When Douglas Murray addressed a London audience after a recent trip to Israel, he asked why there weren’t more Brits volunteering out there.
Now, thanks to the efforts of a north Londoner, Brits can do just that in a relatively hassle-free way.
Ronit Knoble, who has just come back from Israel, where she was picking oranges and clementines, has created a how-to guide to volunteering in Israel.
She told the JC that the idea for the booklet came from realising that there were many other people living in the UK who had the will to help but didn’t know where to start.
“Some people heard I had [volunteered in Israel], so I began getting loads of messages from people also wanting to lend a hand.
Recalling her visit, Ronit said: “It’s incredible to be in Israel now and to see just how overwhelmed with emotion and grateful people there are to volunteers arriving from throughout the world. But there are too few Brits.”
She said that while the volunteering was “easy”, its impact was “massive” and it “created a wonderful sense of purpose”.
A team of volunteers in Israel (Photo: Ronit Knoble)
She said: “You get picked up straight from the central stations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, stay in some cheap Airbnb, and meet people from all around the world of all ages. There’s nothing else like it. It’s the ultimate mitzvah.”
After the Hamas attack on October 7, thousands of foreign agricultural workers left Israel, leaving vital crops unpicked or unplanted. This, expounded by the approximately 350,000 Israeli reservists being called up in the weeks following, resulted in a massive shortage of unskilled labour in the country.
The idea for a document containing all the resources and links one would need to volunteer in the Jewish State came from a conversation with her friend, Andy Katz, who went on to co-author the guide.
Volunteer Andy Katz in Israel
Along with practical advice and tips for would-be volunteers, the guide explains accommodation options, arranging insurance and flights and offers numerous examples of volunteering opportunities.
Ronit said: “Some people don’t really want to go on these highly organised mission trips or are nervous about going on their own or think arranging such a trip is complicated.
“But this guide makes it so easy and straight forward. Now our mission is to get it out to as many people as possible. We see very few British people volunteering in Israel and, while Israelis didn’t want us in October because it was too dangerous, they need us now desperately.”
The Israel Volunteering Document is regularly updated and easily accessible online via the Sword of Iron Israel Volunteering Facebook group.
For further information, you can email: isvoluk@gmail.com
