The ranks of young men and women volunteering for national public service (Sherut Leumi) as an alternative to the army has risen to 11,000, according to a report on Friday by Army Radio. There has been a seven percent rise in the number of volunteers in the past year, according to statistics provided by "Shlomit," the largest non-profit organization in the secular community to direct the volunteers to national service. There are three organizations working in the religious community.
General Manager Chaya Shmuel of Shlomit estimates an additional growth of five-to-ten percent in the coming year. Noticeable in that increase will be the number of young women from the Arab and Bedouin communities volunteering for work in hospitals, senior centers and public schools.