“It was a wonderful experience”
Beit Ruth Volunteer Shares Her Village Memories

July 2022, by Elissa Einhorn, Beit Ruth Grants & Communications Manager

Beit Ruth is grateful for its many volunteers from throughout the world who come to live and work in the Village. Heidi Carmel spent May and June with our girls and staff, teaching English, spending time in the Art Studio, and participating in Sports Day, among other activities. We caught up with her at her home in Boynton Beach, Florida. Interested in volunteering? Visit www.beitruth.com/volunteer or contact melaniev@beitruth.com. 

How did you find out about Beit Ruth and why did you want to volunteer in the Village?

I volunteered for 11 summers at a Skilled Nursing Home in Beer Sheva that, unfortunately, closed during COVID. I was debating about what to do when COVID passed when an old friend reached out and said, “I have something up your alley that’s perfect for you.” They were donors to Beit Ruth. I went to the website and immediately sent an email. I was so excited because it was totally different than working with the elderly, although I had worked with children and teens for 30 years as school Social Worker. I also taught English as a foreign language when I lived in Italy for 3 years and Hebrew at my shul before COVID.

 You mentioned you’re a social worker and you’ve volunteered with senior populations – what did you learn about directly working with girls at-risk?

What was interesting and fascinating at Beit Ruth was meeting girls from all sorts of backgrounds – Muslim, Christians, Ukrainians, Ethiopians... I was impressed with how Israel, being a socialized country, gave them the necessary treatment. It was so important to see firsthand, girls getting the help they needed and deserved. I also was impressed that Beit Ruth helped them to maintain healthy contact with their families.

What were some special memorable times?

I’m very active so I started walking around the beautiful surrounding fields in the evening. I began bringing girls with me. I enjoyed taking one or two girls out of the Village, sharing experiences with them, and getting to know them on a more person level. One girl came off as very tough around her peers, but with me, she was very polite and sweet. Being one-on-one with her made all the difference in the world.

An “only in Israel” experience as I call certain things, is when I was with Sara* who is 15 years old. She helped me shop for gifts and while waiting for the bus to go back to the Village, she was telling me how she doesn’t trust anybody. A 40ish-year-old Ethiopian man overheard our conversation. He told her that he came from Ethiopia 25 years ago with his parents and grandparents. His mother died enroute and he was raised by his grandparents. He ended up being placed in residential care that helped him overcome many emotional problems. He told her, “I know you can do the same thing.” Sara listened attentively to this man and, I believe, realized that she, too, cold overcome her past.

Tell us about a fun day.

My favorite day was when girls from each the three houses went to a different neighboring Kibbutz to spend a couple of hours swimming and then went for pizza. I accompanied the girls and staff, and we had a wonderful time together – even before we left, making sandwiches together and just being together.

Each Kibbutz was surrounded by lush landscape and I was able to teach some of the girls to swim since they knew I was a swimmer. On the bus ride back, the girls said nice things about me which showed me that they truly accepted me despite my age! I felt so loved and appreciated by them.

What was most rewarding about the experience?

I really enjoyed Shabbat because it was a smaller group since many girls went home on the weekends. It was easier to have conversations with fewer girls over dinner and while cleaning up. It was real quality time – even if we weren’t talking, we were together and it was Shabbat.  

During the last Friday night that I was there, one girl said that I was always talking about my carrot cake, but I never made it. I asked her if there were carrots and then looked up online for the recipe and we made it!

The girls made a photo album for me and wrote notes like we’ll miss you; we love you; we loved having you here; and thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. That really touched me. 

I’m back in Florida now and I already miss the girls and staff. I will certainly visit when I return to Israel. It was a wonderful experience and I was so happy I was able to do it.

*Name changed to maintain confidentiality.