My Volunteer Experience

Anice Stark – Notes from Golumb School
First impressions are not always the best. I usually don’t volunteer in the schools, but this year I decided to help out in the Golumb School, school located in a lower economic Tel Aviv neighborhood. The principal, Irma and the English teacher, Shlomit greeted me on the first day. They were friendly and courteous. They started me off the students who were good in English. What a variety of backgrounds, Filipino, Russian, Ukrainian, Ethiopian and Israeli! For the most part these students spoke fairly well and could read even better.
We practice speaking and I get to learn about the lives of many of the students. Some told me about their families – the Filipino girl comes from a single parent family, her father passed away. Her grandmother is living with them and they may return to the Philippines.

One of the girls, from the Ukraine, told me her grandmother speaks Yiddish, which surprised me. One young boy, a twin, told me his twin brother didn’t speak English very well. Subsequently, I learned his brother spoke quite well – guess a little sibling rivalry!
We work in the teacher’s lounge, which can be very noisy, especially the first thing in the morning. But, there is a shortage of classrooms so we are grateful to have this space. The first few days we were mostly ignored by the other teachers, but as time has gone by, they have began to acknowledge us. And…now we feel part of the faculty.
As a volunteer and not teachers we have to find ways to communicate with the students especially when we are not working with school books. We talk about the days of the week, the months of year, the weather, parts of the body and the family. The alphabet works well too!
I work with two other CAARI volunteers. Each day we exchange our experiences with the other CAARI participants. My favorite stories is about one young boy who confided in me that he has a girlfriend and another girl want to be his girlfriend. Oy – the trials of youth!! He didn’t know what to do and wanted some suggestions. I said that the tell the second girl that he already had a girlfriend and that she could be his friend. He seemed to be satisfied.
As I write this, we have one more day to assist in the schools. It has been a very satisfying and fulfilling experience. I will remember the children and I hope they will remember all the volunteers from both Canada and the USA.
Anice Stark

Friday, January 29

Our Tour in the Galilee – Anice and Arnold Stark
We have just returned from a 3 day trip to the lower Golan where we stayed on a kibbutz called Gonen. They have cottages which they call “chalets”, as well as a hotel. All the chalets have Jacuzzis. While the weather was unseasonably warm, morning and evenings were not. But the skies were clear and we could see millions of stars!
Each day we had a new adventure starting in Haifa at the National Maritime Museum – a history of the sea and trading in the area from ancient to modern times. There were many artifacts brought up from the sea including 3 small figurines, one of which was Mercury. A rare find was the battering ram made of bronze and weighing over 1,000 pounds. It was attached to the front of a ship and used to make a hole in another ship (your enemy?), but not to sink it. It still had some sea life attached to it even thought it was cleaned up.
The next day we went to the Hula Nature Reserve where we saw some birds, coots, ducks, pelicans, cormorants – not as many as there will be in a couple of weeks when the migration will be in full swing. We went to Katzrin to see a restored village and we had a yartzeit service of Susan’s Mother. It was both meaningful and emotional for all of us – praying in s synagogue from the 2nd century.
After our lunch we went to a chocolate factory where we all got to get our handy “dirty” with chocolate – making our own truffles! The smell of chocolate and the taste were out of this world. We ended our day on an sad note at El Ron Kibbutz (in the Golan) where a major tank battle took place in the Yom Kippur War. We saw a movie, the memorial and the battlefield. Now, it looks so peaceful – it is hard to imagine what it looked like in 1973.
Our last day in the Golan we visited the ancient restored city of Korizim – and saw intricate carvings in the basaltic rock that was used in the ancient synagogue from the 2nd and 3rd Century. Our next stop was Kibbutz Amiad to visit their JNF reservoir. We walked to the reservoir passing the kibbutz avocado and citrus fields and an old Turkish caravansary. We were not surprised to see the low level of water in the reservoir – very sad. We know that JNF has helped Israeli communities and kibbutzim by building over 200 water reservoirs over the past 10 years. Four small pools and 1 large one comprise the reservoir complex.

Our day ended at a special place - a recreated ancient Galilean village called Kfar Kedem. We met with Mecnahem who shows visitors how Jews lived in ancient times. We dressed up in tunics, and wore head coverings – made cheese and bread as our ancestors did in the time of the Bible – learned about farming techniques and of course, ate a “sumptuous” lunch in a tent. It was a fun way to end our trip to the Golan.

Back to Tel Aviv for our traditional Shabbat Dinner. Our Galilee trip was truly a wonderful and enlightening experience and a meaningful way to begin Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom,
Arnold and Anice

Thursday, January 29 by Thelma Shore – Toronto, Canada

Thursday, January 29 by Thelma Shore – Toronto, Canada
We boarded our bus at 8:00 for what proved to be an informative and most enjoyable day – touring the northern Galilee.
Our first stop was the Hula Nature Reserve. We were treated to a 3D audio-visual presentation complete with moving seats, depicting the migration of birds coming from Europe and going to the warmer climates of Africa (in the fall and reversing this trip in the spring). Following the movie, we walked through the reserve where we saw water buffalo, assorted ducks, pelicans, Kingfishers and many other birds and HUGE catfish and nutria. The weather was perfect and with our knowledgeable guide, Neil Eisenstadt, it was a very pleasant hour and short hike!!
Our next stop was the restored village of Katzrin built during the Hellenistic Period. Here we saw a restored home and learned the way people lived when this was a large and busy city. We went to the synagogue where we held a service, the Yartzeit honoring Susan’s Mother. After all this walking we were ready for a lunch break. The big treat came after lunch where we visited a boutique chocolate factory (De Karina) located in Kibbutz Ein Zivan, Golan Heights. We watched chocolates being made and were then given the opportunity to make our own chocolate balls with a variety of coatings. We even were able to eat them – a chocoholic’s dream!
Our last stop was the site of a major tank battle during the Yom Kippur War between October 8 – 10 in 1973. This took place on the Golan Heights between a vastly outnumbered Israeli tank corp and a much better equipped Syrian Corp. This resulted in many dead Israeli soldiers and commanders. After viewing a moving film we were taken to the Kunitra lookout overlooking the Field of Tears, where the battle took place. Neil described the old and inferior equipment that the Israelis had. The Israeli victory was a turning point in the 1973 War.
We returned to our present base at Kibbutz Gonen tired but very satisfied about a wonderful day.
After dinner, one of the founders of the Kibbutz spoke to us about the kibbutz life, especially living along the border of Syria. Tomorrow we will be returning to Tel Aviv for Shabbat. I am sure we will have another interesting tour day….what else can we expect???
Love to family and friends,
Thelma

North to the Galilee - January 28th

Seven participants joined CAARI this week . We are very proud of the dedication of all the participants and their commitment to Israel - not one person cancelled the program. We have 35 people joining CAARI this year. While other groups cancelled trips - for various reasons, including the Gaza conflict - CAARI continued in it's 26th year.

Wednesday morning we headed for few days in the Galilee, taking a break from our community service and local tours in the Tel Aviv area - first stopping in Haifa for a visit to the National Maritime Museum. This is one of those museums that is "off the beaten" path. It was a surprise to all of us to see the amazing collection of seafaring artifacts dating from ancient to modern times. We enjoyed the enthusiasm of our guide who explained the maritime history of the region through the various exhibits from the Nile River to the Mediterranean Sea. One of the most important and rare discoveries displayed was the Atlit Ram which was found in the 1980's in the bay of Atlit (Israel). It was retrieved from the sea by the staff and students of the Maritime Civilizations Department at the Centre for Marine Studies at Haifa University. A ram is a weapon that was attached to the prow of a vessel at or below the water-line, and was intended to ram enemy vessels, inflicting damage that would prevent their further use, or even sink them. This ram is one of the largest single bronze castings ever found.

Although the day was overcast, we enjoyed the sprawling view of Haifa from the Bahai Gardens. What From there we headed north to our chalets at Kibbutz Gonen, overlooking the Golan Heights. But - not before a short stop at Israel's leading shoe manufactures - Naot - for some real bargains! In the evening, our Kibbutz hosts invited us to their evening at the movies where enjoyed the film.

Thanks for comments from our friends, the Tesslers, Barbells and others who have emailed us about how much they are enjoying following our adventures! Next year - join us!!!

Love to our family and freinds,

CAARI 2009

Tuesday, January 25

Tuesday, January 25 (Day in JNF Nursery and Speaker Program)
Dear Friends and Family,
Sorry, that we have been behind in writing the blog. We have been so busy – just didn’t get a chance to get it all down. But…now you have it. Today was forest day in the central JNF Nursery. We prepared trays of soil for others to plant seedlings. We were told that we do more work in the few hours we are there - than the employees do in a workday. We prepared over 3 pallets of trays – stacked 7 layers high! Even our bus driver, Moti, helped out. After a picnic lunch – yes, the weather was warm and sunny – great to be outdoors – we headed back to Tel Aviv for rest and for some shopping at the Tuesday Craft Fair.
We are looking forward to new people joining us today, but sorry to say goodbye to Nina and Rosalie. This evening we will be viewing a movie and meeting the Israeli producer, Yael Katzir. Another first for CAARI! Tomorrow we leave for a few days in the Galilee.
Our best to family and friends,
CAARI

Anice and Arnold Stark - Jaffa Tour

Each year on the CAARI program we do a tour of Jaffa, the clock tower, the square, the underground museum, and the old streets. This year - it was different! We went to the old American Colony (originally inhabited by Christians from Maine) where we saw one of the houses renovated from the 1800's with some of the original wood on the back and sides of the building. Aside from the slightly different shade, it was difficult to tell. Imagine - they brought this wood from Maine! We also visited a grand house which is now a hostel. It belonged to the Peter Ustinov's (the actor) Grandfather. There we met Pedro an architect who is in charge of the renovations and rebuilding of the area. He showed us original glass slides from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. The slides were shown on a projector from that era of life in Palestine, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem - what great views! He found this treasure of slides while cleaning out one of the old buildings. We ended our visit with a tour of the old Jaffa port which is also being renewed. They had just uncovered the orginal steps to the port built by the Turks. We couldn't help thinking of the people who walked these steps as they landed on the shores of Palestine. The renewel in the area is unbelievable. It will be a great place to visit next year.

'My Adventures' by Susan Stock
This morning we walked to school for our classes with students. We work with a few students during each class period, mostly conversation so that they get to practice speaking in English.
Lunch back at the hotel. This afternoon, our regular guide in CAARI, Neil Eisenstadt, joined the group. He is just back from serving in the IDF and was in Gaza. Needless to say, we were all happy to see him!
Our visit to the home of Hannah Senesh filed us with admiration for this your poet who lost her life during the World War II. It is a story of heroism and strength. I won’t go into it now, but you must read about her. Following our lecture and movie at her Kibbutz, Sdot Yam, near we had a sumptuous dinner while we watched the sun set over the sea in Caesarea.
We saw waves crashing against the shore, sending cascades of white water on to the beach. At the same time, we helped ourselves from dishes of delectable delights, including cauliflower, taboulie, and eggplant. The second course was sensational – Greek salad, green salad and foccacia filled our plates. Then came the main course, plenty of pasta, sweet potato ravioli – proclaimed to be the best dish of all. Then dessert – various cheesecakes and a chocolate tower cake with ice cream – of course, coffee and tea. Hungry??? We weren’t after all this! It is nice to get meal outside the hotel.
On the bus back to Tel Aviv, we listened to Neil, our guide; share with us a few of his recent military experiences.

Warm Regards to all,

Susan Stock