Volunteers for Israel is opening a new program in which participants spend one week volunteering at an army base and one week working with the Israel Antiquities Authority on an archaeological excavation.
Volunteers for Israel (VFI) is a not-for-profit organization which, in partnership with Sar-El, has enabled thousands of Americans to volunteer at supply and logistic bases of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). For the first time, VFI is expanding their program and partnering with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to include a week of archaeological excavation in the volunteers’ experience.
In May 2018 the IAA opened a new exciting excavation at Tel Assar. The site dates to the Chalcolithic Period, a 1000 year span from about 4300 to 3300 BCE, marking the massive transition from the Neolithic Period into the Early Bronze Age. With about 300 archaeologists and workers at the site, the excavation is a large undertaking and promises to yield exciting discoveries. Tell Assar is located near the town of Pardes Hanna-Karkur in the Haifa District.
IAA Volunteers at the Site
In addition to a week on an IDF base and a week at Tel Assar, VFI is partnering with GIL Travel to provide the volunteers with about 4.5 days of private guided tours throughout Israel. The unique combination of tourism, excavation, and volunteering with the IDF is designed to give volunteers an experience of modern Israeli culture as well as raise awareness of the country's historic past and archaeological treasures.
VFI PLUS ARCHAEOLOGY is a 14 day program from Nov. 18 - Dec. 1. Work days are Sundays -Thursdays from 6:30 to 2:30. Volunteers ages 17 and above are welcome. Applications will be received until September 30. For more information or to apply, visit VFI's website.
Photos, Courtesy of the IAA