“Nowhere in the world is the feeling of belonging to a nation, a community and a society as powerful as it is in Israel,” says Galil Neiger. “Volunteering, especially through extreme sports with people with disabilities, only deepens that sense of mission and connection.”
Neiger, 19, arrived in Israel just 18 months ago from New Jersey. What began as a planned year of study has quietly turned into something much more permanent. Despite the physical distance from her family and the life she left behind, she says she already feels fully at home.
Raised in a Zionist home, Neiger grew up active in her local Jewish community and deeply connected to Israel. Like many of her peers, she chose to spend a year studying at a midrasha before beginning college in the U.S. Her plan was clear and measured: one year in Israel, then back home.
“My life in the U.S. was very calm and very secure,” she says. “Everything was comfortable. I knew Israel was at war when I came, and of course there were concerns, but I didn’t hesitate. What I didn’t expect was to stay beyond the year. That wasn’t part of the plan.”
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Galil Neiger "What began as a temporary stay has become a life-shaping commitment"
(Photo: Ayelet HaShachar Shpiz)
Yet it was precisely the reality of war, and the intensity of living in Israel during this period, that reshaped her path. As her year of study at the Torah Ve’Avodah midrasha, operated by the religious Zionist youth movement Bnei Akiva, came to an end, Neiger felt a growing sense of responsibility and belonging. Rather than returning home, she chose to remain and volunteer in National Service, a path taken by many young women in Israel’s religious Zionist community.
She found her place at Etgarim, a nonprofit organization that empowers people with disabilities through challenging outdoor sports. “I’ve always loved being active,” she says. “Sports were always part of my life, not necessarily extreme sports, but I was looking for something meaningful in that world. That’s how I discovered Etgarim.”
Today, Neiger serves as an instructor in rope-based challenge activities for children in special education programs and helps lead inclusive cycling activities in Jerusalem for participants of all ages and abilities.
Naama Blau, who coordinates Etgarim’s gap-year and National Service programs, describes Neiger as exceptional even before considering her circumstances. “Galil brings an extraordinary energy with her -lightness, optimism, joy,” Blau says. “She’s a lone volunteer, far from home, from her language and her culture, yet she never lets that show as a limitation. On the contrary, she makes people around her feel inspired by her confidence and her constant smile.”
Blau says Neiger represents something larger. “She reminds me of what an incredible generation is growing up, not only in Israel, but worldwide. People who are willing to give, to contribute, even in difficult times. She makes you believe that if you truly want something and believe in it, anything is possible.”
Looking ahead, Neiger is already thinking long-term. “I still have another year and a half of National Service,” she says. “I don’t yet know exactly what I’ll study, probably something combining business and sports, but I do know this: I want to stay in Israel, study here, and build my life here.”
Founded in 1995, Etgarim (Challenges in Hebrew) works nationwide to empower and socially integrate people with disabilities through outdoor and adventure sports. Its programs span disciplines such as cycling, sailing, climbing, surfing, kayaking, diving, hiking and more, serving thousands of children and adults each year. The organization operates largely through the efforts of more than 1,500 volunteers.
This March, Etgarim will bring its work abroad, embarking on a visit to the U.S. together with two members whose personal stories reflect resilience, growth and determination. The trip aims to introduce American audiences to Etgarim’s mission, strengthen international partnerships, and share the everyday impact of sports, challenge and community, stories that have taken on renewed significance in the shadow of war.
For Neiger, the journey is deeply personal. What began as a temporary stay has become a life-shaping commitment, one built not on comfort or certainty, but on purpose.