Summer in Eretz Yisroel usually includes the sights of tour
groups and backpackers, vacationing families hoping to
capture some of the country's holiness before returning
home, and the sounds of all the world's languages
intermingling into a chorus of foreign chatter.
But this year the city streets tell a different story. Group
after group has canceled its scheduled visit to Eretz
Yisroel, and countless individuals have chosen to go
somewhere else for a "safe' for vacation.
Those groups that have not cancelled, however, are being
treated to a truly eye-opening experience. One such group is
JAM-Jewish Awareness Movement led by Rabbi Benzion Klatzko,
who brought 30 students from UCLA to Eretz Yisroel for three
weeks of touring, kayaking, climbing Masada -- and exploring
their Jewish identities.
According to Rabbi Klatzko, one of the major goals of the
trip was to expose secular students to the religious
community and to correct false stereotypes about them.
Where did he take them to achieve that goal? To the
headquarters of Ezer Mizion, a nonprofit organization in
Yerushalayim dedicated to assisting Israel's sick, elderly
and handicapped.
Confronting Stereotypes
When the students walked into the Ezer Mizion building, they
were given an overview of the organization and then had the
opportunity to assist by scrubbing and disinfecting 50
wheelchairs and making over 100 sandwiches for the Meals on
Wheels program.
What they received, however, was more than just a lesson in
the importance of helping others.
The students, who come from unaffiliated backgrounds, worked
alongside the Ezer Mizion staff, who are Orthodox. They
quickly saw that the staff, who provide services to all
Israelis regardless of their level of religious observance,
is more concerned about helping people than about people's
backgrounds.
Maya Zutler, a senior from California majoring in political
science, said being at Ezer Mizion "really opened [the
group's] eyes."
Zutler said that many non-Orthodox Jews in America believe
that Orthodox Jews only take the time to help members of
their own community. But she and members of her group saw
that at Ezer Mizion that simply wasn't true.
"It gave us an insight into the kind of work Orthodox Jews
are doing," said Zutler, "helping all needy people in the
community."
Jeremy Schwartz, a junior studying English and psychology,
was also impressed. He had recently learned what a gemach
is, and that Orthodox Jews run them for just about
everything imaginable.
"I didn't know that [gemilas chassodim] is what
Judaism stands for," he said.
A Meaningful Visit
According to Rabbi Uri Ezrachi, Director of Ezer Mizion's
International Division, the visit meant a lot to Ezer
Mizion. Dozens of sick and needy people will benefit from
the wheelchairs the students cleaned and the sandwiches they
prepared, plus many students expressed interest in donating
a bone marrow sample and joining Ezer Mizion's Bone Marrow
Database.
But even more than that, said Rabbi Ezrachi, the visit was
particularly important in light of the security
situation.
"Because of the security situation, many people want to know
what they can do to help," he said. "When thirty people come
and volunteer, that is a big help."
Weren't members of the group worried about coming to Eretz
Yisroel, particularly when so many other groups were
canceling their trip because of the security situation?
While some of the students were nervous, they said that the
situation actually served to make their trip more
meaningful.
"We knew there were security guidelines in place before we
came," said Maya Zutler. "And now that we are here, it's not
the focus. People don't sit around watching CNN."
Jeremy Schwartz agreed. "Israel is fifty-three years old and
it has always been under siege. If you say you'll wait until
there is no conflict, you'll never see the place."
And had the group not come, students like Zutler and
Schwartz may have never gotten a true look at the Orthodox
community.
According to Rabbi Klatzko, the group was extremely
enthusiastic about the trip to Ezer Mizion. He attributes
their enthusiasm to their newfound interest in Torah
values.
"Torah makes us care more about the world and makes us
passionate," he said.
And when they left Ezer Mizion, their enthusiasm for Torah
was even greater.
"They saw people at Ezer Mizion who had yarmulkes and
beards and women who had their hair covered," said Rabbi
Klatzko. "And they saw these people were helping children
who obviously are not religious and that it doesn't make one
iota of difference."
To members of the group, that made a very big difference.
