Hello there!
For those who don't know me my name is Chaim Haber (Picture, left). Im 27 years old and I have recently made Aliyah from the UK to Israel where I will hopefully continue working as a doctor.
What am I doing?
I have some upcoming time before I join the army and for some strange reason I have decided to take part in one of the "20 best epic hiking trails in the world" according to National Geographic - Shvil Yisrael.
The Israel National trail, as it is also known, is an 1100 kilometre trek traversing the entire length of Israel. It begins in Israel's most Southern city - Eilat - and carves a route through some of the most significant and scenic places in Israel until it reaches Kibbutz Dan right at the top.
The trip will consist of intense hiking each day, whilst camping out at night. A lot of preparation has gone into this trip, and I am grateful that I will doing this with my friend Joshua Benadiva (Picture, right) as we familiarise ourselves as new citizens of our homeland.
The trail normally takes around 2 months to complete - My aim is to complete it in 6 weeks!
Have a look
here to get a glimpse of the glory of Shvil Yisrael.
Why am I doing this?
First things first - why not?
Aside from this substantive argument I truly believe that this beautiful country has so much to offer and there are few better ways to learn some appreciation for it that to get out there and explore.
I also feel that this is an excellent opportunity to help a truly worthy cause and this is a way that is both meaningful and challenging.
Where will the money go?
After much deliberation I have chosen to donate whatever raised to help some of the most vulnerable people in Israel. The money will be going to a charity called
ASSAF. It is based in Tel Aviv and works tirelessly to help migrants who have fled to Israel from African nations but are not being supplied with basic support by the state. A significant proportion of them are unaccompanied children who have miraculously made it thousands of miles away from the danger at home.
I put myself in their position and tried to imagine what it must be like to flee civil war, violence and torture and to arrive in a country filled with opportunity, only to be marginalised and left without access to basic social and health infrastructures. I see this as an opportunity to have a significant impact on other human beings, many of whom have been the victims of circumstance.
ASSAF has specific goals; by giving personal attention to each individual they can help them to integrate into a new and foreign society. They provide them with physical and emotional support, professional advice, and most importantly a safe and caring environment to thrive after they have experienced things most people couldn't imagine.
Your donation could be the turning point for one unlucky person, putting them back on a path to a better life and hopefully the ability to help others.
Thanks for taking the time to read about my campaign :)
