Sar-El
Sar-El (Hebrew: שר-אל ) is a volunteer program in the Israel Defense Forces . Sar-El is a Hebrew acronym for "Service to Israel" ( Sherut leJisra'el ).
Tasks of the program
Every year around 5000 volunteers from all over the world do unarmed service for several weeks in the Israeli army. Apart from board and lodging, this is unpaid and consists mainly of auxiliary activities in the areas of medical services, logistics, material management, meals and repairs. In order to participate in the program, you must be physically fit and be at least 17 years old (from 16 years accompanied by an adult). Unlike Machal , the program is also open to non-Jews. In the meantime, the service at Sar-El is accompanied by an extensive information and cultural program, which gives the participants an intensive insight into Israeli society.
The participants in the program do not carry any weapons and are not used in acts of war. Although they wear the working uniform of the Israeli armed forces with blue and white shoulder boards, they are not soldiers , so that their deployment does not usually conflict with the defense laws of their home states. In 2019, a Swiss military court ruled that participation in the Sar-El program does not constitute treason by joining foreign armed forces and acquitted a Swiss pensioner of a corresponding charge on all points.
history
The program was founded in 1982 by Brigadier General a. D. Aharon Davidi , when the crops of some kibbutzim were threatened during the general mobilization in the 1982 Lebanon War . Davidi then recruited over 600 volunteers in the USA to help the troops so that enough reservists could be sent home to bring in the harvest in Israel . The program was continued at the request of the first volunteers and was later opened to participants from other countries.
Structure and process
The program itself is run by a civil organization of the same name, which examines the incoming applications and then assigns the participants to the individual locations for work performance. The program coordinator is Miri Sharon. There is also a small support unit in the Israel Defense Forces themselves. This consists mainly of about 30 conscripts who take care of the program participants, i. H. arranges the daily work, organizes the evening events and excursions and supports the volunteers with problems. Female conscripts serve as madrichot (supervisors) there. English is generally used as the lingua franca between the support staff, and there are supervisors with French language skills for around 25 percent of the Francophone program participants. The volunteers usually work on the bases for three weeks and can use a hostel in Tel-Aviv at the weekend. There are also special one-week programs for participants with little free time. In spring, program stays of two weeks are also offered before the Israeli public holidays. Israeli citizens who have not completed their military service can solve the problem with the Israeli military replacement authorities by serving a few months at Sar-El and receive pardon in return. Israeli citizens who are not admitted to military service due to a disability can also work as volunteers at Sar-El. The program enables the inclusion of people with disabilities in the Israeli armed forces. The approximately 10 percent Israeli program participants, as Hebrew speakers, do not depend on supervision and are therefore often deployed outside of the supervised program, especially since their program participation usually takes longer. There is also the possibility to do service with civil organizations (e.g. hospitals) via Sar-El. In some countries, such as the USA and France, there are independent non-profit organizations that provide information about the program and recruit volunteers. In Germany, the preliminary talks are held through the Jewish Agency. Major dR Frank Dirksmeier informs the reservist association through lectures about his time as a volunteer at Sar-El
Individual evidence
- ↑ Der Spiegel, see weblinks
- ↑ Jeremy Sharon, Swiss man cleared of treason after trial for volunteering for IDF , Jerusalem Post , November 26, 2019
- ^ Mark Werner: Army Fatigues: Joining Israel's Army of International Volunteers, 2008, New York, ISBN 9781934440087 , p. 23ff
- ↑ Overview of the duration of the program stays, Sar-El, accessed on December 4, 2018
- ↑ Overview of the origin of the program participants , Sar-El, accessed on December 4, 2018
- ↑ Participation rules for Sar-El , Sar-El, accessed on December 4, 2018
- ↑ Brief introduction to Sar-El , National Council for Volunteering in Israel, accessed December 4, 2018
- ↑ le volontariat civil en Israël (French support organization), accessed on December 4, 2018
- ↑ Volunteers for Israel , accessed December 4, 2018
- ^ Dreifke Jürgen, An Army for Europe, Loyal vom Loyal (magazine) 2012 / Dec, page 35
Web links
- Official Sar-El website (only in English, partly in Russian)
- Experience report from a Sar-El volunteer
- Moritz, Baumstieger: Holidays in uniform. Spiegel Online , April 12, 2010, accessed May 28, 2012 .
- Bridges, Timo: For vacation in uniform in the Negev desert. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 1, 2011, accessed on February 27, 2019 .
literature
- Mark Werner: Army Fatigues: Joining Israel's Army of International Volunteers , 2008, New York