Important Message From Israel

I received the following note from my friend Pam, who runs Sar-El in Israel, which has civilian volunteers helping out soldiers on IDF bases.

I want to thank all of you for your e-mails & calls of support for the State of Israel & all the soldiers who are fighting so valiantly at this time. The soldiers really need to know that all of us are with them right now. Sar-El is doing its part in conveying this message to them. We have a very low percentage of volunteers who are leaving because of the situation. On the contrary, we have had many more people, young & old, who have signed up for the next few weeks BECAUSE of the situation—people who are paying very high airfares in order to come here. We thank all of you who are coming to join us.

We also thank all of our current volunteers who are working doubly hard at their bases. Many people are working day & evening shifts, without any complaints. They are working late on Thursdays; there are no trips during the week because there is work to be done & the army has cancelled all trips for soldiers. Our volunteers do not complain—they are happy to work; they are soldiers, too. This is what Sar-El is all about. It was created in a time of need and our volunteers are always available in times of need.

As you can imagine, the war is costing a fortune. The economy is suffering, tourism is down (except for our Sar-El volunteers). The army budget for “extras” such as trips, transportation, etc. will be affected. The Foundation which gets private contributions is a US tax deductible corporation. The Foundation has been able to buy many things for the volunteers at the bases, such as tools & equipment, refrigerators, museum trips, transportation, etc. All contributions to the Foundation are appreciated & you can contact me for information.

We also collected over 2000 shekels this week for special things for the soldiers up north. Yesterday Elaine, Kenny, Shira & I went on a fast shopping spree for snack foods, candy, drinks, toiletries, & sox for the soldiers. We delivered several carts full of items to a drop off place. The Table to Table organization will deliver it today directly to the soldiers on the front line. Gershon made dozens of his delicious cookies for the soldiers. In the near future, Gershon will be opening his new bakery here—Flo’s Pies & Cookies.

Sar-El has a special & unique connection with all soldiers in the IDF. We appreciate all of them & know that the soldiers who are now fighting up north or in Gaza are there for us—to defend & protect our country. All of us at Sar-El give them our total support.

I thank all of you for your hard work, prayers & support at this time.
If anyone wants to know how, email me at estherhoffmanAThotmail.com