Coming to Israel? Want to Help?

Suzanne Lieberman

3 days ago

4 min read

Last week, I was driving into Jerusalem when the traffic suddenly slowed down.

There was a car stopped up ahead near a checkpoint, and I’ll admit it: my first reaction

wasn’t particularly charitable.

What is he doing? Why has he stopped? Can’t he just move?!

You know. The usual patient, calm Israeli-driver response.

And then we got a little closer.

The driver hadn’t broken down. He wasn’t arguing with anyone. He wasn’t lost.

He was handing a basket of goodies to the soldiers.

And suddenly, I felt about two inches tall.

It was such a simple thing. He’d obviously decided that somewhere along his journey, he was going to stop for a couple of minutes and let the soldiers standing there know that someone was thinking about them.

No fanfare. No organized event. No Facebook post. Just a basket and a few smiles.

And it got me thinking about something I hear all the time when I’m planning trips to Israel.

“We want to do some chesed while we’re there.”

I love hearing that.

It comes up particularly often (but not always) when we’re planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah trip. Families want the celebration to be about more than the Kotel, the party, the restaurants and the touring. They want their child, and often the whole family, to do something meaningful while they’re here.

And there are lots of ways to do it.

It might be packing food boxes for families who need a little extra help. Preparing and handing out treats to soldiers. Volunteering in a soup kitchen. Spending time at an organization supporting children or adults with special needs. Helping farmers. Visiting a project that means something personally to your family and seeing its work on the ground.

Sometimes people have something much bigger in mind.

After October 7, for example, one of the most popular requests I received was: “Can we go onto an army base and make a barbecue for the soldiers?”

At the time, there were plenty of opportunities to do exactly that. Today, getting groups onto army bases is generally much more complicated, and can also be surprisingly expensive to arrange. So unless a family has the budget and there is a particular reason for doing it, it’s not usually the first option I recommend anymore.

But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing.

Because chesed doesn’t have to be big.

It doesn’t have to take an entire day of your vacation. It doesn’t have to involve a busload of people, matching T-shirts and an elaborate program.

Sometimes it can be an hour spent packing boxes.

Sometimes it can be buying lunch for a soldier.

Sometimes it can be visiting an organization and allowing your children to meet the people behind a cause they’ve supported from thousands of miles away.

And sometimes, apparently, it can be pulling over at a checkpoint and handing someone a basket of goodies.

The important thing is finding something that feels right for your family.

In fact, I’d love to expand the list of chesed opportunities I can offer families visiting Israel. So, if you’re involved with an organization or project that welcomes visiting families or small groups for meaningful, hands-on volunteering, please get in touch with me. I’d love to hear what you can offer.

And if you’re planning a trip to Israel and would like to include some chesed alongside the touring, eating, exploring and having fun, tell me what matters to your family.

We’ll find a way to build it in.

Because years from now, you may remember Masada. You’ll probably remember the Kotel. And you’ll definitely remember some of the food.

But you might just discover that one of the moments that stays with you most is the hour you spent doing something for somebody else.

If you're planning an Israel trip and want help deciding where to invest your time, your budget and your energy, I'd love to help you create an itinerary that's right for your family. You can reach out via my contact form

Coming to Israel? Want to Help?

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