Danielle Hod – Kibbutz Yechiam 2013

"Garin Tzabar gave me the privilege of having a second family, any difficulty or apprehensions were put away quite quickly knowing the support system I had through Garin Tzabar and my Garin

“I decided to make Aliyah with Garin Tzabar after I did a gap year program in Israel for a year. Living in Israel and understanding the culture, vibe and atmosphere made my decision one of the easiest ones I’ve had to make.

I lived on Kibbutz Yehiam with 30 Garin Tzabar Members soon to be lone soldiers from all over the world and what made this experience so unique was the difference within our cultures and how they came together, turning us into a family. We shared weekends together, shabbat dinners with hosts families, and even when we had the chance to go travel around Israel, for the most part we all preferred to come back to the Kibbutz.

Garin Tzabar gave me the privilege of having a second family that until this day share the same WhatsApp group created the day we started in 2013! We have shared celebrations, hardships, losses, gatherings and so many more turning points in our lives that have only brought us closer together. We all supported each other and were there for each other, because at the end of the day we all shared that similarity of leaving our homes to serve in the IDF. Being an IDF solider was an experience, and I mean it exactly as it sounds, an experience. It was filled with every emotion possible: rewarding, hard, empowering, fun, tough, and so many other emotions I can try to put into words but won’t fully be able to explain. What I can say though, is that it was worth it. It was worth the hard times with any obstacles put my way or fears I needed to come, as well as the moments that made me laugh and cry of joy and pride defending my country.

I learned the true meaning of friendship and family, not only through the immense support of my Garin but through our country, standing strong and standing together.

Any difficulty or apprehensions were put away quite quickly knowing the support system I had through Garin Tzabar and my Garin. Its a journey that I will be forever grateful for and will be instilled in my heart forever.”