Esther Seif – Kibbutz Kvutzat Yavne 2017

“From the moment I arrived at Kibbutz Kvutzat Yavneh I knew I had found the support system I was hoping for, provided by Garin Tzabar. My kibbutz isn’t just my home away from home and my Garin my friends, Yavneh is my home and my Garin is my family.”

My name is Esther Seif and I made Aliyah from New York. I am currently a year into my military service in the International Cooperation Unit of the Israel Defense forces.

My job includes working with the United Nation Peacekeeping forces in Syria and Lebanon to prevent any escalation of hostilities and maintain the quiet along the northern border of Israel.
Prior to my Aliyah my biggest fear wasn’t the drafting process or the experience I would have in the army. With most of my family and friends back in New York, I was concerned I would be left without the support system that the average Israeli takes for granted while approaching the drafting to the IDF process.

Yet from the moment I arrived at Kibbutz Kvutzat Yavneh in August 2017 I knew I had found the support system I was hoping for, provided by Garin Tzabar.
Beyond the warmth with which the kibbutz greeted us, the incredible staff that take care of our every need, and our adoptive families that opened their homes and hearts, my fellow participants became my family. Each of us is undergoing a uniquely challenging experience in the army that neither our friends and family back home nor our Israeli peers can fully understand, but our Garin is always there for us.

Coming home on weekends provides me with the strength to overcome the hardships of the weeks ahead and give the same support to my friends. My kibbutz isn’t just my home away from home and my Garin my friends, Yavneh is my home and my Garin is my family.