Dr. Norman Weiss, an 88-year-old from Scarsdale, NY, who recently participated in a Jewish National Fund-USA volunteer mission, doesn’t fit the usual participant profile, but his extraordinary work and dedication speak for themselves.
Dr Norman Weiss volunteering in Israel
“Honestly, my age was a question,” Norman explained, “because the trip’s volunteering activities demand hours of physical labor.”
Norman is right. Jewish National Fund-USA’s missions are not for the faint of heart. Participants are advised to be prepared for long days and manual labor.
Norman's decision to join the volunteer mission stemmed from a heartfelt desire to make a tangible difference in the lives of Israelis affected by October 7. He and his daughter, Jackie Weiss, eagerly embraced the opportunity to contribute their time and efforts to the cause.
The missions are dynamic, addressing different needs as they arise and evolve, but at least six hours a day are spent volunteering. They do agricultural work, like picking produce that would otherwise rot in the fields. On Norman’s trip, their work also included cleaning and painting a schoolhouse in a kibbutz that had been evacuated and whose residents would hopefully soon return to a semblance of normal kibbutz life.
“The opportunity to do something for others,” Norman reflected, “That was a very powerful motivator for me going on the trip - apart from being a Zionist - the idea that, despite my age, I could be more than a passive onlooker in the world.”
In the Druze village of Julis, the group’s mission was to cook 70 kilos of chicken on small charcoal grills for hungry IDF soldiers stationed around the north.
“Someone suggested to Jackie that perhaps I would be happy putting labels on boxes,” Norman recalls. “She made it immediately clear that my choice was to cook.”
Throughout the trip, Norman's served as a testament to the power of determination and resilience. He relished the opportunity to give of himself, inspiring his fellow participants.
Norman Weiss painting walls
"The giver receives more than the receiver. Tzedakah, charity, provides the giver with a good feeling that lasts a lifetime.”
Norman has a longstanding involvement with Jewish National Fund-USA. Over the years, he and his wife, Bonnie, have played a pivotal role in initiatives that have enriched the country.
Time and again, punctuated by this mission trip, Norman has demonstrated his love for Israel.
“The rabbinic dictum that ‘all of Israel (the Jewish people) are responsible for one another, has become more personal to me since my recent trip. To be able to do something for Israel and the Jewish people at a very sad time was a gift to me and all of the volunteers who were there. These four days will live in my memory forever. I'm going to do my best to spread the word to everyone I know - even if they're 88 years old.”
Volunteer missions are continuing through December, 2024. To learn more or register, visit jnf.org/volunteeril