This past Friday, student groups of Hillel Israel traveled to the Carmel Forests to hold a special day of service with the aim of assisting in the recovery efforts of the area after the fire disaster of last winter. The Day of Service is planned to become a tradition in Hillel Israel with the overall aim of strengthening the connection between social action and Jewish identity in Israel.

As part of the day’s activities the participants volunteered in sites within the forests and together with Jewish National Fund staff evacuated debris remaining from the fire and assisted in building infrastructure to defend various place in the region from future fires. In addition these activities were accompanied by joint study of Jewish texts and issues related to communal responsibility and involvement. This volunteering day is part of Hillel Israel’s diverse activities in the areas of social action as means of promoting and developing a pluralistic Jewish identity amongst Israeli university students.