Just this past Friday at 4 p.m., Snunit Eisenstein, the long-time director of early childhood education in the Ramot Menashe kibbutzim, retired. By this week, she was already heading north, en route to a new and national mission.
Snunit is one of 21 men and women from across the country, most of them already grandparents, who decided to join the “Now is the Time – Shnat Sherut 50 Plus” program, pack their bags, and volunteer in the frontline communities of the Mateh Asher Regional Council.
“I feel like we’ve been complaining for so many years,” she says. “I decided to stop complaining and start doing, contributing to the repair.”
(Photo: Program volunteers during orientation tour in Hanita | Photo credit: Avihu Shapira)
This pioneering initiative, an Elul NGO project in partnership with JDC-Eshel and philanthropic foundations, seeks to transform the wave of volunteerism that erupted after October 7th from a short-term response into a far-reaching, professional movement.
The concept is simple yet revolutionary: recruiting retirees with rich life experience to help strengthen peripheral communities.
The volunteers will live in kibbutzim within the Mateh Asher Regional Council, such as Elon, Hanita, Matzuba, and Ga’aton, and support areas such as education, social services, and daily life, based on needs defined by the council.
Snunit will leave behind her partner and family in Ramot Menashe. Smiling, she says: “My partner supports me. I told my kids and grandkids, ‘Goodbye, take care of the kibbutz, I’ll see you later.’ I don’t yet know exactly what I’ll be doing. Wherever I’m needed, that’s where I’ll be.”
Ilana and Izzy Bonzio, aged 68 and 71, are coming from Rishon LeZion. Parents of three and grandparents of four, she is a group facilitator and he is an accountant and mediator. They don’t see their age as a limitation.
“After what we’ve been through, especially on October 7th, the whole issue of age gaps just disappeared,” says Ilana. “It doesn’t matter how old you are. We’ve worked enough years, now it’s time to give.”
This week, the volunteers arrived for a tour and orientation in the region where they’ll soon begin working. They say the official start will be on September 1st.
At Kibbutz Hanita, which was evacuated and hit by Hezbollah fire during the war – they were welcomed by several members who spoke about the founding of the kibbutz, the struggle to hold on to the land and to life just meters from Lebanon, and the efforts to rebuild the community after its disintegration over the past two years.
Adi Shani, a member of Hanita, did not try to hide her emotion at the visit:
“It’s inspiring. This desire to give is a trait of the Israeli people,” she says proudly. “I remember at the beginning, when we evacuated, the spirit of ‘how can I help’ was very present, and this is part of that.”
Ariel Yoker, head of the volunteer unit at Mateh Asher Regional Council, says:
“The meeting with the volunteers just confirmed how incredible their experience is, and how deeply they want to be part of rebuilding the North. I’m convinced this is a path that will continue for years to come.”
Yossi Heymann, CEO of JDC-Eshel, adds:
“This is a pioneering initiative that embodies Zionism at its best. We intend to lead the formalization of this effort as a national program.”
