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I'm at Seatac Airport (SEA) at the gate for my 10:00 A.M. flight LY9468 through Newark to Tel Aviv. I'm volunteering for the IDF through their organization "Sar-El". Usually, volunteers do warehousing work on base, live in the barracks, and eat with the soldiers. I believe in transmogrification. For three weeks, I'm freeing up an 18-year-old Israeli kid with an M16 to go into Gaza and kill ham ass. I'm 62 and fit, and I can do the warehousing work that a soldier would otherwise have to do, and they can go to the front. Through the magic of transmogrification,...

I am in Israel for 3 weeks volunteering in logistics for the IDF through “Sar-El”. Many of you asked for regular Situation Reports, and this is my first one for the first week. Primer Please see my original post for why I’m here, and the nature of Sar-El: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4237961/posts Tel Aviv • Young: Tel Aviv is filled to the gills with young people. The ages on the street appear to be 20-35. If you’re a single Jew below 35 anywhere in the world, I recommend you RUN to Tel Aviv. The girls are extremely good looking, the weather is hot,...

I’m in Tel Aviv getting ready for a night on the town. This week in the IDF was great! Here are my impressions: This Week’s Mission: Packing boxes of shelf stable food for frontline troops in Gaza. Team: 50 people from around the world with many Brits, Aussies, Canadians, Americans, Brazilians, etc. Unlike last week’s uniquely fit team, many of the participants had compromised health situations. Clearly they were chosen for this work because many roles were seated along an assembly line, and the physical requirements were limited. Results: 44,000 meals assembled and shipped into Gaza. Base: A large base...

Base: Navy Base in Eilat situated at the extreme South of Israel on the Northern tip of the Gulf of Eilat (or Gulf of Aqaba to muslims). Base Mission: Defense against incoming drones, rockets, ballistic missiles, etc. Freedom of Navigation. Base Conditions: The Navy lives up to its reputation as the most organized service. Better food. Cleaner base (essentially no trash). More disciplined soldiery. Weather: Daytime highs of around 107. Evening showers for bathing are in “cold” water that is room temperature: 105 degrees at 6:00 p.m. Borders: From the beach on the Southwest shore of Eilat, you can see...

I’m on the El-Al flight to Boston, just taking off from Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv. Here’s my last situation report, and a reminder that you can do this too! Previous Postings: Week 1 was building 328 new bunk beds in new barracks on an IDF combat training base. Week 2 was building 44,000 lunch meals for troops in Gaza, one of whom I bought drinks in a bar, and had eaten lunches we packed. Week 3 was making 3 meals a day for the Navy in the Eilat heat. Now for a wrap up of the last weekend, afterthoughts...