After 3 months of Voluneeting in karmiel- Misgav region, 4 "Otzma"'  Voluteers from Pittsburgh are saying Good-bye to the region & Summing up their Experiences.

As a Good-bye present for Karmiel absorption- center (where they have lived) they draw a Mural, of the sky-line of Pittsburgh & the sceneries of Karmiel & Misgav.

Jonathan Steinberg

While eating falafel the other day in Karmiel, I was asked a question that stuck me because of its uniqueness.  Normally American Jews in Israel are asked the obligatory questions regarding impressions, opinions, and flaws between Israel and the Diaspora.  However, I was asked a simple, yet unpredictable question, “tell me something you’ve done here that you never would have imagined yourself doing before arriving here”.  Without hesitation I reverted to one of my weekly volunteer activities. 
Every Monday, fellow Otzmanikit Jenn Putterman and I, take a treacherous twenty minute cab ride along the twisting, narrow, yet well paved roads of the Galil and arrive at a small, extremely poor Bedouin village named Arab Al-Naim.  There we are greeted by roughly fifteen young Bedouin children, whom are always eager to touch our hair (mine blonde, and Jenn’s curly) as well as welcome us with gracious smiles and outstretched arms.  We spend the next few hours together playing games and doing art projects with them in the school, the only building in the entire village with electricity and running water.  Language communication in these situations is normally a must, however these children do not speak a word of English, Hebrew, or even Arabic; they are deaf.  However, we have picked up a few important words in sign language that ease our time and allow us to feel more connected to the kids.  Because they can not hear us, they pay particular attention to our facial expression, gesticulation, and composure, making communication smooth. 
As we get ready to say goodbye to our kids at Arab Al-Naim we leave with unique memories that will forever be with us.  Although we previously knew that spending a year in Israel would open our eyes to different views and situations, we never expected something so off of the beaten path to be so fulfilling. 

Jennifer Putterman

My volunteer experiences in the Karmiel region have been indescribable. I've worked in a soup kitchen, a food bank and clothing warehouse, taught new immigrants from India in the Merkaz Klita, and spent time interacting with the youth in the local Bedouin population. I've learned how to communicate through smiles and gestures, when in many cases I shared no common language with the people with which I was interacting.
      Twice a week from 5-6 pm, I, the art lady, held art class in the bomb shelter of the Karmiel Merkaz Klita for anyone and everyone willing to attend. After a long day of school, and learning a new language, these new immigrants from ages 4 to teen, many from India, were all eager to attend. Using our little Hebrew combined between the both of us; we made clay sculptures, portrait drawings, watercolor paintings of our favorite animals, and holiday decorations such as dreidle people and snow man from cotton balls. One of the favorite activities was beaded jewelry, kids as young as 5 would stop fighting with her brother or sister and sit patiently with fishing line and beads to make a necklace or bracelet. When the hour was up and the kids would have to go upstairs, back home for the night, they would all complain and linger as long as they could. Some would follow me home and ask when I was coming back. We would hug and smile and say bye for now, many of whom I would see an hour or two later walking around the Merkaz Klita proudly wearing their new jewelry, which they later wouldn’t take off for days.
      Some of my most memorable experiences took place in the Bedouin village of Arab al Naim, about 20 minutes outside of Karmiel. This village consists entirely of simple shelters, of just one room family homes made from scraps loosely adhered, goats wandered around us, as children played in the dirt roads. I worked in the school building, a temporary classroom, the only building with electricity and running water in the entire village. Once a week, a fellow volunteer and I organized after school activities for a group of very special children. This group did not speak Hebrew, or English or even Arabic. All of these students were deaf. At first this seemed to be an intimidating task, how was I supposed to teach these kids anything nevertheless even communicate with them? It turned out not only to be easier than I had initially thought, but also incredibly enjoyable and rewarding. We played games, using teamwork and logic, and led by example. We created beautiful artworks made of magazine collages expressing our likes, dislikes and dreams. We communicated through hand gestures, and motions, and smiles. Did I understand every little thing these kids were saying to me? No, but we were able to understand each other to an incredible degree. Each day the students left our hour with a new artwork, or knew how to play a new game. I left the village with some new signs to practice for next week.
I leave Karmiel knowing that I have made an impact on this beautiful city in the north. The community here let me know how much they appreciated my presence here in so many ways. Whether it is through the fact that 'Salachat Chama', the soup kitchen at which I worked, proudly displayed a newspaper clipping of an article from the local paper about the four young American volunteers, showing us off to everyone who entered the establishment. Or how when walking through the Merkaz Klita, my students would eagerly run up to me and greet me with a hug and 'shalom', as their parents would smile back and thank me for my work. As I leave I would also like to thank Karmiel for the impact this city and its community has had on me, as I carry with me these memories to last a lifetime.
Karen Gal-Or

When I first decided to come to Israel, I looked forward to expanding my Jewish identity in the one and only Jewish nation.  Unexpectedly, however, my Jewish identity became most clear in a small Muslim and Christian village in the mountains of Misgav.  Ras El Ein is a close-knit Bedouin community near Karmiel.  Twice a week, after a long day of volunteer work, Benjy and I board a taxi to this beautiful kfar to run an after school program for the children in the village.  Exhausted and cranky, the two of us barely speak during the twenty minute ride on those long and winding roads.  However, the moment we reach the moadonit, and see the smiling faces of Ahmed, Amal, Yara, Haia, Hanadi, and all our other remarkable children, we immediately feel better.  Even before we step out of the cab, they are running towards us calling our names and holding their arms out for hugs and rides.  When we enter the classroom, they sit down immediately and wait in anticipation for the lesson plan of the day.  Although we speak no Arabic and they speak very little Hebrew and almost no English, we never have trouble communicating our ideas and expectations to one another.
Every day, we choose one letter of the English alphabet and plan activities around this letter, including arts and crafts, singing, dancing, games, cheers, and foods.  Through the arts activities, in which they write each other cards, draw their dreams, make flowers, or design their own hats, we see how they each individually express themselves through their work.  When they’ve finished their project, they proudly write their name in both English and Arabic, and we hang their masterpieces on the wall.  Then we go outside for a fun and exciting game of freeze tag, leap frog, three-legged race, balloon shaving, or hot potato.  Although the games are always lively, they never get out of control.  The children play fairly, lose gracefully, and win humbly.  Sometimes while we are playing, I look around at these magnificent children and wonder why we in America do not instill these same values of maturity and appreciation in our own children.  After the game is over and we announce a winner, we go back inside and go over all the words we learned that day.  Each child receives a card with one word, and when we call their word, they jump up and repeat the word in both English and Arabic.  Every time they scramble to their feet, we give them candy and stickers and other small toys to remind them that no matter what, they are all winners.
Although the whole experience in Ras El Ein is incredibly meaningful to Benjy and me, we mostly look forward to the end of the day, when Benjy brings out his guitar and we all sing and dance together.  We begin with the “ABC’s,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” and “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”  Afterwards, we ask them to stand up and sing their favorite songs in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, and we all clap our hands and watch as the older girls perform wonderful dances with their hips and wrists.  Finally, we all sit down and sing, “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu,” or “Peace Will Still Come to Us.”  As we sing together this beautiful song, I always tear up a bit.  I think of how easy it would be to find peace if more people took the time to actually get to know one another.   I think of how the Muslim and Christian families of the village live together in perfect harmony.  Mostly, I think of how much I love these children and how much I will miss them when I move away from the North at the end of this track.  Although I know it sounds rather silly to say this, when we are singing together, I truly believe there will be peace one day in this war-torn country.

 Benjamin Gross

As I sit down to drink the juice of this delicious pamelo fruit I ponder two things. For one thing why are pamelos so delicious and irresistible? The other is my excitement for my next visit to the children's village. My days spent volunteering at the village has been a highlight of my Israel trip so far. Picture this, you walk into a room and feel that someone or something is about to creep up on you and attack. At first you might think   that you are in the Vietcong, but your not, you've just walked into a house filled with 8 boys over the age of 7 who think you're a jungle gym. Every time I go to spend time at the David house I am always engaged with the kids whether we are clowning around, playing computer games, or making fun of each other. Altogether there are 10 adoptive children (7 boys and 3 girls). Although my Hebrew is not good and neither is their English I am still considered a brother to all of them (they even call me "achi" which means "my brother" in Hebrew). I really feel like I am a part of a family here. When I try to talk to the kids it is either about food, football, or America. When we aren't talking we are pulling pranks on each other. Just the other day I almost got smacked in the face when one of the kids told me I had something on my shirt, but my reflexes were quick and I was able to thwart off his hand which was heading directly to my face. In re taliation I tickled him and also gave him three wet willies, which were later used on me as I was watching television. Two of the girls there are sweet hearts who give me hugs and smiles when I walk through the door. The other pulls pranks on me and hits me harder than any of the boys there; she is a force to be reckoned with. But I am not the only adult there. Chani, who lives in the village and is doing National Service, helps the children with their homework and makes sure that the horseplay doesn't get out of control. Besides my relationship with the children there is also something to be said about the parents of the household, who have to care for 10 adoptive children and one of their own.
Revital and Shachar are the parents who run the house and are doing a great job at it. Shachar works in Haifa and has to do the hour long commute from Karmiel every morning and then back again in the evenings. Revital is a teacher at the village and is due to have a baby girl in a couple months (who's expected date is on my birthday). They are a young married couple with one boy who is one of the cutest looking kids I have ever seen. He is almost two now with bright blue eyes and hair that goes down past his shoulders. The children treat the parents with a respect that I have never seen before in America. Although the kids are a little wild they always listen to their adoptive parents. One time when Revital came back from the hospital (she had terrible migraines) all the kids got up from whatever they were doing and asked her how she was feeling while going to give her a hug. Don't think though that these parents are soft though, they can and do give punishments for disobedience and are strict when they need to be. I think the main reason why the children treat the parents with respect is because the parents treat the kids with respect. Revital and Shachar talk to the children as though they were their own friends. This experience has shined new light on how I interact with children and I hold the experience close to my heart because I don't think I will ever be a part of something like this again. As I prepare to leave from Karmiel I will never forget the wonderful experiences I had in this beautiful city.