Every September, a new group of volunteers arrives in Mateh Asher.
For Ariel Yuker, Volunteer Coordinator for Shnat Sherut 50+, the journey always begins in the same way: a list of names, a room full of strangers and the excitement of a new beginning.
“I still remember our very first meeting at the regional council,” he says. “The names on my list suddenly became faces, and those faces greeted me with warm smiles from the very beginning.”
Those smiles reflected people who had chosen to step away from familiar lives and spend a year serving communities rebuilding after one of the most difficult periods in Israel’s history. They arrived carrying decades of professional experience, but also something less tangible: curiosity, generosity and a willingness to begin again.
A Journey of Growth
Over the months that followed, Ariel watched each volunteer find their place.
Some worked with children. Others supported older residents, community centres or local organisations. Each brought different skills, different life experiences and different ways of contributing.
“They were ready to give, to listen, to learn, to take initiative, to make mistakes and, perhaps most importantly, to rediscover the curiosity of childhood while carrying a lifetime of experience,” Ariel reflects.
For the communities they served, the volunteers became trusted colleagues and familiar faces. For Ariel, they became much more than participants in a program.
More than just a Volunteer Program
Like any meaningful year, it was not without its challenges.
Volunteers adapted to new communities, shared homes with people they had only recently met and learned to navigate unfamiliar routines. During periods of national emergency, they continued supporting local residents with courage and resilience, standing alongside the communities they had come to serve.
Those shared experiences created bonds that could never have been planned.
“It wasn’t always easy,” Ariel says, “but even during the difficult moments we never lost sight of why we were here.”
Somewhere Along the Way
As the end of the year approached, Ariel found himself reflecting on just how much had changed.
“It feels impossible that an entire year has already passed,” he says. “Somewhere along the way, you stopped being volunteers. You became friends.”
The relationships built over the course of the year extended far beyond volunteer placements. Volunteers became part of the fabric of local communities, forming friendships with residents, colleagues and one another. They celebrated milestones together, supported each other through challenges and created memories that will long outlast the program itself.
A Lasting Legacy
As one cohort returns home and another prepares to arrive, Ariel believes the programme’s greatest achievement cannot be measured only in volunteer hours or projects completed.
It is found in the relationships that endure.
It is found in communities that have gained trusted friends.
And it is found in volunteers who leave carrying a deep connection to the people and places they came to serve.
“As you return home and begin the next chapter of your lives,” Ariel wrote in his farewell message, “I hope you carry this year with you as proudly as we will remember having you here. Although you may be leaving Mateh Asher, please know that you will always have a home here.”
For Ariel, that is the true measure of success.
A group of strangers arrives in September.
A community says goodbye to friends.
