Volunteers of (America)

Morning maniac music

Parental advisory: If you don’t recognize the title/subtitle, you’re too young to read this article.

Introduction

We woke up last night at 3:39AM to an air raid siren. The night before at 4:21. The Houthis are firing ballistic missiles at Israel.

Morning maniac music.

My niece Rebecca came to Israel from Brooklyn to volunteer for a couple of weeks. She got in a few days early and she’s hanging out with us until the program starts. The 3 of us are sitting under a blanket in the safe room, shivering in the cold of the night until 10 minutes go by and we can go back to sleep.

Except that sleep doesn’t come so easily.

I don’t know what to write this week for my newsletter.

Deadly writers block.

Later this morning, I got a WhatsApp message from a cousin. Jan is a physiotherapist (actually a PhD) and she volunteers in a group that goes all over the country treating soldiers with massage and first-aid for aches, pains and musculoskeletal issues.

And it came together.

I’ll write about volunteering.

Why volunteer?

The simple answer is that there is an infinite demand for volunteers in your community. Young people with disabilities, old people who are lonely. Farmers up North who need help picking crops because the regular farm workers don’t come in because of the war. You can meet that demand and it doesn’t cost you much.

You get back more than you give.

I volunteer a day / week in the local PT clinic. I started on October 8. I work with the admins, make phone calls, and produce reports. Sometimes, I’m just calling people to remind them to come into the clinic for their follow-up visits.

These moments of warm human contact feel good.

What should you do?

These moments beautifully illustrate the arc of voluntary giving in the construction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) as told in the Torah.

In Parashat Trumah, God instructs Moses to speak to the children of Israel and build the Tabernacle.

“Speak to the children of Israel and have them take me an offering, take my offering from all whose hearts move them to give”.

The verse talks about volunteering from the heart.

Note the language “take me an offering” not “give me an offering”.

Take something you would not normally give to someone else. Not a hand-me-down. Take something from yourself. Something that is special to you.

Your time.

My niece Rebecca is a pre-school teacher in Brooklyn. Last Friday, she called us and said she was coming in Sunday afternoon and could she hang out at our house before the program started on Thursday.

Rebecca is on a program called Onward that places Jewish people over 18 in volunteer / intern programs in Israel for 2-12 weeks at a time. 2 years ago, in the summer of 2023 - I had 2 Onward interns in FlaskData working on an AI project. You can read about the amazing time we had over here “Moneyball for drug research”.

After Oct 7, Onward shifted focus to bringing volunteers to help farmers in Israel bring in the crops.

My cousin Jan is a physiotherapist. Jan has a PhD in anthropology and wrote the definitive book on the theory of gait. She and her husband Mike live in Jerusalem. Jan volunteers in a group of expert Israeli therapists that go out to IDF bases. They provide massages, and fix various ailments. Here are a few:

Jan with a satisfied client

Very basic field conditions. Our treatments got interrupted by a drone attack

Lots of knee problems

How much should you do?

Is there such a thing as “too much of a good thing?”

Later, in Parashat Vayakhel (Exodus 36:5-6), the response is so overwhelming that Moses has to tell the children of Israel to stop:

"The people are bringing more than enough for the work the Lord has commanded to be done."

The volunteering comes full circle—from an open invitation to give, to the rare situation of too much abundance. It highlights not just material generosity but also the spirit of community and dedication that is the hallmark of volunteer work that comes from the heart.

The story of the children of Israel volunteering contributions to the Tabernacle, culminating in bringing more than enough, reflects profound themes of leadership, collective engagement, and the delicate balance between inspiration and boundaries.

Moses begins by casting a clear and compelling vision: "Build a sanctuary for the Divine."

The project isn't just about construction—it's framed as sacred work that elevates everyone involved.

Great leaders connect individual contributions to a higher purpose. This taps into intrinsic motivation, fostering voluntary participation rather than obligatory compliance.

Leaders who inspire teams with a compelling “why” will always see greater engagement than those who focus solely on tasks and metrics.

The shift in Perspective

To my colleagues aged 45-60 in biotech, frame your new venture as a way to build something lasting—a business, a product, or a service that enriches others while creating personal independence.

From → “Earn more and retire early.”

To → “Turn your experience into something that frees you and uplifts others.”

Afterword

When I was thinking about what to call this piece, the first thing that popped into my head was “Volunteers of America”: the protest anthem that Jefferson Airplane performed early morning at Woodstock in 1969

Grace Slick is iconic.

This coming week, I’ll be writing on LinkedIn about volunteering for people aged 45-60 in life science. Look for my posts - every day at 830 Eastern.

And maybe we’ll do some iconic rock ’n’ roll too.