I just returned from a three week trip to Israel in which I was staff for a 10-trip called Birthright that brings 18-26 year old Jews to Israel for a free, first-time trip. During the trip we trekked around a majority of the country but had to change some plans as the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict began. The educational experience these participants had was much like any other Birthright trip - seeing historic and religious sites while interacting with Israelis who visited our group; and processing all the new and exciting things they were seeing. What was so different for them was the constant questions, "is there a siren where we are going?" or "Will we be allowed to visit Tel Aviv?" Many interesting conversations were started that way and continue now on their Facebook group.
Educational experiences of this sort are rare (and for valid reason - no one wants to travel around a seemingly war-like zone). These participants learned a lot about Israeli culture and life by living in the exact conditions Israelis do. We made sure to tell them where local bomb shelters were in case of rocket attacks from Gaza and made sure they knew to ask about them during their free time at lunch.
What was so interesting for me is the blasé attitude that some members of the trip (including myself) felt about the conflict. Even though we were experiencing it firsthand, all the Israelis we saw and talked to said that life had to go on. While we did not experience a siren ourselves, we were told that you wait 10 minutes, then go back to your regular day's activities. It is a very strange thing to learn as an American that you can be under attack one minute and sipping a latte the next.
Overall, I would say their trip was successful even though it was mired by the conflict in Gaza: over half of them extended their trip to stay longer, despite the current situation. It was an interesting journey for me to see and discuss all of these experiences with them over the 10 days. I look forward to continuing conversations with them and seeing how we all can learn together in the future.
Educational experiences of this sort are rare (and for valid reason - no one wants to travel around a seemingly war-like zone). These participants learned a lot about Israeli culture and life by living in the exact conditions Israelis do. We made sure to tell them where local bomb shelters were in case of rocket attacks from Gaza and made sure they knew to ask about them during their free time at lunch.
What was so interesting for me is the blasé attitude that some members of the trip (including myself) felt about the conflict. Even though we were experiencing it firsthand, all the Israelis we saw and talked to said that life had to go on. While we did not experience a siren ourselves, we were told that you wait 10 minutes, then go back to your regular day's activities. It is a very strange thing to learn as an American that you can be under attack one minute and sipping a latte the next.
Overall, I would say their trip was successful even though it was mired by the conflict in Gaza: over half of them extended their trip to stay longer, despite the current situation. It was an interesting journey for me to see and discuss all of these experiences with them over the 10 days. I look forward to continuing conversations with them and seeing how we all can learn together in the future.
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