Army Fatigues
Joining Israel’s Army of International Volunteers
by
Mark Werner
Why do thousands of people from around the world volunteer to work
on Israeli military bases? Why would they give up their vacation
time and pay their way to and from Israel in order to work very
hard there?
Mark Werner, an American lawyer and son of a Holocaust survivor,
grew up with a strong feeling of connection with Israel. With the
breakdown of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the outbreak
of the second Intifada in 2000 – suicide bomber attacks on
Israeli civilians – he wanted to support Israel in a more personal
way than simply “writing a check.”
He chose a program called Sar-el, “Volunteers for Israel,”
which places volunteers from all over the world on Israeli military
bases. The workforce provided by the Sar-el volunteers frees up
Israeli soldiers and makes an important contribution to the Israeli
army. Using his vacation time, Werner worked on an Israeli military
base side by side with Israeli soldiers and other volunteers. He
found the experience so rewarding that he returned for three more
stints in the following years.
Army Fatigues chronicles his experience as a volunteer in Israel
during some of the most stressed (Intifada) years in its recent
history. It focuses on the everyday lives of Israeli soldiers and
civilians, offering an insider’s view of Israel’s armed
forces, as well as a portrait of a democratic society structured
on self-defense. The author also explores the motivations of his
fellow volunteers, for whom volunteering is often part of a personal
journey.
Above all, this is the ongoing story of a middle-aged American white
collar professional stepping out of his comfort zone to make a meaningful
contribution to Israel and forge his own connections to it.
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