Five Australians spent three weeks at Ramat Hadassah Szold as volunteers within the framework of the Jewish Agency’s Aviv Israel Experience program. They worked as counselors and helped teach the pupils English. Among the volunteers was Tali Katz from Sydney. “At first it was very uncomfortable,” recounts the 18 year-old, ‘with most of my pupils ignoring me. But by the final two weeks I had become very close to some of my students and I enjoyed every moment of my volunteering.”

Nicole Loewenstein, 20 from Perth, expressed similar sentiments. “I knew that volunteering at Ramat Hadassah would be the most challenging of the options,” she says. “I experienced something special with the kids and even if I did not impact on their lives they certainly impacted on mine.”

Tamuz 5764 - July 2004