Come with us … follow J Street U’s student leaders to Israel and the West Bank
This page features photographs, blog posts, a map and more to help you follow the J Street U Engage with Israel: Peace, Democracy, Social Justice trip on its travels. Join J Street U’s student leaders as they explore the diverse landscapes, cultures, and peoples of the Jewish homeland and the West Bank. Learn alongside the 14 trip participants as they meet with Israeli and Palestinian organizers, politicians, and human rights advocates.
Photos
Blog
Itinerary
Student Bios
Photos
BLOG
Taking Pride in Swimming Against the Current, by Samantha Kaufman, Middlebury College ’12
Jihad reminded us of a truth that many of J Street U have already come across: he told us “it’s hard to swim against the current.” He foresaw the backlash that we would and have already received from our greater community. For me, his recognition and appreciation of our precarious position within our own communities gave me another, stronger reason to stay fighting for this cause, despite its often difficult social consequences. Because if a resident of East Jerusalem can see our own struggle as American Jews, than we in turn must see his.
Click here to read Samantha’s full post.
Hard Choices in Hebron, by Cole Eastman, DePaul University ’11
The legacy of the Holocaust, our people’s darkest chapter, requires that we have a sanctuary and a refuge and a place of our own. But it also requires that we recognize that every person, whether they are Jewish or Palestinian, has their own unique story accompanied by their own unique hopes and dreams. Today, we must be reminded of both legacies: preserving Israel as a Jewish homeland demands bringing into existence a Palestinian state by its side. Living up to the particular ethical and moral values and obligations we inherit from our history demands the same.
Click here to read Cole’s full post.
Where Are The Women’s Voices? by Emily Koppel, University of California-Berkeley ‘11
Throughout our trip so far, a reoccurring theme has been then tension between injustice and inequality perpetuated within the occupied territories and injustice and inequality within Israel proper. This tension was perhaps most evident in regards to gender issues.
At the Knesset we met with MK Orit Zuaretz, much of whose work focuses on issues of gender equality. … MK Zuaretz stressed that both perspectives are necessary to achieve lasting peace and that women are integral to such peace and security.
Click here to read Emily’s full post.
Welcome Home, by Noah Westreich, Macalester ’14
After removing the tefillin from my arms and head at the Western Wall, the religious man who assisted me smiled and welcomed me “home.” Home? My home is Montclair, NJ, and St. Paul, MN during the school year. How can Israel be my home if I don’t live there and if this trip is my first time there?
The V’Ahavta, which I read with tefillin on, remind me. “Set these words, which I command you to this day, upon your heart. Teach them faithfully to your children; teach them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up.”
Click here to read Noah’s full post.
The History and Challenge at Yad V’Shem, by Aliyah Donsky, Princeton University ’14
The experience of visiting Yad V’Shem is undeniably powerful. Although my fourth visit, it felt as if it was my first, indeed, the reactions of our group members were immeasurably strong, regardless of a range of familiarity with either the Shoah or Israel itself. So yes, this was a challenging experience emotionally. Grappling with the pure pain we saw confers upon us a heavy weight. Made even more difficult by the way the museum ends. At the final point, the walls that have served to pin the visitor in give way to an absolutely stunning view of Jerusalem. Described by a member of our group as a pair of arms thrown wide, the memorial, and so our history, seems to offer us the solution in the State of Israel.
Click here to read Aliyah’s full post.
A Visit to the Knesset, by Gary Benedix, University of Florida ’11
The Knesset is the heart of Israel’s democracy, the institution that guarantees for all Israelis freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and equality under the law as inscribed in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. While the Knesset for the most part has succeeded in creating a strong, vibrant democracy within the boundaries of pre-1967 Israel, the Knesset has also created many of the policies that perpetuate the occupation, which gives to the Palestinians who live under it far less rights and protections than those accorded to Israelis on both sides of the green line. Over the last several days of our trip we have all been challenged to navigate the waters between and within these twin realities.
Click here to read Gary’s full post.
Shabbat in Jerusalem, by Ben Elkind, University of North Carolina ’12
On Saturday, we began our day looking out on the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. Our lookout point was Ir David – the City of David – one of the most significant and well-visited tourist sites in all of Jerusalem. There the ancient city of David was built, lying at the foot of the Temple Mount and what is left of it today – the Western Wall. There are different narratives about what is happening in Silwan, and specifically about why it is one of the most violent places in all of Jerusalem.
Click here to read Ben’s full post.
A Tale of Two Walls, a Tale of Two Cities, by Rory Silver, George Washington University ’12
For many students on the trip, particularly those who have never visited Israel before, bearing witness to the other realities of Jerusalem and the conflicts that are taking place not far from the city walls, and reconciling that with what you thought you understood about Jerusalem, was not an easy experience. … Yet for me, what was seen today only deepens my commitment to a two state solution that preserves Israel’s democracy and Jewish character. As someone who not only sees the two state solution as a just resolution to an unjust conflict, but also the only means of securing Israel’s future, resolving the issue of Jerusalem is of the utmost importance.
Click here to read Rory’s full post.
The Tension in the Dream, by Simone Zimmerman, UC Berkeley ’13
We started our morning meeting with historian and founding Kibbutznick Muki Tzur. Muki described life on the kibbutz pre-1948, the growth of pre-state institutions, the relationship between studies of Judaism and socialism, and early Zionist ideology.
Muki sees Israel as a project very much still in its building process, and tried to imbue in us the values of hope and creativity as we looked towards the future. He said to reject loneliness and victimhood, for Zionism was in born out of the desire to overcome Jewish suffering, and thus the Israeli project should be self-empowering and freeing, not defeating and constraining.
Click here to read Simone’s full post.
A Single Line, by Evan Kelner-Levine, Yale ’12
It is of course impossible for anyone, regardless of their identity or which “side” they’re on, to have a concise opinion about all the conflict in Israel / Palestine. Amongst all of the talking, though, on this my second day ever in Israel, I’ve found that many of the people we’ve met with have at some point delivered a single line that, though still an inadequate summary, nonetheless manages to capture and symbolize who they are and where they’re coming from.
Click here to read Evan’s full post.
Kibbutz Ha’On, by Eli Gold, Carleton College ’11
I’m writing from Kibbutz Ha’On, located on the picturesque eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, on this my second night in Israel. We arrive here late last night, settling in after a sunset boat ride on the Kinneret. Tonight, the air is soothingly warm and humid, making it perfect outside for a late night walk or some personal reflection on the dock.
Despite the tranquil images stirred up by this description though, I am thoroughly exhausted. We have just finished our first full day of exploration in Israel and I feel like I have already been here for a week.
Click here to read Eli’s full blog post.
Touchdown in Israel, by Simone Zimmerman, UC Berkeley ’13
I can’t wait for you to meet my fellow student participants, who hail from across the country and have different levels of connection to Israel. For half of the group, like Samantha Kaufman from Middlebury College or Noah Westreich from Macalester College, this will be their first time in Israel. And even though I’ve been traveling to Israel my whole life, this will be my first visit into the occupied territories. I know for all of us it’s going to be a powerful 12 days.
You’ll get to know all of us better in the coming week, and we look forward to hearing from you throughout the trip.
Click here to read Simone’s full blog post.
2 days, by Daniel May, Director, J Street
2 days. In 2 days we’re set to take off. This Sunday, over a dozen students from around the country will be leaving JFK for Tel Aviv, embarking on J Street U’s first trip to Israel: Engage with Israel: Peace, Democracy, and Social Justice. The trip is going to be an amazing experience, as we travel through Israel and the occupied territories meeting Israelis and Palestinians working on behalf of social justice and an end to conflict.
I know it’s going to be an amazing two weeks. I wish we could bring 500 people and not just 14. But I want you to come with us. So please do check back to this page – we’ll update it with photos and reflections and video from the journey. I promise you won’t want to miss it.
Click here to read Daniel’s full blog post.
ITINERARY
The J Street U trip provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop relationships with the many Israelis and Palestinians — grassroots activists, lawyers, politicians, journalists and security personnel — working on behalf of peace, democracy, and social justice.
Monday, June 13: Arrival in Israel
Tuesday, June 14: Northern Israel & the Golan Heights: Security, Landscape, History
Wednesday, June 15: Israeli Social Justice Roots & Contemporary Social Justice Issues: Kibbutz History & Israel’s Palestinian Minority
Thursday, June 16: Jerusalem: An Introduction to the City & its People
Friday, June 17: The Shoah & Israeli Society
Saturday, June 18: The Challenge of Jewish Democracy
Sunday, June 19: The Palestinian Authority
Monday, June 20: The Israeli Knesset, Hebron, & South Hebron Hills
Tuesday, June 21: Dead Sea, The Bedouin Community, & Israeli Southern Security
Wednesday, June 22: Tel Aviv & Israel’s Human Rights Community
Thursday, June 23: Israel & Diaspora Jewry & Wrap Up
BIOS
Samantha Kaufman is a rising senior at Middlebury College in Vermont. Originally from Jamaica Plain, Boston, Samantha helped found the J Street U group on Middlebury’s campus, serving as Vice President in the fall semester.
Emily Koppel, originally from Huntington Beach, California, is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Middle Eastern Studies.
Ben Elkind is from Washington, DC and a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Simone Zimmerman, from Los Angeles, just completed her second year at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies.
Evan Kelner-Levine, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, has just finished his junior year at Yale, where he is working on a double major in environmental engineering and political science.
Lauren Donoghue is a rising sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from Charlotte, NC. She is pursing a public health degree in Environmental Health Sciences and is a member of UNC’s Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue Committee.
Gary Benedix, originally from Sunrise, Florida, recently graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science, and will be starting his first year of graduate school at UF in the fall, studying Social Studies Education.
Cole Eastman, originally from outside St. Louis, is a senior at DePaul University in Chicago and is majoring in Political Science with a focus on the Middle East. He recently started a J Street U chapter at DePaul University.
Aliyah Donsky, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a rising sophomore at Princeton University where she is the president of the Princeton chapter of J Street U and serves on the executive board of the Center for Jewish Life.
Eli Gold, from Piedmont, California, is a soon-to-be-graduated senior at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.
Noah Westreich is a rising sophomore at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ariela Weinberger, originally from a suburb just outside of Philadelphia, is a rising junior at Muhlenberg College where she is majoring in Anthropology and Jewish Studies.
Rory Silver, originally from Queens, New York, is a rising senior at the George Washington University, studying International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies.
