Roommates at 70: Why these retirees spent a year volunteering near Gaza
A kindergarten teacher, a tech professional from Boston and a retired senior police officer are among retirees who came to the Western Negev for a year of volunteer work. 'We complain too much and do too little. Let's stop complaining and think about what to do'
![Volunteers meet at the Merhavim Regional Council. "After one month, we had to turn away 800 people."](https://img.haarets.co.il/bs/0000019b-2d16-d8f0-a9db-6dfeff300000/ff/03/a5d20ffd4ce88393716b6fad1c7f/454944.jpg?precrop=1048,1234,x35,y366&width=620&height=729&cmsprod "Volunteers meet at the Merhavim Regional Council. "After one month, we had to turn away 800 people.". Credit: Rina Cohen")
Volunteers meet at the Merhavim Regional Council. "After one month, we had to turn away 800 people." Credit: Rina Cohen
A kindergarten teacher, a tech professional from Boston and a retired senior police officer are among retirees who came to the Western Negev for a year of volunteer work. 'We complain too much and do too little. Let's stop complaining and think about what to do'
03:11 PM • January 07 2026 IST
Some 49 years ago, two and a half years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Roberto Perpinial, then 20, and Mabel, then 18, came from Cordoba, Argentina, to volunteer for a year at Kibbutz Ramot Menashe in northern Israel.
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Roommates at 70: Why These Retirees Spent a Year Volunteering Near Gaza
