Not Mall Rats, But Patriotism & Maturity

A great majority of teens report that their most common extra-curricular activity is hanging out in malls and shopping centers. The news is astounding because these are not American teens, but Israelis. The report on Children in Israel, produced annually by The National Council for the Child, found that 82 percent of teens polled prefer the malls.

Following the presentation of the report to members of the Knesset, Shelly Yechimovich, chairperson of the Knesset Committee on the Rights of the Child, expressed her deep disappointment that so many children chose to spend so much time this way.

I agree. As an Israeli mother of two, I worry about what Israeli kids do, what they value, what they think about.

One of my reasons for coming to Israel almost 25 years ago was that I saw a different quality of life here. As a young person, I hoped that my children's lives would not be subjected to the influences that I saw growing up in America — alcohol, drugs, extreme consumerism, and lack of interest in public affairs.

Well I can't say that it is different. The Western activities, values and venues just took a little longer to get here. The world is now so small that there are no secrets left undiscovered by Israeli kids.

It is sad, but it is the way of today's world.

Then, a few weeks ago, I had an awakening.

My daughter's high school held a blood drive. I had not been aware of this annual event and decided to donate blood myself; a recent radio broadcast had notified the public of a shortage in the national blood bank.

When I arrived, I was blown away by what I saw. I got shivers watching the kids in line, on the cots, resting after their donations. I was pleased to see young volunteers working with Magen David Adom to coordinate the event. ( See attached picture.)

By the time it was my turn in line, the organizer was reporting the highest response ever with 113 donations to that point.

According to regulations, you can donate blood if you are over 17 years old and in suitably good health. Having a tattoo or piercing (including ear piercing), or having visited certain foreign countries in the prior six months automatically disqualifies. These prohibitions meant that many students couldn't participate.

Yet I am sure that almost every eligible teenager in the school willingly and gladly took part. What I saw was patriotism at its best.

Magen David Adom is responsible for supplying 100 percent of the blood requirements of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and 97 percent of the blood supply for the country. According to MDA, on average, every 7 seconds someone in Israel is in need of a blood infusion.

In order to meet this huge need, MDA requires donations of over 280,000 units of blood annually. The newly initiated program of recruiting donors in schools around the country has been very successful at helping MDA reach its goal.

Maybe this happens around the world as well. I don't know.

What I do know is that I saw a huge bunch of caring high school kids who quietly made an important statement. They showed their concern for others, that they care about their country and that they are taking on their responsibilities actively and willingly.

Okay, so they go to the mall a lot. We can work on that. I'm still very proud of them.