Touchdown in Israel, by Simone Zimmerman, UC Berkeley ’13

After 10 hours, we’ve finally landed. The first J Street U student mission to Israel – Engage with Israel: Peace, Democracy and Social Justice – has officially started.

There are fourteen of us – from 12 schools across the country for an incredible two weeks in Israel and the West Bank. We’ll explore the diverse landscapes, cultures, and peoples of Israel and the West Bank, as well as meet with Israeli and Palestinian organizers, politicians, and human rights advocates.

And we want you to come with us. For the next two weeks, we’ll post updates on J Street U’s Facebook page and we invite you to join the discussion – post comments, questions, your own Israel experiences and get the dialogue going.

Make sure to “like” and recommend the page to friends to get them in on the conversation.

Think of it as taking a virtual trip to Israel with J Street U. Over the next two weeks, you’ll meet my fellow student participants, as well as view video, photos and student reflections from our adventures in Israel and the West Bank.

The trip and our discussions will provide an opportunity to come to know Israel’s roots, many dimensions, and dynamism. Amidst visits to landmarks like Jerusalem’s Old City, the Knesset, Tel Aviv and Tzfat, we’ll wrestle online and off with the difficult questions Israel faces in the struggle to ensure its future as a Jewish and democratic homeland.

We’ll also tell you all about our meetings with Israeli and Palestinian activists working on the ground to advance religious pluralism, gender equality, environmentalism, human and civil rights, a two-state resolution to the conflict and peace.

Click here and “like” J Street U on Facebook to follow our travels.

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.

I’m incredibly excited to embark on this journey. I hope you are as well.

Simone

Simone Zimmerman
UC Berkeley ’13
June 12, 2011

For more trip photos, click here.

Engage with Israel trip homepage