JLife talks to the Manchester UJIA’s newest shaliach, Sahar Sazgar about his hopes for bringing the local Jewish youth community closer to Israel.
Israeli-born Sahar Sazgar likes nothing more than to spend his days on the idyllic Tel Aviv coast, surfing the waves and lying on its sandy beaches, sun on his face, enjoying an ice-cold watermelon. But for the last two months, he’s chosen to dedicate his time to chillier climes here in Manchester, picking up from where Amir Levy left off as UJIA shaliach.
When asked what led him to leave his hometown of Hadera to brave the British weather, he speaks of a growing urgency for Israeli advocacy, driven by Britain’s current political climate: “With everything that’s happening right now, I feel the Jewish people, living inside or outside Israel have a responsibility to represent all that’s good about the state. I want to help Manchester’s strong Jewish community feel not only comfortable with, but proud of their Zionism.”
Only 22 years-old, Sahar Sazgar demonstrates maturity beyond his years that he admits was shaped by his time spent in the Israeli Defence Force’s Egoz unit in Golani: “My three and a half years of army service built me over and over with each passing year. The challenges I faced took me all over Israel to meet all kinds of people.”
Serving as a commander in his unit, some of those who served under his charge are still locked in combat on the Gaza strip, something that remains firmly on Sahar’s mind: “My team were my best friends, I miss them, and I pray every day for their safe return from the border.” Specialising in guerrilla warfare, reconnaissance and direct action, he feels his stint in the elite Egoz unit, dubbed the SAS of the IDF, was instrumental in forming his Israeli identity: “You can’t understand the conflict until you’re out there on ground zero. It’s an experience that has truly opened my eyes.”
Released from his service only six months ago, he felt compelled to tell his story and pursue a future in education and leadership: “It was a long process but I’m so glad I have the opportunity to give the Manchester community everything I can give.” Sahar holds a deep affinity with his home country and this is something he is incredibly keen to share: “We share the privilege of having Israel as our home, wherever we happen to be born in the world, and we have the responsibility to protect her and care for her. I want to be the one who raises the Israeli flag, wherever I go.”
Sahar hopes to share his passion with local shuls, schools (both Jewish and non-Jewish) and youth movements, setting up a range of educational activities for Manchester’s teenagers: “I’m currently running a few programmes here, one of them is the Israel Fast Track, which looks to give students the tools to prepare for the diversity of opinion they will come across during their time at university. We try and bring together all perspectives, not just Israeli, but also Palestinian and US, showing them the whole picture so they can form their own opinion. But no matter what we’re talking about, the very act of sitting together and discussing Israel in our free time on a Sunday is a really wonderful thing.”
Aware of the challenges he faces in the role, he speaks of a need for often disparate local organisations to come together: “I’m looking to help youth movements work together because they all have the same aim, and I hope by helping to facilitate some joined-up thinking, we can ultimately offer them the best educational experience.”
Although many of the teenagers Sahar works with have never visited Israel, he feels encouraged to see how many already possess a good knowledge of the culture: “The tools they have already from the existing youth movements set up here have given them a great perspective.” But he humbly concedes the challenges involved in getting across Israel’s ever-changing landscape: “You can always try and give an idea of the situation, but you can never fully get a handle on it – the zeitgeist is constantly shifting. I’m an Israeli who’s lived there all my life and I feel I will never truly understand it!”
Waxing lyrically on the beauty of his home nation, Sahar speaks of his time on the road from Mount Hermon in the far north, to the valley of Elah in the south. It him took two and a half months to hike the length of his country, but believes the experience was indispensable: “The best way to understand Israel is to walk in Israel. To know its beauty, its challenges, you have to travel it with your own two feet. I want to advocate what a wonderful country it is and how many secrets it holds that you’ll never know unless you find them for yourself. I don’t know if the Manchester teenagers are going to hike the Israel road, but I hope they will start small and come to see if for themselves!”
We talk of the former shaliach, Amir Levy and I ask Sahar if he is looking to build on his work or looking to take a fresh approach: “I don’t want to be compared to previous shaliach. Every shaliach has his own vision on how to best represent Israel and share his passion with the community. I hope to be one of the community, to get to know the people, to be on their level. I want to be an educational figure that teenagers know they can come to and talk about Zionism and Judaism. I believe education is the door to becoming better people. It’s about understanding that what the world is now, is not the best it can be and it’s up to us to improve it for the next generation.”
Asked how he’s coping with the British winter, and if he’s found himself pining for the sun-soaked beaches of Tel Aviv, he replies: “The weather is very cold, but Manchester’s Jewish community has been incredibly warm, showing me a great deal of support and kindness – so that’s enough for me!”