Since the start of the war, Masa Israel Journey has received thousands of inquiries from young Jewish adults wanting to come to Israel and volunteer during these challenging times. Masa, an organization founded by The Jewish Agency and the Israeli government, has decided to implement a program to promote leadership, inviting young Jewish adults to volunteer in Israel.Hundreds of Masa fellows from every corner of the world have joined the volunteering program since the beginning of the war. As the war continues, the number of volunteers has not only remained steady but has been increasing. Masa continues to launch new and diverse groups that specialize in specific volunteer activities tailored to the fellows’ skills.For example, in recent weeks, two more groups have opened in collaboration with Magen David Adom in Israel, consisting of members with backgrounds in emergency medicine. One group is located in Beersheba, and the other is in Haifa. Masa fellows are joining ambulance shifts alongside Israeli MDA volunteers and responding to calls.
Young campers volunteering
One of the volunteers, Hattie from London, currently studying to be a paramedic in her country, delivered a baby in Beersheba: “I’m in the emergency medicine field, but this was the first time I got to deliver a baby. It was amazing.”She decided to use her summer vacation to come to Israel and volunteer and said she wasn’t afraid to come – she just wanted to help and contribute her knowledge to the country.Another group that came to Israel this month consisted of 200 Ramah campers from North America who came to tour Israel for six weeks. “Israel has always been really important to my family. We have been here twice before, and now, finally, I got to come here with my friends,” said Caroline Damsky from New York. “At home, I am one of the very few Jews in my group of friends, and here, I feel that I can be more openly Jewish. I have faced antisemitism since October 7, and so much anti-Israel sentiment, and it made me want to come even more and show the world how beautiful a country this is.”The teen group, some of whom had gone to Poland before coming to Israel, was joined after two weeks by a solidarity delegation consisting of their parents. The children and their parents spent a weekend in Israel together.Another new collaboration is between Masa and the Stand With Us organization. The organization represents Israel worldwide and works to combat antisemitism and support Israel. Members of the organization came for a volunteer program and also to meet the country they represent globally. They got to see and experience the country firsthand, in a way that would help them become better spokespeople for it.“We at Masa stand in awe of the high motivation of the young members of Jewish communities to continue coming and contributing to Israeli society in its difficult time,” said Yael Sahar-Rubinstein, Acting CEO of Masa. “The solidarity is amazing, and the fact that they take significant time out of their lives to come here and show the solidarity in the most personal way is astonishing.We welcome all new collaborations, thank all our volunteers, and hope to continue bringing young people from all over the world who are eager to contribute in any way. Am Yisrael Chai!”
This article was written in cooperation with Masa.