Every year many 11th and 12th graders from all over the world (especially from the U.S.) come to Israel for a week long stay. Do they sleep in the best hotels? Do they spend their time resting and sight seeing? Do they tour the country in ease and comfort? The answer to all these questions is NO! These students who come to Israel are immediately assigned to army camps where they wake up at 6:00 A.M. and start working. For these volunteers an army camp is like a family. These "families" work in groups of up to 2,000, and each member gives their best effort and does hard physical labor.

The real question is: Why are all these 11th and 12th grade kids willing to come to Israel and work under these grueling conditions? Why do these students, most of whom lead wealthy and comfortable lives, decide to come to here and work on an army base? The truth is that there are many reasons for their coming. Primarily, they are curious about the Israeli culture and way of life, and they are eager to see how Israeli youths of a similar age to their own handle army life.

Serving in the army is not easy, but it is a requirement for every healthy 18 year old male and female in Israel. Volunteers come here to experience a new way of living, thinking, and maybe even of adopting this lifestyle. Many of these foreign students who come to Israel are Jewish, and some of them are Zionist at heart. They come to Israel with great expectations of learning and understanding the country and its people so that, maybe someday, they will be able come and start a new life here in Israel.

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