Available Cities of Placement
(Written by participants who volunteered there)
Afula
There were 3 of us from MDA stationed in Afula. The minute we arrived, we fell in love. When we arrived here we were welcomed warmly by the residence owner, the "Av Habayit" and the MDA worker in charge of the volunteers. All of them gave us their phone numbers and told us to call if we needed anything.
We lived in the student apartment-style dorms, which had a kitchen, a sitting area, 2 bathrooms and individual bedrooms with double beds. At the dorms there is also a building with a pool table, ping pong table and a TV.
There were still some Israeli students there for the summer. The workers at the MDA station were very friendly and welcoming. We also got to meet the local Israeli volunteers. We would get on average 3-4 calls every shift, of all types. We were able to participate in the treatment.
Afula is a small town, but a nice one. There is a decent size city center, including many stores, a mall, a movie theatre, and plenty of good restaurants. Everything you need is close by. While most people choose big cities, small towns have more to offer than most people expect.
Ashdod
Ashdod is a small beachfront city located in the center of the country, with much of the day's activities taking place next the water. There are movie theaters, cafes and shopping centers. Ashdod is also just a short bus ride away from the bigger cities of Ashkelon, Rishon Letzion and Tel Aviv. The MDA station is of medium size. All of the local volunteers are very accepting of the overseas volunteers and try to make them feel welcome and appreciated.
Bat Yam
Bat Yam is a beautiful city located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the center of the country. Very picturesque, it has a lot of nice restaurants and shops situated along the main strip of the city.
Volunteers in Bat Yam are rarely bored when of shift. In addition to having a beautiful each and Tel Aviv just a short 20 min. drive away, the absorption center provides them with a basketball court and pool to occupy them. One downer to this absorption center is that there are no kitchens in the apartment, however, volunteers are given a fridge, and there are many restaurants to choose from in the area. The Israeli volunteers are very friendly and welcoming to the overseas students, often inviting them out to dinner at their houses and hanging out with them after shifts. It is a busy station with many interesting calls.
Be'er Sheva
Be'er Sheva is a developing University city located in the Negev. Because of Ben Gurion University, there are many young people in the city and it boasts a number of popular clubs. There is also a mall and some nice cafes as well as some good hiking in the desert area. It is in close proximity to many other varying cities, like Eilat, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The station is of medium size. The calls received are pretty interesting.
Eilat
Eilat is a beautiful city on the shores of the Reed Sea in the Negev. There are many beautiful beaches for swimming as well as a coral beach for snorkeling and scuba diving and a beach where you can swim with the dolphins. There are lots of pretty markets for shopping and plenty of water sports to keep you busy. It is VERY hot but luckily the apartments provided by MDA are usually air conditioned.
The station is very small with about 50 volunteers, the majority of whom are Israeli. The locals are very friendly and accommodating and are more then ready to take the overseas volunteers under their wing.
Haifa
Haifa is a fairly large but quiet modern city located by the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel. It is one of Israel’s most multicultural cities, with Jews and Israeli Arabs living side by side. Along with the regular mall, movie theaters, shops, restaurants and café’s Haifa boasts some unique attractions such as the Bahai Gardens and temple and off course the beautiful beachfront.
The station is a very large one with 3 satellite stations. In spite of its size, the Israeli volunteers and workers are very friendly and welcoming towards the overseas students, inviting them out to dinner and functions after shift and especially appreciate it when the volunteers speak Hebrew (though most of the drivers do speak at least a little English). Knowing Russian is also an asset, due to the large number of Russian immigrants in the area. The station is relatively busy, with lot of the calls dealing with elderly patients and beachfront accidents.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, is a beautiful city located in the center of the country. There is an unending list of things to do there, form hanging out on Ben Yehuda- the open air mall in downtown Jerusalem, to wandering around the old city and enjoying the various museums and historical exhibits offered there. In addition there are the typical movie theaters, bowling alleys, café's and restaurants found in any large city as well a hiking trails and walking tours.
The station is very large with 2 satellite stations. Most of the Israeli staff and volunteers are very friendly and eager to help out the overseas participants. The station is a very busy one and volunteers are rarely bored while on shift.
K'far Saba
K'far Saba is a quiet residential city located about a half hour drive away form Tel Aviv. Though not located on the beach, it boasts Movie theaters, malls, narguila bars and club as well as numerous café's and restaurants. It is recommended that one check out the restaurant "Achla" as it has good prices and the food is great. Due to its close proximity to Herzliah and Tel Aviv, volunteers are able to get their beach cravings satisfied after shifts as long as they don't mind a bit of traveling.
Certain drivers are known to pick up their volunteers before their shifts!
The volunteers stationed in Kfar Saba also volunteer in Herzliah, a nearby city, and both stations are known to be very friendly and accommodating to overseas volunteers. Often volunteers are able to work on the ICU ambulances as well as the regular ones.
Netanya
Netanya Is a beautiful beachfront city located in the center of the country. It is a bustling city full of funky shops and restaurants. There are lots of bars and clubs for those who would like to party after shift, and for those who would just like to lie out on the beach and work on their tan, there are huge stretches of gorgeous beach for that as well.
The MDA station in Netanya is gorgeous- newly renovated it is air-conditioned and has a special lounge for the volunteers. The station is known to be one of the friendliest to overseas volunteers. The Israeli volunteers and workers are eager to help the chanichim feel at home, often inviting them over for dinner or to spend Shabbat and always happy to lend a hand when it is needed. Although the station is not huge, it is extremely busy and gets many interesting calls.
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikvah is a small city located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv in the center of the country. There is a big mall and lots of beautiful parks, cafés and restaurants where people can hang out. Petah Tikvah also boasts a large shuk or market. It is very close to Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, with many buses going to and from there each day.
The station is medium sized, but fairly busy. The Israeli staff and volunteers are very accommodating and friendly and are always eager to befriend and help out the overseas volunteers.
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is to Israel as Manhattan is to the USA. In other words, it is big, busy and a really fun place to live. Not only does Tel Aviv have all the pluses of other big cities around the world like great shopping and lots to do, it is also located on the beach. It is, however, a very expensive city to live in.
If one gets an apartment near the MDA station, as many participants do, then there are grocery and other necessary stores within walking distance as well as gyms and of course the beach.
The MDA Tel Aviv station is very big, with 4 satellite stations, sometimes making it difficult for overseas volunteers to make friends and forge bonds with the Israeli volunteers. However, all the people at the station are very friendly and welcoming to our volunteers and most do find their niche if they take the initiative to do so. Being such a big city, the Tel Aviv station is often busier then most other around the countries, meaning that volunteers there are rarely bored.
Tiberius
Tiberius is a small city next to the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) in the north. The city center consists of a few main streets that contain just about anything that you could want.
Tiberius is for you if you like freshwater swimming, hiking in the Galilee or Golan or just want to experience life in a small but historical city that has large populations of minorities and new immigrants.
The MADA station has many Israeli volunteers in addition to paid workers who are much fewer in number. The people are very friendly and eager to help.
