Wonderful 2 weeks volunteering in TSAHAL

[philtang]

Aharon Davidi (born 1927) is an Israeli general and has founded the Sar-El volunteer program of the IDF .
He was born in Israel in as son of a Ukrainian immigrant family. From the age of fifteen, he served with the Haganah and Palmach. In the Israeli War of Independence (1948) he fought in the southern front with the Negev Brigade where he met his future wife Hassida.
In 1953 Davidi volunteered for the new IDF paratroopers as a company commander. In the following year the unit was very active in retaliatory operations and other dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Davidi and his company supported Ariel Sharon’s Unit 101 in the raid on Qibya and they have remained close friends ever since. He was decorated for actions in the Gaza strip in 1955. In the Sinai Campaign, Davidi, now Lieutenant-Colonel and regimental commander, played a decisive role in the battle of Mitla Pass. From 1965 to 1968 he, now colonel, was the first commander of the IDF Paratrooper and Infantry Corps. During the 1967 Six Day War, Davidi commanded the decisive actions to capture Sharm-el-Sheik. When Raful Eitan was wounded in action, his paratroopers were led by Davidi to the Suez Canal. In 1970 he retired as Brigadier from active military service and went for three years to University of London to earn his Masters and Ph.D. degrees, focused on the cultural problems of Chinese minorities. Davidi started to teach geography at Tel Aviv University in 1974. Three years later he moved to the Golan Heights as Director of Community and Cultural Activities of the Golan and Jordan Valley. In the summer of 1982, during the Lebanon war, Davidi founded the Sar-El IDF volunteer program.
Davidi now lives in Ramat Gan and has three children, eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aharon_Davidi"

[Bigduke1]

...hope you r are not MIA? Can´t wait to hear a new story, new pics!!!
Frank

[philtang]

Originally Posted by Bigduke1

...hope you r are not MIA? Can´t wait to hear a new story, new pics!!!
Frank

my computer is out of order, next week you will get more news and photos, bye

[Bigduke1]

Originally Posted by philtang

my computer is out of order, next week you will get more news and photos, bye

good to hear!!!!!!

[philtang]

sorry! i just got my new computer
i was at the same paratrooper base, everything was fine, i saw a lot of israeli commandos training and also american infantry which jumped with the IDF.
be happy: the BET ODED hostel has been restaured and is quite acceptable now! if you want i have the phone number of the soldier house in jerusalem, well situated near the central bus station
watch my pics there:
good luck to you!

[Bigduke1]

...great!! Oh yes i would be interested in the soldiers house in jerusalem. Did you stay there? Do you know if it is possible to stay ar bet oded prior to the start of the programm? I will arrive on saturday, so i will need a place to sleep for one night.

Hope to get on a para base, too

best wishes
Frank

[philtang]

there is no transportation to tel aviv but expensive taxis on shabat!
you have the possibility to wait 7pm to get a train to HAGANA STATION in tel-aviv, then go to the central bus station (5mln walk to the west); from there take BUS 44 (follow the signs inside the CBT) and get down at first station in JERUSALEM steet (there are a lot of works in this steet)
the entance of BET ODED supposed to be on number 5 is in another walking path on the side of the building
SAREL has to tell them you are coming!
the arrival will be your hardest and more tiring day in your whole journey, keep cool!
have a good time...

[Bigduke1]

...thanks mate, these are realy valuable informations. I thought threre are those sherut taxis that follow the bus routes even on shabat?

best wishes
Frank

[philtang]

sherut line to tel aviv does not exist anymore because of the regular taxis complaint! only to/from jerusalem
when do you fly?

[philtang]

Do not forget to buy insignas and berets at the army shop in the central bus station
here is their website:
http://www.israeli-forces.com/
the price is a bit lower in the shop
bye

[Bigduke1]

...yes, contacted them a while ago. friendly bloke there!
bye

[Forums_Addict]

[quote=philtang;53686]Aharon Davidi (born 1927) is an Israeli general and has founded the Sar-El volunteer program of the IDF .
He was born in Israel in as son of a Ukrainian immigrant family. From the age of fifteen, he served with the Haganah and Palmach. In the Israeli War of Independence (1948) he fought in the southern front with the Negev Brigade where he met his future wife Hassida.
In 1953 Davidi volunteered for the new IDF paratroopers as a company commander. In the following year the unit was very active in retaliatory operations and other dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Davidi and his company supported Ariel Sharon’s Unit 101 in the raid on Qibya and they have remained close friends ever since. He was decorated for actions in the Gaza strip in 1955. In the Sinai Campaign, Davidi, now Lieutenant-Colonel and regimental commander, played a decisive role in the battle of Mitla Pass. From 1965 to 1968 he, now colonel, was the first commander of the IDF Paratrooper and Infantry Corps. During the 1967 Six Day War, Davidi commanded the decisive actions to capture Sharm-el-Sheik. When Raful Eitan was wounded in action, his paratroopers were led by Davidi to the Suez Canal. In 1970 he retired as Brigadier from active military service and went for three years to University of London to earn his Masters and Ph.D. degrees, focused on the cultural problems of Chinese minorities. Davidi started to teach geography at Tel Aviv University in 1974. Three years later he moved to the Golan Heights as Director of Community and Cultural Activities of the Golan and Jordan Valley. In the summer of 1982, during the Lebanon war, Davidi founded the Sar-El IDF volunteer program.
Davidi now lives in Ramat Gan and has three children, eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aharon_Davidi"[/quote]





Here is Aharon Davidi at about five and a half minutes into this youtube video

[prd_Is_Ally]

That's really cool to go over there!!! I envie(sp?) you for what you did. Definately a great way to go to one of our allies.

[philtang]

I invite all my friends in this forum to visit my page on FACEBOOK and watch my video and photos
http://www.facebook.com/bzhtanguy?ref=profile
i live you for 10 days for a reserve period in the gendarmerie forces (protection of our interior minister)
shalom

[Reform Jew]

Hey, I just added you, I have some questions about these programs!

[Reform Jew]

I just went through on the Sar-El program's sites...honestly I'm disappointed. I think it has nothing sence, 2 weeks, and you go home? Only money, in my openion only the MAHAL is the only GOOD for foreign Jewish people. That is the army, not Nadav or Sar-El! :(

[philtang]

we do not feel concern by what you wrote: we are not jewish , we are between 50 and 72 year old, we pay full price to come to israel, we pay our hostels the week-ends and we do not get any salary from the army....
if many jews from the diaspora wonder why we are coming, real israelis are always happy to see us and appreciate non-jewish people loving them and working hard in army bases.
i think you should have some respect for us!

[Forums_Addict]

Originally Posted by philtang

we do not feel concern by what you wrote: we are not jewish , we are between 50 and 72 year old, we pay full price to come to israel, we pay our hostels the week-ends and we do not get any salary from the army....
if many jews from the diaspora wonder why we are coming, real israelis are always happy to see us and appreciate non-jewish people loving them and working hard in army bases.
i think you should have some respect for us!

You have no need to argue your point Phil. You have opened up my eyes and quite a few others to the wonderful world of Sar-el. I think you are brilliant to share your experiences of it on here with such enthusiasm, There are too many people who say they want to help Israel, but are just wanting to pull the trigger and have no chance of that. Carry on doing what you do Phil and we all look forward to your posts, and thank you and take care.

[rafi]

Originally Posted by philtang

we do not feel concern by what you wrote: we are not jewish , we are between 50 and 72 year old, we pay full price to come to israel, we pay our hostels the week-ends and we do not get any salary from the army....
if many jews from the diaspora wonder why we are coming, real israelis are always happy to see us and appreciate non-jewish people loving them and working hard in army bases.
i think you should have some respect for us!

It was day 4 of the War now known as Lebanon 2. I had flown in from America with barely enough time to adjust (jet lag, heat, dehydration,
and so on). I arrived at the reservist reception base as one of the few "lucky" reservist who was going to get in on the action. Supplies were short (well known now), and everyone was struggling to get what they needed and to get up to where they were needed. We were standing in line getting our gear, when I heard the people behind the supply counter, all wearing IDF uniforms with blue ribbons on their epaulets speaking in english. They were being directed by two or three army age staff who were challenged with their own english. I asked who they were, and they explained to me they were a group of Americans who came to stand with Israel. They weren't Jewish, but believed in us and what we stood for. We exchanged some jokes, some awkward "thanks for serving" and then I began to spread the word down the line who these people were.

My education is in Organizational Psychology. There was no film, no song, no words, no speaker who could describe how the room lit up with energy.
I will never forget the experience. You heard about non-Jews who sacraficed for others because it was the right thing to do, and here they were standing in front of me. The gift that took place was inexplicable.

I imagine that gift took place over and over again duringthe entire time these people were there.

That is Sar El to me.

Seren Rafi *****
Israel Air Force Reserves

[Forums_Addict]

Bumping-up this thread (perhaps it should be a sticky?)