Showing Up: Israel’s Culture of Volunteerism

I first studied Hebrew through an intensive course that combined vocabulary, grammar, and cultural immersion. One of the very first verbs I learned was "l'hitnadev," to volunteer. It appeared alongside words like "to eat" and "to read," as if volunteering were just as essential to life and important. I will never forget that lesson.

On the tragic morning of October 7, 2023, I was in Jerusalem, eight months pregnant and in full nesting mode. What I witnessed from Israeli society was nothing short of inspiring. Communities I was already part of, like a group for mothers who shared lightly used baby items, transformed overnight into networks for helping mothers in the south who had been directly impacted by the massacre. Friends who ran small food prep businesses turned their kitchens into hubs to feed people in need. Facebook groups were opened to coordinate volunteer opportunities for neighbors and displaced families. Families, organizations, and even hotels opened their doors to those who had lost their homes. My neighbors reached out immediately, knowing we were olim (immigrants) without nearby family, even as their own son had just been deployed to Gaza. While everyone had their own challenges to navigate at that time, people still looked out for one another.

When I decided to have my baby in the U.S., near my family, it became clear that everything I had collected in Israel for my soon-to-be-born child, including clothes, toys, and household items, could instead support friends and families in urgent need. Passing these items along became its own form of showing up that turned grief into action and solidarity.

Following October 7^th, and in the years since, ordinary citizens across Israel-students, parents, and professionals - continue to step forward in extraordinary ways. In times of crisis, community groups become distribution centers, schools and work places coordinate aid, and mental health professionals offer critical support. 

While it can seem from afar that this culture of volunteering is simply ingrained-and in many ways, it is-it's also true that in moments of crisis, people rally in even more visible and immediate ways. And that spirit has not faded. More than two years later, many of the same volunteer networks that mobilized in those early days are still active, now responding to evolving needs in the war with Iran.

Over the last month, I've seen that same instinct to show up take new forms. A coffee shop owner set up a free coffee station inside a municipal bomb shelter in Tel Aviv, offering people a small sense of comfort in a stressful space. Pet shop owners handed out treats for the many dogs accompanying their families into the shelters. People opened their homes to neighbors and strangers who didn't have access to protected spaces of their own. These acts are simple, but they reflect something profound: a society where care for one another is instinctive.

For many Israelis, volunteering is not only practical, but also a way to reclaim agency in a moment of uncertainty. It reflects a deeply held principle: kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,all of Israel is responsible for one another. The drive to care for one another is a defining feature of Israeli society, a quiet but powerful expression of resilience, hope, and shared responsibility.

For Reform Jews and young people around the world, witnessing this value firsthand is a chance to understand what volunteering in Israel truly looks like as a lived experience. Summer programs like Yallah! Israel's Tikkun Israel allows teens to help in a tangible way. During three weeks over the summer, participants work alongside Israeli peers and communities helping pack supplies, assist families, and contribute to ongoing efforts of care and rebuilding.

Rebecca from Connecticut reflected that after volunteering with children in the southern Israeli city of Ofakim, "I felt connected to the Israeli community and saw the impact that I made on the children." Ariel from California added, "I loved seeing them get joy from us being there for them and showing them that we care."

Alongside the work itself, the relationships that teens form leave the deepest impressions. Roni, a teen participant from Jerusalem, described how volunteering created space to give back and build meaningful connections. Packing boxes of food at the food bank meant that "dozens of families didn't have to go to sleep hungry." At the school in Ofakim Roni recalled how the volunteers "formed real bonds with the kids. They felt like they finally had a space where people cared about them, and they even felt comfortable enough to open up about some of the hard stuff they went through during the war."

"I also became really good friends with the Americans," she added. "It's honestly so cool having friends from somewhere else… It's amazing that a program can combine giving back, learning about the country, and such a strong social experience all at once."

Along the way, teens experience the vibrancy of Israeli life by connecting with local teens, farming alongside Druze friends in the Galilee, and exploring the energy of Tel Aviv. At the same time, they are strengthening connections with each other and Reform values while making a meaningful contribution to the people, society, and world around them.

What I've seen happen in daily life in Israel, and especially during moments of great need, has deepened what I first sensed when learning Hebrew: volunteering is a way to live out a core value and exist in community. From those early days to the present, these acts of care continue to ripple outward, shaping a society defined by showing up for one another.

Teens can experience Israel's spirit of volunteerism firsthand through the Tikkun Israel summer program! Learn more and register on Yallah! Israel's website.