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Project Otzma: A Participant's Words

by Brian Blondy
Brian Blondy of West Bloomfield participated in Project Otzma in 2003-2004.

The years of 2003 and 2004, in retrospect, were the most pivotal in my life. I visited Israel for the first time on a five-day introductory Hadassah mission and instantly I was intrigued with everything I saw. I came home with experiences and goals to steer my life in a new direction. I knew I wanted to establish a deeper relationship with Israel. Project OTZMA offered just the extensive exposure I was looking for. After spending ten months learning, living and volunteering in Israel, I can say that my decision to be a participant on Project OTZMA was the most dynamic decision I have ever made.

OTZMA is a service-based leadership development program offering young adults ages 20-26 the unique opportunity to contribute and acquire an in-depth understanding of Israel and the Jewish people. For ten months, participants are exposed to a complete view of Israel’s complexion. The OTZMA experience allowed me to be woven into the fabric of the society while giving back and learning. Through volunteering in different areas of the country, I was given situations where I could make a difference for the Jewish people in ways I never could have imagined.

Upon arriving in the summer of 2003, as a group of forty one participants, we were absorbed into the beachside community of Ashkelon for three months. This was our introductory period as participants on OTZMA in Israel. We lived at a Mercaz Klita, which is an absorption center for new immigrants. It was home to hundreds of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. I found myself thinking at times about the stories of the people we were living with. It is sincerely humbling to think about my life of luxury in America to what most of these people have gone through to get to Israel. I came to Israel to give my time while in comparison many of these individuals came to escape persecution. It’s incredibly profound to think of how lucky my life has been. Project OTZMA gave me the outlet to see how others live their lives. With new eyes of your place in the world, it’s easy to see why how important it is to give back to your community.

Individually, we were given a selection of different volunteering activities. I choose to paint the homes of low-income families in Kiryat Malachi. Additionally, I selected a program to clean up and maintain the Ashkelon national park. Both were rewarding endeavors because of the instant impact I was able to make each day.

Every Wednesday, selected participants were bused to the small development town of Kiryat Malachi; just fifteen minutes to the east our home in Ashkelon. Kiryat Malachi is a very poor city in comparison to its counter-parts of equal size across the country. It is filled with complexes of low-income apartment buildings housing some of Israel’s poorest immigrants. On the outskirts of the Negev, the buildings of Kiryat Malachi look old and weathered from the sun and the sand’s daily blasting. Every apartment we entered had walls that spoke to us of the years they were neglected. I felt proud of every day I was able to volunteer in Kiryat Malachi. I wanted to put the same effort in their homes as I would do with my own. We scraped away the old paint and laid new foundations of hope with broad white strokes. Often the owners of the home(s) we were painting would stand in the corner with their arms crossed, watching these North Americans painting. I can’t imagine how they felt during these moments. It must seem absurd that these young people would travel across the world to paint their homes for free. Just standing there after the job was done makes you incredibly proud of yourself and what you’re doing with your life.

When I wasn’t painting in Kiryat Malachi, a group of ten Otzmanikim and I, volunteered to help clean up the Ashkelon National park. Each day, we accomplished a different task. For instance, one day we raked the park for garbage, accumulating dozens of garbage bags filled with trash that presumably littered the park for some time. Other days we de-weeded an archeological monuments built during the Roman period. One thing is for certain, it was hard work in the hot sun but I enjoyed the work.

After three months in Ashkelon, I moved to Detroit’s partnership region in the north of the country. The Jezerell Valley is home to Israel’s heartland, its farm region. The land is agriculturally rich, lined with kibbutzim and moshavim producing much of Israel’s produce.

Leaving a city such as Ashkelon, it’s surprising how different and unique the complexion of the Jezerell Valley is. Comprised of growing communities such as Nazarat Illit, Migdal HaEmek and Nahalal; there was a plethora of instant impact opportunities available for volunteering. Together with Detroit’s partnership office in Nazarat Illit, I found myself in good hands throughout the four months I was there with plenty of volunteering options.

In Israel’s first moshav, Nahalal was a unique opportunity to observe a tight knit moshav community. As an athletic individual, I gravitated towards activities where I could feel comfortable being active and physical. I volunteered at the moshav’s elementary school helping to facilitate a gym class of twenty-five 4 th graders. At times the class was challenging, the students were constantly testing my patience. I participated with the children in games of dodge-ball, basketball and I even taught them how to play American kick-ball. Our cultural differences were brushed aside as we played together, allowing me to absolutely forget that I was there to volunteer. I loved my Sundays in Nahalal because I just loved feeling like a carefree kid again. Today, my memories still linger as strong as the waif of cattle dung I smelled everyday on the moshav in Nahalal.

With Nahalal aside, I spent much of my week in Nazerat Illit, a city just to the east of Migdal HaEmek (where I lived). Nazerat Illit is the Jewish area right next to Nazareth. It resides on the top of the mountain range over-looking the landscape of the Jezerell Valley. It is home to the factory of Israel’s finest chocolate, Illit. I remember thinking to myself, as I first smelled the rich chocolate being produced, that the smell was not as sweet as what I was doing with my life. A strong statement indeed because most people will tell you that Illit chocolate is wonderful. What I accomplished in Nazarat Illit defined my year here in Israel. This is the area that I feel as though that I made the most impact.

Twice a week I taught English to middle school students for several hours each day. I was placed in an academic study lab where students would come and work with the staff to better understand the concepts of their English and Math homework. I was there to work one on one with students on their English. I received several consistent students every week, each with a different level of English comprehension. One of my students was completely inept and needed more attention than I could give him, another was such a star that I’m confident that she will do great things with her life because of the work she put into her studies. Every student was different and I tried to approach each of their needs individually. With my Hebrew/English dictionary by my side, I mostly communicated with gestures and broken Hebrew, looking up the Hebrew equivalent to say what I was thinking. They would always laugh at my Hebrew comprehension; I would laugh at myself too, my Hebrew is terrible. It would be too easy for others to throw up my arms in frustration from the difficulty of the situation but I loved the challenge. It forced me to teach in a universal manner that incorporated spontaneity and creativity. Looking back on the experience, I feel as though I helped their English comprehension for the short time I was there. They even taught me Hebrew in a situation where the roles were reversed. Admittedly, some of the vocabulary they taught me I still remember today.

Furthermore, I helped facilitate a basketball program for mentally disabled individuals. I found this activity to be my favorite of the year. Comprised of about forty individuals with different mental disabilities, each seemed extremely excited about playing basketball. When I would show up, many would crowd around me and say hello and shake my hand. They just had so much enthusiasm and happiness that their good attitudes were so contagious to be around. I tried my best to teach them the fundamentals of a lay-up, jump shot and dribbling, although I don’t think I was 100% successful. But looking back, I don’t think that was the point. It was a time for them to have fun and let loose and I’m confident that they had a good time playing basketball with me.

My ability to verbally communicate with them was difficult. Again, this was another situation where I had to develop creative ways to relate to them on different levels. I just didn’t speak Hebrew well enough. I was forced to rely on physical demonstrations and positive reinforcement. They absolutely responded to my praise, even though they didn’t know what I was saying. It didn’t matter, it was my tone and delivery that got the point across and they loved being noticed and complimented. I left the basketball court every night thinking to myself that I was making an impact on their lives. I realized that what I was doing was exactly the reason why I came to Israel. Giving my time to this group gave me so much pride. I am confident that their lives are richer because I was able to spend time with them. Truth is, my life is too.

At the end of my three months, the group threw a goodbye party for me. I was touched. All of the participants were smiling and saying things to me in Hebrew that I didn’t understand, others were crying that I was leaving. The whole situation was so sweet and endearing. I gave a speech to them and I told them how valuable they were and how they have helped to make my time volunteering in Israel fun and worthwhile. Often, I would see this specific look in the eyes of those whom I was helping. It was a universal look, free of translation and language. That look assured me that what I was doing with my year was justified. This was such a special group to be around, I deeply value the time I was able to share with them.

In addition to teaching English and sports programs, I also volunteered at two youth centers. These centers were designed to keep teenagers off the street, away from drugs and alcohol. Our role at the centers was to just maintain a presence for the kids if they needed to talk about what’s going on in their lives. After three months of volunteering at Hafuch al Hafuch and Nana, we became a valuable part of their lives. We served to offer advice about making the right decisions, doing well in school and being a role model for others. This was yet another volunteering activity where I felt as though the impact I made changed peoples lives for the better.

For the third and final track of the program, OTZMA participants were given the choice of either working on a kibbutz or taking on an internship in Jerusalem. I choose the internship in Jerusalem because I wanted to say that for a period of my life that I lived in Jerusalem. The idea of living in Jerusalem holds a certain resonance. I believe my life is richer for the experience. I cherish the idea of having the opportunity to live in a Jewish controlled Jerusalem for all of those who never had the chance.

Given the choice of where I wanted to work, I was looking for something that would give me a deeper understanding of Israeli culture. I decided to work at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Holocaust Memorial Museum. Yad Vashem is located just adjacent to Mt. Herzl on the western side of the city, near Ein Karem. Although it was a bit far from where I was living in Zion Square, the center of Jerusalem, I liked that on my drive to work everyday I would be able to see the entire city.

Volunteering at Yad Vashem was a completely different volunteer experience than what I had been involved with the past six months. I was in an office atmosphere where I was given small tasks to complete everyday. My responsibilities included helping to plan and set-up the materials for upcoming education seminars, typing Holocaust testimonies for the website and electronically filing documents on Yad Vashem’s database. I came away with a good idea of what an office setting is like and what should be expected of those who work in this environment. Of all of my volunteering activities, I found this to be the least challenging of the year. I went in with expectations that I would be constantly learning and come away with knowledge of the Holocaust to build on in the future. Instead, I had to work hard to learn and take the most that I could from the experience. Although this wasn’t the most successful volunteering activity I had, I’m happy that I had the exposure to such a challenging topic while I was here in Israel.

In addition to the volunteering, the friendships I made throughout the ten months I believe will last throughout my life. The intensiveness of how we lived together, created a unique atmosphere to really get to know one another. I found myself learning all the time from my fellow Otzmanikim. I have never been associated with so many incredible individuals for such an extended period. Project Otzma attracts a certain type of individual. To be around such quality people for a year is worth the price of admission in itself. These are the future leaders of our Jewish communities and I’m proud to have known them. It was a privilege and an honor to have shared my year with these people.

Through many diverse volunteering activities, Project OTZMA offered me the opportunity to step out of the bubble of the United States and put aside everything I felt comfortable with in my life to really experience Israeli culture and society first hand. I broke down my own security walls to observe the sensibilities of an area completely unlike West Bloomfield, Michigan and the United States. My life is fundamentally better for the risk(s) I took. The program exposed me to paramount Jewish principals of giving back to my community and importance of being a pro-active Jewish adult. I’m a stronger person for the experience and now I possess a connection to Israel that I never imagined I could ever have. Looking back, I have never had a year in my life where I learned so much. Project OTZMA allowed me to set the standards of my life at a higher level. I am a richer person for the experience.