Her “number two” in the office, Bernard Kelly, 57, is born and raised in Manchester. Bernard first got to see Israel from aboard an aircraft carrier during his 24 years’ serving in the British Royal Navy, but it wasn’t until 2019 on the advice of an ex-military friend that he went to the country to volunteer.
Sar-El volunteers on an IDF base (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
Though not Jewish himself, his experience of the country was “incredible”, and he “absolutely loved every moment and wanted to get straight back” at the earliest opportunity.
Though unable to do so during the pandemic, he was finally able to return for a volunteering trip last year and will be returning again this Easter.
Some Sar-El volunteers in an IDF base in southern Israel (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
He now uses nearly all his annual leave to volunteer in Israel through Sar-El, up to two and a half weeks a year. His most recent trip last year saw him stationed in a southern military outpost carrying out a wide array of tasks, from organising logistics to stocking shelves, manning store counters and working in an armoury.
“A lot of my friends and family don’t really understand why I volunteer with the Israeli military,” Bernard says, “they just don’t get it. But after October 7, my elder brother seemed to have an epiphany and rang me up to tell me that he knows now why I do it.”
Sar-El volunteers in an IDF base in southern Israel (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
His favourite part about volunteering in Israel, Bernard said: “Tel Aviv on the weekends is always a highlight for me, but I love meeting a lot of Israeli Arabs too and dispelling the myth of Israel being an apartheid state. When I tell people back home that I volunteer alongside Israeli Arabs in the IDF, as well as Druze and other minorities, especially when I say they’re not scripted and that they choose to fight for the IDF, people can’t believe it. All the Israelis I’ve now met over the years, not one has ever moaned to me about having to do military service, never ever. In my service, we used to moan all the time. There’s a big difference in mindset, and that inspires me.”
Sar-El volunteers in Israel (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
He advises potential volunteers to not expect luxury: “It’s not an all-inclusive package tour, so do your research, read testimony from others who have done it, and pack a sense of humour. It will come in handy when you find yourself in sweltering heat in rustic accommodation. If you have that, you will have the time of your life, being led by your moral compass, surrounded by so many others from around the world trying to do the same.”
One person for whom Israel defied expectations was Marcell, 59, from Leicester. Despite being Jewish, Marcell had never been to Israel until, after October 7, he felt compelled to enlist in the IDF.
“I was told matter-of-factly that I was too old, but they did ask if I would consider volunteering,” he said. In January, Marcell spent two weeks volunteering in a Bedouin camp in southern Israel packaging and transporting food, hanging out with locals and other volunteers.
“Israel was nothing at all like I expected, and I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I thought it might be like a scene out of the Second World War, but when you arrive and see everyone surfing everywhere, all sorts of different people existing happily together, it shatters perceptions. How the world paints what’s going on there is almost comically different to reality.”
Sar-El volunteers on an IDF base (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
“Looking back, my volunteering trip feels quite surreal but vivid, like everyone was really living each day fully, presently, and in an altruistic way. Volunteering really takes you out of your comfort zone, but in the best way. I met so many amazing people and lifelong friends through volunteering with Sar-El, it was awesome,” he said. Marcell will again be returning to Israel to volunteer next month.
Volunteering in the Jewish State has also become a passion of Hugh O’Neill, 78, from Ireland.
Despite having a “fascination” with the Jewish State for many decades, it wasn’t until 2018 when he was past 70 years of age that he first made the journey. Since then, he has been back more than half a dozen times to volunteer and travel the full length of the country.
“Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve always admired that Israel came from nothing in its short life since 1948. I’ve read countless books on the subject, but there’s nothing like visiting yourself,” he said.
He had arranged to return to Israel late last year for a month-long volunteering trip with Sar-El but, forced to postpone after October 7, went instead this March. He will be going once again for a month in November.
Sar-El volunteers sorting out supplies in an IDF base in southern Israel (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
His trip in March was predominantly spent on an air force base in southern Israel with around 40 other volunteers from numerous different countries such as Norway, Canada, Ireland, America, and South Africa. Hugh estimates that “about a quarter” of volunteers were, like him, not Jewish.
That trip “felt different” to previous times, Hugh says, because “everyone was so determined to contribute and work hard towards a cause bigger than themselves. Israel is now the place to be if you want to be in the centre of it all, and to make a difference.”
Sar-El volunteers in an IDF base in southern Israel (Credit: Hugh O'Neill)[Missing Credit]
The “sense of camaraderie among the volunteers” on the base is what he most enjoyed about his recent trip. “Despite all being from very different backgrounds, we all got on with each other, supported each other, elevated the overall mood on base and made it easier for the soldiers to do their jobs.
“We arrive as strangers, but by the time we leave we’ve all made good new friends throughout the world,” he said. “I would definitely recommend that nearly everyone go to volunteer, so long as they arrive with the right frame of mind.”
British Sar-El volunteers in Israel[Missing Credit]
Sar-El supports potential volunteers throughout the application process from the moment they first enquire, screening applicants and helping to arrange the relevant paperwork, visa, and medical forms. Leigh says the country’s demand for volunteers is likely only to increase if the exchanges with Hezbollah in the north were to continue to escalate, though demand will continue either way after the war as the IDF will need to resupply and replenish.
“The number of UK and Irish volunteers are fewer than some, but they remain a significant part of the country’s essential voluntary force, and Israelis are so grateful for it,” she said.
