Volunteering with ALEH in Israel

Do you like working with children? Do you like making a difference? Then volunteering at ALEH is perfect for you!

Volunteers are an intrinsic part of the ALEH family, enriching the lives of ALEH’s children with their enthusiasm and love. For their part, our hundreds of volunteers can attest to the difference the children have made in their lives, impacting them immeasurably.

ALEH has a multitude of volunteer opportunities to meet each individual’s skill set, preferences, and availability.

At ALEH Negev, volunteers are placed in residential units where they will quickly become integrated with the staff. The tasks range from care-giving and supervision to assistance with activities and education. Your professional background and experience can be taken into consideration in deciding work placement. A minimum commitment of 4 weeks is required.

At ALEH Moriah – Gedera, volunteers will be accepted based on their professional background and experience, an effort will be made to place the volunteer in his or her field of work and expertise. Volunteers will be accepted for a minimum of 10 weeks at ALEH-Gedera.

ALEH Jerusalem offers a real hands-on experience with our ALEH children, which is why acceptance of volunteers is dependent upon a commitment of five months or more.

Help give ALEH’s children more reasons to smile

We are making a real difference in the lives of Israeli children with severe and complex disabilities, and you can too! By sponsoring one of our many trans-formative projects, you will enable our children, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, to live a quality and meaningful life.

Application Procedure and Forms

If you are considering volunteer work in Israel, please take into account that the circumstances in Israel are very different to that in other countries. The complex political situation, the summer weather, and various cultural differences may present challenge to foreign volunteers. Yet, they also make for an incredible experience. The most important thing is to come with an open mind and a positive attitude.

Interested in becoming a volunteer for ALEH in Israel? You can let us know by filling out the Online Application Form, together with the other required documents/forms listed under “What does ALEH need in order to process my application?“. In most cases, you will be contacted by e-mail several times during the screening process, and a phone/skype interview will be arranged with the volunteer coordinator prior to approval.

We recommend that you wait to book your ticket until after receiving official approval from ALEH. Once your journey is booked, we would like to receive a scan of your ticket.

For most countries ALEH can arrange for a volunteer visa (with a maximum of 1 year and a possible extension of one more year). This might take some time so please take that into consideration when you make your plans.

What does ALEH ask of me?

Volunteer requirements:

You are interested in working with children with severe intellectual and physical disabilities
You are at between 18-65 years old
You have a basic command of the English language
You are available for at least 4 weeks
You are in good health
You are responsible for your own travel costs to, from, and within Israel
You are prepared to work for 5 days a week, 8 hours a day
you are prepared to promote ALEH during and after your volunteer period through social media and/or other ways.

Additionally, experience in healthcare is preferable but certainly not a requirement.

What does ALEH offer me?

A fantastic work environment and incredible volunteering experience
Room and board (in Jerusalem room only and lunch during work days)
Basic living supplies, including cleaning products, toiletries, sheets, detergents, etc.

What does ALEH need in order to process my application?

The completed online application form
A recent Certificate of Good Conduct / Police Clearance Certificate (in English, certified by an Apostille in English and no more than 6 months old)
Two filled out reference forms (by e.g. a congregation leader or employer) so that we can inquire about your employment history and communal involvement
A completed doctor’s certificate of health signed by your general practitioner
A scan of your passport (must remain valid until 6 months after finishing your stay in Israel)
A filled out visa application form
A current CV (Resume)
A copy of your (ongoing) travel insurance with repatriation cover

Please note that the documents listed above may be scanned and sent by e-mail. Please make sure you scan both sides of the documents. It is important to take the original documents with you to Israel.