For many Jewish students, the chance to go on a free trip to Israel with friends is both an exciting and frightening experience.
While a journey to the Jewish holy land can be life changing, the constant state of political turmoil and danger in the Middle East means that there are always safety concerns.
If you’re in your mid-30s, you may have seen your trip affected by the first Gaza War. Those in their upper-20s might have been endangered by the Syrian Civil War as it leaked into the Golan Heights. In 2023, many winter trips were postponed or canceled in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre.
However, for today’s Jewish college students, the danger might be more heightened than it has ever been.
So much so that Birthright Israel announced last month that it had postponed all trips indefinitely and was evacuating around 2,800 young adults from Israel following attacks by Iran. But, as of last week, the trips are back on.
On June 30, Birthright Israel announced that it would be resuming travel to Israel for its clientele: students ages 18 to 26 who have not lived in Israel for an extended period.
“We led a historic operation grounded in resilience, responsibility, and care, and now we’re opening the gates to Israel once again,” said Gidi Mark, CEO of Birthright Israel, referencing the extensive work it took to evacuate nearly 3,000 young Jews from the country.
“Our commitment to connecting Jewish young adults to Israel is stronger than ever, and we expect thousands of participants to arrive from now through the end of the summer season,” he added.
Birthright Israel opened for business again on July 6, with the first flights touching down in Israel on July 7.
Loren Zalzman is in a gap year after graduating from Penn State-Abington in the spring of 2024. She’s a Philadelphia native who is going on a Birthright trip with her best friend, and she is excited to see a new side of Israel.
As the daughter of Israelis who has a lot of family in the country, she said she wants a chance to visit Israel in a different capacity than she has in the past.
“I decided Birthright is a perfect opportunity to not only go back to Israel to see my family but also to experience Israel, not going dinner table to dinner table, but as a tourist — going to see it for what it is [and] the nature, the history, all of it,” she said.
Given that she has an extensive background in Israel, she said she isn’t too worried about safety. In fact, she said she views the safety concerns in the country as an unfortunate — but constant — part of life.
“I’ve experienced rockets before. The last time I was in Israel, it was the same story of Hamas sending rockets over. But it’s one thing for it to be Hamas rockets and another to be rockets from Iran,” she said. “I’m looking at it more as an extra step — you hear sirens, you go to the bomb shelter. When I was in Israel 10 years ago, it was the same thing. It’s just part of the way of life there, unfortunately.”
Jack, who preferred not to use his last name for safety reasons, is a student at the University of Pennsylvania who just finished his sophomore year. He said he loves to travel and has always wanted to go to Israel, but never had the chance. Jack said he has “had his eye” on Israel’s safety concerns for a while, but after Oct. 7, 2023, he started paying more attention. Earlier this year, he decided to go this summer. Even though it’s not perfectly safe, Jack thinks now is the time.
“If I was going to do it, now is as good a time as ever,” he said.
He applied before the armed conflict with Iran began, and Jack said he is glad that the storm has cleared enough to permit his trip to go on. His parents are worried, as any parents would be, but they also know this trip means a lot to Jack.
“My parents are definitely concerned, but they’re also really supportive. They haven’t been to Israel either, and I think they see that it’s a really great opportunity,” he said. “Thankfully it seems like the situation is trending in a more positive direction.”
For Zalzman, the ever-present danger also serves as a reminder to appreciate the relative safety that Jews have in the United States, even with rising antisemitism.
“What’s amazing about Israelis is that their personality and their way of looking at life is so positive and joyous so that even in those darkest of times, they still find a way to come together,” she said. “I think that’s part of why I’m not so afraid of it. I see how my family is handling it. I see how my friends are handling it, and I feel more empowered because of how graciously the Israeli people are dealing with the entire situation.”
