As Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza continues, one man in western Galilee is making a difference by providing a volunteer parking service for soldiers called up for duty. Amir Gazit is the driving force (pun intended) behind this unique and much-needed initiative that is already bringing at least a little relief and peace of mind to stress-addled soldiers.
The idea for this volunteer parking service started two weeks ago when Amir's youngest son — who had just completed his army service — and his daughter's boyfriend were both called to report for duty along with 300,000 other IDF reservists, following Hamas’ heinous pogrom in the South which killed over 1,300 people.
Amir's son was more fortunate, with his father promising to handle his transportation. However, the boyfriend faced a dilemma - he had no one to safeguard his car during his time on base. The car was eventually left in a field along with approximately 30 other vehicles belonging to soldiers in similar situations.
“It was in an open field in the middle of nowhere, with a couple of cows wandering around, licking the cars,” Amir recalled. “No one was taking care of them.”
Amir and his wife decided to take matters into their own hands. With no one responsible for these cars in the field, they saw an opportunity to help. Amir recalls the moment when they decided to start this much-needed service. "Let's start something new," he suggested to his wife.
The concept was simple but effective. In a post on Facebook, he presented soldiers with two options: for those living in the north, Amir would pick up their spare car keys from their homes, go out to retrieve their car, and return it home; when they were ready to leave base, he would bring their car back to them. For those residing elsewhere in the country, he would drop off their cars at a nearby farm’s fenced parking lot, which is guarded and has a capacity for 300 cars.
Amir shared this idea on social media, offering a lifeline to those concerned about their vehicles' safety during their service. People began to call, expressing interest, as well as a hint of hesitation at the idea of trusting a stranger with their keys. Amir reassured them: “If I were interested in stealing your car, I wouldn't declare the service so publically.”
Amir's military past
Amir himself had served in the military for 24 years and knows the anxiety that accompanies leaving a car unattended during training or deployment. “Back then, whenever we left our car, it was always the worry of ‘okay, I have to be away for 10 days training or something like that. What the hell am I gonna find when I come back?” he recalled.
Eliminating that worry is at the heart of Amir's mission. “Some people have had to leave their cars just on the side of the road, which is taking a huge risk. And my thought was, ‘okay, let's find a way that we can help these people, and to make sure that they will have one less worry on their minds,’” he noted.
Although the initial response has been somewhat slow, Amir is hopeful that the idea will catch on, especially as word spreads and more people recognize the value of the service.
“I have a list of 20 people that have volunteered to be drivers. I myself will gladly drive [soldiers] where they need to go, then take their car home, and later pick them up from wherever they are,” he said. “God willing, I hope that we will need all those 20 volunteers to drive the cars here and there.”
“A lot of people are just looking for a way to volunteer and to help so why not like this? It’ll take some time and publicity, and it also takes the trust of the public,” he said, “but I do believe that it will catch on.”
Soldiers interested in coordinating with Amir can contact him at the following number: 054-7710629