Hillsdale offers a variety of experiences unique to this campus. One such event is the Passages Israel trip, the applications to which were due last week. Some students, after hearing about it, wonder if it’s worth the money and time to go on the trip. It is.
I attended Passage’s “Dateline: Jerusalem Reporting Seminar” last year, a program created specifically for student journalists. Though technically separate from Hillsdale’s Passages group, both were coordinated through and funded by the Philos Project, and both had similar itineraries. This trip was eye-opening and inspiring, and well worth the time and expense.
The up front cost of the Israel trip — $850 with a $250 reimbursement upon its completion — might seem formidable. But this price is unbelievably cheap. The cost covers the round trip flight from New York City to Tel Aviv, as well as lodging, a tour guide, and almost all meals. After buying a flight from Cincinnati to New York City, and purchasing souvenirs while in Israel, the whole trip cost me less than $900. To put it in perspective, a normal round trip plane ticket from New York to Tel Aviv costs anywhere from about $900 to $1500 — The Philos Project is basically handing out money.
But aside from this, the Passages trip to Israel is a valuable learning experience. For Christian students, visiting the sites where Jesus taught and Christianity began is special. Seeing the Sea of Galilee, the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem, the City of David, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, and many other place where Jesus spent his years ministering and teaching, inspire awe and a new sense of wonder. The sites are different than they were 2,000 years ago, but associating a physical place to the names Christians skim over in the Bible enhances Scripture and Christ’s gospel ministry.
The trip offers an enlightening education on Israel’s history and and geo-politics as well. Our Israeli tour guide, Assaf Boker, explained his own family’s history with the country, what it’s like to live in modern Israel, and the turmoil Americans often only read about in the news. Visiting the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip and seeing the rockets that Hamas terrorists have repeatedly fired at Israeli citizens was sad, but good. It gave students empathy and made Israel and the surrounding areas more than just headlines and a region on the map that news anchors point to when they are talking about terrorism and the big, bad Middle East.
Israel is an amazing place with an unforgettable culture. I will never forget wading in the Sea of Galilee, walking around the Shouk, an old outdoor marketplace in Jerusalem, smoking hookah in a slightly shady alley of the Old City of Jerusalem, and eating heavenly kebab in a marketplace in Tel Aviv.
Every Hillsdale student should consider applying for the Passages Israel trip. And if it doesn’t work out this year, reapply next year. It’s a great crash course about ancient and modern Israel, the roots of Christianity, and the Holy Land’s historical significance — all for a really cheap price. As Assaf liked to remind us: “You’re drinking from a firehose.”
Abby Liebing is a junior studying history.
