made it to the shelter when the first explosions were heard. We were informed that the sounds were the noise of Iron Dome interceptions and were told to stay inside for 10 minutes.
This brief disturbance was carried back to the assembly line. Some of the volunteers were visibly affected and were unable to continue to work. The great majority of us returned to our stations and went back to packing. Two additional rocket barrages disturbed the routine, the last one accompanied by Iron Dome booms before we reached the safety of the shelter. As I peered skyward, I saw the tracks left by the Iron Dome and the interceptions. Anita and I ducked behind a concrete wall and covered our heads with our hands and arms. Thankfully, no debris or shrapnel from the interceptions fell in our area. But according to later reports, other people, not far away, were wounded. It was a fearful experience and we thought of our brothers and sisters in Sderot and the other settlements surrounding Gaza. It is inconceivable that they have to put up with this constantly.
At about 5:30 p.m., the assembly line ground to a halt. Work stopped about an hour earlier than scheduled and we returned to Rehovot where we were grateful to be in proximity to our safe room. No additional sirens were heard in our area, but the Gaza settlements were targeted throughout the evening. We were told that our group packed 35,500 meals into ~9000 cartons. It was a successful day, and thanks to the Iron Dome, no one in our group was hurt.
The individuals who volunteered were mostly highly-educated new immigrants. During our 10 hours together, no one spoke about a desire to kill or hurt Palestinians. We gave our time because we wanted to help defend our country. At this point, with military activity on three fronts (Gaza, Lebanon, West Bank) there is a feeling of insecurity in Israel. Israel’s clear goal is to remove this insecurity. The only way to achieve this is to remove Hamas from Gaza and the West Bank as a viable terror organization. The ground campaign started over Shabbat. With G-d’s help, our chayalim (soldiers) on the ground, in the air, and on the sea will achieve this goal. We pray for their safety.
Dr. Fred Naider is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at the City University of New York. He lives in Rehovot and has two grandsons in the IDF.
By Fred Naider
