After October 7th: A Region in Shock
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Israel awoke to tragedy. Communities in the Gaza Envelope were among the hardest hit in the coordinated terror attacks launched from Gaza, and while the Merhavim Regional Council was not among those directly infiltrated, it quickly found itself on the frontlines of the national trauma.
Residents of Merhavim endured constant rocket fire, frequent sirens, and the chilling knowledge that neighboring kibbutzim and towns were under siege. Schools and public services were suspended. Families sought shelter. The rhythm of life was shattered.
Then came the next wave: displacement. Merhavim became a safe haven for evacuees from communities like Kfar Aza and Re’im. Homes were opened, public buildings repurposed, and support systems scrambled to respond. The council’s emergency teams were pushed to the limit – all while grappling with their own collective grief and uncertainty.
Amid this backdrop, a new kind of partnership quietly began to grow.
A New Initiative, A New Kind of Volunteer
Elul’s Shnat Sherut 50 Plus program, launched in the wake of October 7th, brings together adults aged 50 and over – all with professional backgrounds – for a full year of volunteering in Israel’s most affected communities. The volunteers do not come for a short stay. They live alongside the people they serve, embedded in the rhythm of community life.
For Merhavim Regional Council, the program offered something rare: people with time, skills, emotional intelligence, and maturity, willing to roll up their sleeves and respond to needs as they emerged.
From Doubt to Trust: The Perspective of Naama Elankari
Naama Elankari, Director of the Merhavim Community Center, was involved from the very beginning. Initially, she admits, the idea seemed like a distant dream.
“One could say it seemed like an interesting dream – but not quite realistic,” Naama writes. “It was hard to believe people would leave their homes for a year to volunteer and be with us.”
But then the volunteers arrived.
“As time passed, and especially as we got to know the people themselves, it all became much more tangible and positive. Professional individuals arrived, offering their time and skills – not only for the roles originally defined but also for many new needs that emerged along the way.”
This flexibility – the ability to respond to what the community really needed – became a hallmark of the Merhavim-Shnat Sherut 50 Plus partnership.
Working Side-by-Side with the Community
Today, the volunteers in Merhavim serve in a variety of impactful ways:
- Supporting education: Working with students at Nofei HaBesor High School, offering both academic mentoring and emotional support.
- Strengthening the community center: Helping run events, design outreach materials, and support logistics at the Merhavim Community Center itself.
- Working with isolated seniors and families: Visiting homes, accompanying social workers, and offering companionship and creativity.
- Offering professional insight: Several volunteers have contributed not only their time but their expertise – in organizational development, marketing, or design – helping local teams reflect on and refine their approaches.
Naama explains how this external perspective has often served as a quiet catalyst for growth.
“In addition to their professional knowledge and abilities, I sometimes witness how new perspectives and experiences from other places help us reexamine things – and that’s a good thing.”
Learning Together
Of course, being part of a pilot program has come with challenges – logistical coordination, housing, schedules, and communication all had to be worked out along the way. But Naama emphasizes the willingness to learn together as the key to success.
“Yes, there were some initial challenges, but we learned a lot from them, and going forward we’ll do this even better.”
She adds that the openness and commitment of the volunteers made all the difference:
“I see their connection to the community and the places where they live. I see tangible results from their activity.”
A Model for Others
As one of the founding partners in Elul’s Shnat Sherut 50 Plus initiative, Merhavim has become a model of how this program can work – not as a replacement for existing services, but as a powerful addition to them. Volunteers bring bandwidth, warmth, and professionalism to systems under pressure.
And perhaps more than anything, they bring a message that has resonated deeply in Merhavim: you are not alone.
“At this point,” Naama writes, “we can wholeheartedly recommend the program to any local authority. Good luck!”
Shared Resilience, Shared Future
The success of Elul’s Shnat Sherut 50 Plus partnership with Merhavim is not only measured in numbers or hours volunteered — though those are substantial. It is seen in classrooms where students smile again, in homes where seniors feel seen, and in the quiet confidence that someone is here, day in and day out, walking alongside the community on its path to healing.
As Merhavim continues to recover and rebuild, it is also helping shape this new model of national service – one that honors the strengths of older adults and trusts communities to define their own needs.
This is what partnership looks like. And this is just the beginning.
