Kaplan Documents JNF Mission to Israel
Alan Kaplan penned this firsthand account of the eight-day volunteer mission led by Jewish National Fund-USA.
Atlantan Alan Kaplan penned a firsthand account of his recent volunteer mission to Israel with Jewish National Fund-USA. Follow along as Kaplan details the group’s eight-day itinerary — including four days of volunteer work — beginning with an introduction written the day before leaving for Israel.
In 75 short years, Israel and the Jewish people have built a first world country. But we never imagined an overland invasion. This trip is different. Our first three trips were celebrations of Israel and the Jewish people. From the ashes we have created a country that is the envy of the world … Israel is start up nation. It is one of the happiest countries in the world. Israelis believe that they are on a mission. After 2,000 years we are in our homeland. I am not afraid, but I have a feeling of unease. I have never been to a war zone before. We are not touring. We are volunteering. One day, we will pick fruit. You see, many of the fruit pickers were from Gaza and Thailand. They are all gone. Most of the men are in the army. The crops must be saved. One day, we will prepare gifts for the soldiers. Do I want to go? Absolutely yes. It is my duty and my obligation to help my fellow Jews. It is my time to give back, and I look forward to it.
Day One
We arrive at David Ben Gurion Airport. While our plane is full, the airport is eerily quiet. As we enter the immigration hall, we are met by the pictures of the hostages. The pictures are everywhere. These pictures remind us why we came … What do we notice as we drive into Tel Aviv? Tel Aviv is a beautiful city, and it appears normal. High rises are going up everywhere. When we arrive at our hotel, we are met by a happy site. Hundreds of people are walking on the beach … Families are together and strolling in the good weather. But the war and the hostages are foremost on our minds. Placards for the hostages are on every conceivable location. But we feel safe, totally safe wandering around the city.
Day Four
Our JNF volunteer trip starts today. Alarm at 5:30. Breakfast at 6. On the bus by 6:50. Our guide warns us about missile sirens. While we are on the bus, we need to behave like we are in a plane. Put our heads down and stay still. In the Gaza envelope, we have 15 seconds to respond to an attack. Not enough time to exit the bus and find a shelter. Thankfully, there are no sirens.
We are traveling to a farm in the Gaza envelope. We are just a few kilometers from the border. In the distance, we hear the ominous boom of cannon fire. The war is nearby, but for some reason we feel very safe. The border is secure.
The farm is located in an area called Sokeda. The farmer informs us that he has employed as many as 16 Thais. After Oct. 7, all of them save one went back to Thailand … Today, we are picking lemons –100 untrained elderly volunteers are tasked with picking the lemons. Most of us have not only never seen a lemon tree, much less worked on a farm. The trees are filled with thorns. We are provided with gloves and long T-shirts. If we don’t pick the lemons, the fear is that they will rot on the trees. We all accept the challenge, and we enthusiastically attack the trees. Pick the big lemons and only the yellow ones. I can say with great pride that in just a few hours we picked seven tons of lemons, and they are beautiful. To celebrate our accomplishment, we eat lunch sitting under the lemon trees on picnic blankets and plastic buckets that were used for lemon collecting.
Our next stop is Alexander Muss High School. We are given a quick tour of the facility and then on to our next job. We are building gift boxes for the soldiers. Now none of us have ever worked in an Amazon fulfillment center, but we begin. We build the boxes, and we add stickers and then we join a giant conga line around the gym where each box is filled with coffee, candy, cookies, cards, and even honey. Later on in the week, we will deliver the care packages to the IDF.
Our final stop is the tragic site of the Nova music festival. Over 350 Israelis and people from all over the world were murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Scores were also taken hostage. On the street, you can see the black remains of burnt cars. A makeshift memorial to each of the victims is heart rendering. Each memorial sports a picture of the victim along with an Israeli flag. One large billboard displays all of the hostages as well as the murdered. One woman points out the picture of her son. Spontaneous singing of “Hatikvah” rings out over the field along with constant recitations of the Mourners Kaddish. Contrast to the beautiful setting of red poppies, a pall of sadness blankets the field. Israeli Defense Forces are also present to pay their respects. In the background, we hear the roar of Israeli artillery. We pray for the release of the hostages and the souls of the dead.
Day Five
Once again alarm at 5:30. Breakfast at 6. On the bus by 7. We head south again to Kibbutz Gvulot. Once we arrived, our group was assigned many different jobs. This kibbutz was not directly impacted by the Oct. 7 attacks, but many of the residents left and have only recently returned. Much work needs to be done. Some picked grapefruit, some weeded and created gardens. I was assigned to a painting group where we restored a historic building on the property — 10 of us who had never painted much of anything before jumped at the chance. Along with us was a local Israeli who traveled to assist …
But the absolute highlight of the day was a barbeque at an R and R center for IDF soldiers called the A team. At the A Team, there are food stands and drinks all prepared by local Israelis. We presented our gifts to the soldiers and thanked them for their sacrifices. Then the Specials in Uniform band put on a concert. Specials in Uniform is composed of differently abled members of the IDF. After their concert, the highlight of the night was Shlomo Lipman — an incredible talent. He sang, “We Are the World,” and followed that with his rendition of the “Aleinu.” When he completed his set with “Hatikvah,” there was not a dry eye in the house.
Day Eight
Today, touring began with an emotional visit to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. You are greeted by a large poster showing all of the remaining hostages. A giant Shabbat table is set for all of the hostages, those still in captivity and those returned. A demonstration of the rancid bread and water shows the diet for the captured. Hostage families are providing their testimony, and there is even a model of the tunnels that you can traverse to understand the feelings of intense claustrophobia and fear. After that visit, we … went to Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem – site of one of the fiercest battles of the Six Day War in 1967 … As part of the project, JNF has commissioned a Wall of Honor. You can honor someone you love or just admire with a plaque on this wall. This is “a tribute to the heroism and courage of soldiers, who throughout our history, served protecting the lives of others while risking their own.” Barbara and I dedicated a plaque to our fathers, Homer Gordon and Marvin Kaplan. They were both heroes and it brings great comfort to their families that they now have a place in Jerusalem … No visit to Israel is complete without an emotional visit to the Western Wall. On this occasion we witnessed the moving sight of hundreds of Israeli soldiers standing in front of the wall and declaring their loyalty and devotion to the IDF. We understood the sacrifice that these men choose to embrace. I tried to greet every soldier as they entered the plaza and there were hundreds of them. This was a perfect ending to our trip. I can think of no better way to say goodbye to our shared homeland. Israel needs us now. Please visit.
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