Israel: New poll reveals that Israelis devoted over 400 million hours to volunteer work in 2006. Finally, a reason to be optimistic? A new survey presented Wednesday at a meeting of the Lobby for the Advancement of the Third Sector in Israel, held on International Volunteer Day, reveals that during 2006, Israelis volunteered over 400 million hours of their time to volunteer activities.  Read article

Israel: Israeli Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog recently approved the first Arab non-profit agency, the Organization for Social Equality and National Service, to direct Arab volunteers to civilian national service jobs.  Read article

Jerusalem: The Holocaust had been over for more than 60 years but that did not erase young Germans' sense of obligation to Nazis' victims. Nearly two dozen young German volunteers have recently arrived in Israel for a year of service through "Ot Hakapara", Hebrew for "sign of atonement", working at libraries, nursing homes and community centers around the country.   Read article

Haifa, Israel: 21-year-old Naama Yehezkel is an activist for Isha L'Isha - the Haifa Feminist Center, which aids local and foreign women working in the sex industry. Yehezkel is performing her national service as a volunteer for the organization, after refusing to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces.  Read article

Holon, Israel: Israeli education minister plans to recruit more Arab students into the national volunteering scheme. Under this programme, more than 3,000 students are recruited each year to help teach in schools and community centres.  Read article