Young diaspora Jews drop their lives to come volunteer in Israel

More than 3,300 Birthright Israel alumni have applied to volunteer in Israel during the national crisis resulting from Hamas’s October 7 massacre, with 100 arriving in Israel in the past two weeks and more than 1,000 volunteers expected to arrive during December.

The moves came in response to Birthright Israel’s mid-November announcement that called on its 850,000 alumni worldwide to assist the Jewish state in defending itself from Hamas.

The initiative to encourage volunteers called The Birthright Israel Onward volunteer program, resulted from many Birthright alumni contacting the organization to offer to volunteer. They had been highly active following the October 7 massacre by donating money, sharing information on social media, and attending pro-Israel rallies, but many reached out to ask how they could do more.

Who can apply to volunteer?

Applicants must be ages 18–40, with preference given to those who have already participated in Israel programs. All applicants will need to identify themselves as Jewish. They also must be able to volunteer in agriculture or packing centers.

Charlie Meshchaninov and Sam Bearden from Brooklyn, New York, got married in early November and had booked their honeymoon when they saw the announcement of the Birthright Israel Onward volunteering program. 

“We first heard about this program from my mother-in-law,” Bearden said from Israel. “We applied immediately, and I'm so happy we did that. We’ve been here just over a week. I’ve been working in a logistics center, packing food and clothing and donating items to those in need, primarily displaced families. My husband and I are just so grateful for this opportunity to be able to come to Israel and help the people we love.”

Judy Haller, 37, a firefighter and single mother, also is a volunteer from Brooklyn. “When everything started on Oct 7, I felt a tremendous amount of anger. I couldn't do anything, and I didn’t work for four consecutive days,” she said. “I felt like I had to help with something. When I saw that Birthright Israel launched a volunteer program, I immediately realized that this was my opportunity to give back. I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but my son encouraged me to do it. I only wish I could bring him along with me.

“The truth of the matter is that I feel here in Israel much safer. There are soldiers and police officers everywhere. In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, someone tore off a sticker I had on my car that said, ‘I stand for Israel.’ ”

The Birthright Israel Onward volunteer program, in partnership with the Shalom Corps platform at Mosaic United, places volunteers on kibbutzim and moshavim to harvest crops in the absence of the thousands of foreign field workers who returned to their countries during the war. The volunteers make a crucial contribution to saving the hundreds of family farms whose residents were evacuated or called into reserve duty since Hamas massacred southern Israel residents on October 7 and launched the war against the Jewish state. Participants also work in donation centers to help with sorting, packing, and distributing boxes of supplies for civilian evacuees and military units. They work up to six hours daily, during which they meet Israeli peers who also are lending a hand in farms and warehouses.

Resources for the volunteers

Participants receive the following at no cost: Tel Aviv-area accommodations, all of which have fortified rooms; transportation from and to the airport, and back and forth to the volunteering sites; and health insurance. 

“We are living in historic times, and I urge every Jew to visit Israel, especially now. Most volunteers I meet here tell me that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime, powerful, and recommended experience,” said Gidi Mark, the CEO of Birthright Israel.

“This initiative is a meaningful and practical way to stand with Israel and to actively address a great need. It also fulfills the Jewish value of Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh, which means solidarity between Jews. It will contribute to strengthening relationships between Israelis and Jews around the world. In the aftermath of the horrific massacre Israel experienced on October 7, we are witnessing Israel at its best. The entire nation is united, strong, and supportive – and I have no doubt the participants are deeply inspired by that. Each volunteer is assigned an Israeli peer, which is always a great asset of the classic Birthright trip.”