Applications for the annual Passages trip to Israel with Hillsdale College are open, and the trip is worth the time and money, junior Fernando Bravo said at Explore the Holy Land Info Session on March 30. 

“Israel is important to us as Christians,” Bravo said. “We love Israel.” 

Assistant Professor of Religion Don Westblade shared application and price information. Bravo said Westblade is the point of contact between Hillsdale and Passages and “the source” for students interested in applying. 

Westblade said the 2024 trip will total $1980, a nearly $600 decrease from the $2500 cost of the 2023 trip. Applications are due by Sept. 15. Westblade encouraged students to apply because it “makes scripture come alive for you.”

“There’s just something about seeing the stuff that you’ve been reading about in the Bible up close and personal and realize that this is real,” Westblade said. 

As an ambassador for Passages, Bravo promotes the program and discusses his experiences from the trip with students interested in traveling with Hillsdale in December 2023 to January 2024. Bravo organized the event to provide logistical information regarding the application and pre-trip process as well as share his experience.

Passages partners with colleges across the country to educate Christian students on their Jewish-Hebraic roots and relations through an immersive trip to Israel, Bravo said.

“It’s Passages’ mission to educate young adults,” Bravo said. “And it’s their goal to eventually have a rite of passage in the same way it is for Jewish students that live in America or other parts of the world to travel to Israel.” 

This past Christmas break, Bravo traveled to Israel with Hillsdale students through the Passages program. Bravo said he planned to attend with Hillsdale in 2021, but the trip was canceled last-minute due to COVID-19 vaccination requirements. 

Before traveling to Israel, accepted students must complete a pre-trip course which includes a series of videos, short essays, and multiple choice questions discussing the history and culture of Israel and its current geopolitical state, Bravo said.

Bravo and other students who attended recommended dedicating a week or more to the pre-course trip. 

“It’s definitely something that you want to take seriously,” Bravo said. “It is a preparation for your walk of faith. I took it and the trip got canceled, and even then it helped me a lot to understand my Christian faith and my Jewish-Christian roots.” 

Bravo said the Passages program is safe and structured. Each day is packed with various sites, speakers, and traveling because of Passages’ organization and relations in Israel. According to Bravo, before each day, Passages’ workers verify the safety of each destination. Students also visit Bethlehem which is in Palestinian territory, outside the state of Israel, Bravo said. 

“These are places that not even Jewish people can go,” he said. 

Students’ safety is Passages’ number one priority, and they assign an Israeli guard with experience in the Israel Defense Forces to each tour bus, Bravo said. 

Senior David Swegle said the tour guides for the trip are fantastic. 

“These people know their stuff,” Swegle said. “They go through a program to be licensed by the State of Israel. They know all about the geology, history, and religious roots. Our tour guide was Jewish, but she knew the New Testament like she was a Christian.” 

Senior Beth Potwardowski said the juxtaposition of biblical history surrounded by modern day Israel was often distracting, but the tour guide always allowed for devotion time, led by a chaplain with additional private time. 

“In the Garden of Gethsemane, it was a little bit strange because there’s a lot of build up around it,” Potwardowski said. “So you know, there’s busy traffic and other stuff going on, but I think I really appreciate having those times to really sit in the significance of where you are and everything that’s happened.” 

Sophomore Keara Gentry attended the information session and said she is hoping to apply. 

“Listening to other students’ experiences on the Passages trip made Israel come alive,” Gentry said. “After attending the information session, I am convinced that traveling to Israel through passages would be a worthwhile effort that would impact not only my understanding of international relations, but also my reading of scripture, in particular the Gospels.”