At the age of 70, and two months after a bypass and valve replacement surgery, Nessi Simhi has no intention of stopping his volunteering activities at ‘Lamerhav’, in addition to the police force, where he has been volunteering for 40 years. “I have no plans to stop volunteering in the near future and I will continue to do so and to contribute as long as I have the strength”, he says.
He goes on to tell us how he began volunteering with the organization. “I am friends with Shula and Ze’evi Mozes. Two years ago, just before my retirement, I decided to volunteer at ‘Lamerhav’ in Hod Hasharon. Since then, I have been coming to ‘Lamarhav’ house, where I’ve been doing works of renovation and maintenance – from the construction of plaster and acoustic ceilings, to electrical work, infrastructure, painting and helping with contractors and professionals. I worked as a project supervisor at ‘Tnuva’, so I have no problem doing manual work. I have extensive experience in projects related to construction, renovation, logistics, air conditioning, electricity and plumbing.” In addition to volunteering, Nessi also recruits friends for various activities around the ‘Lamerhav’ House, such as repairing the wood deck or painting the gates.
“Volunteering in ‘Lamerhav’ is good for the soul”, says Nessi. “I am aware of the organization’s wonderful activities, and this is the least I can do. People sit at home, complaining and whining, and I ask them: ‘what have you done for the community? What have you given’? One can complain all day long, but if people don’t get up and start doing, nothing will change. In Buddhism, they say that giving is easy. The trick is knowing how to receive. You should enable the other to give to you, and this is the highest form of giving. Knowing how to receive is not easy and I understand the difficulty, and because of that, I make my little contribution of giving. I have no plans to stop volunteering anytime soon.”
