Jewish people aged 18-26 are given the opportunity to go on a free 10 day trip to Israel through Birthright Israel. At Ben Gurion Airport, participants are joined by eight Israelis their age — most of whom are still serving in the army — an armed medic and a knowledgeable tour guide. For the majority of participants, this is their first time visiting Israel.
This winter break several trips were conducted, one of which included 30 students from the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Santa Cruz. As they disembarked from the plane, they were greeted by their Israeli peers and tour guide, Barak Berkovich. Berkovich was aware of the misconceptions people sometimes have about Birthright trips and therefore made sure to explain that he was not there to brainwash them into loving Israel or joining the army.
“My goal is to take exclamation marks and turn them into question marks,” he said.
Birthright Israel has received much criticism over the years. Some argue that the program glosses over Israel’s complicated history and spreads misinformation. While that may be true of some trips, students from Oregon and Santa Cruz did not feel this way. Berkovich talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the wall separating Israel from the West Bank and welcomed any questions the group had.
In explaining the Israeli Palestinian conflict Berkovich talked about the opposing perception Israelis and Palestinians have. One example he gave showcased the feelings a Palestinian child would have after an interaction with an Israeli soldier, and that of an Israeli child growing up surrounded by missiles. “He did a really good job explaining multiple different perspectives on the same issue,” Blake, an OSU student said. “He would give these examples that would make you think of the same issue with the exact opposite feeling about it.”
Students began their trip in Jerusalem, a city viewed with much controversy around the world due to its significance to Jews, Muslims and Christians. While the group mostly visited sites of high importance to Jews, Berkovich explained the significance of the city to Muslims and Christians as well.
On the third day of the trip, students visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. In preparation for this often challenging experience, participants spoke about the various antisemitic incidents they have encountered in their personal lives. One student had a gun pointed at them by the Ku Klux Klan while working in Georgia. Others had jokes made at them while picking up pennies off the street, and some had swastikas drawn on their notebooks. Sadness, anger and frustration are among the emotions that arose from this activity, although some also felt validated to know that others understood the hate they experienced.
The Israeli peers who joined the trip were shocked to learn of the ever-prevalent antisemitism that still exists in America today. In Israel, due to the Jewish majority, antisemitism does not present itself in the same manner. “I got fears the minute that you told your stories about antisemitism over there,” Ilan Peleg, one of the Israelis, explained.
To many, talking about antisemitism is a reminder of the importance of Israel for the Jewish people today. “I know there’s a lot of controversy with their politics, and I understand why, but at the same time I feel like it’s a good thing a place like Israel exists,” UO student Hannah Wald said, “because I do think Jewish people need somewhere to go to in case worse comes to worst.”
After Jerusalem, students continued to the Golan Heights. While in the Golan they rode on Jeeps, overlooked Syria and discussed its borders and war. The previous night they also attended a geopolitical lecture.
During the last day of the trip students visited Sderot, bordering the Gaza Strip. It is known to be the most missile-targeted city in Israel. While in Sderot, they learned about the complicated Israeli-Palestinian conflict and saw dozens of bomb shelters spread throughout the city. Even still, students felt safe.
“I felt a lot safer as a Jew in Israel than I’ve ever felt as a Jew here,” Nora Loffredo, a UCSC student, said.
The trip included a variety of activities from visiting Israel’s national cemetery to experiencing Tel Aviv’s nightlife, floating in the Dead Sea and everything in between. Students tasted various foods such as falafel and shawarma, slept in Bedouin tents and learned about LGBTQ+ rights in Israel. Participants had the opportunity to enjoy the country while questioning what their relationship is to Israel and Judaism, whatever the answer may be.
“We’re not trying to sell you an image of perfect Israel,” Berkovich explained. “We’re trying to portray an image of complicated Israel, an interesting Israel, a fascinating Israel.”
