54 | FEBRUARY 16 • 2023 

A

s the president of Students for 
Israel at Wayne State University 
as part of Hillel of Metro 
Detroit, I had the opportunity to recruit, 
plan and implement a trip for non-
Jewish student leaders (accompanied by 
five pro-Israel Hillel student leaders) to 
Israel and the Palestinian territories. 
The trip was designed to showcase 
both Palestinian and Israeli narratives. 
We heard from key politicians, 
journalists, army officials and citizens 
from both sides about the current 
situation, everyday life and the 
connection to history. The goal of the 
trip was to educate student leaders about 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a 
personal point of a view while being 
given the opportunity to ask questions 
and voice their concerns. 
We spent several months reaching 
out to different student organizations 
on campus to introduce the opportunity 
and to encourage them to apply. After 
extensive interviews, we successfully 

built a diverse group of 21 students. 
Participants included prominent student 
leaders on campus, such as student 
senate candidates, board members 
leading Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Black, 
Latinx and Chaldean American student 
groups on campus. Before departing, we 
held a pre-trip orientation at Hillel to 
get to know each other as a group and to 
discuss the various challenges we might 
face during the trip.
The trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime 
experience. We visited many historical 
and cultural sites, such as the Western 
Wall, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We took 
day trips to the West Bank where we 
visited Palestinian cities like Bethlehem 
and Ramallah, and drove down south to 
the Gaza Strip. 
We drove up north and visited 
Nazareth, followed by a drive to the 
Golan Heights to hear from geopolitical 
experts. We ended our trip with two 
nights in Tel Aviv, where we learned 

about Israeli innovation, about Ethiopian 
Jews, and visited the markets and busy 
streets. 
Each of the different programs had its 
own unique significance and meaning, 
and the students were able to gain a 
deeper appreciation and understanding 
of the rich history and culture of the 
region. 
One of the most meaningful exper-
iences of the trip was the opportunity to 
meet local, Israeli high school students 
from our partnership region. We were 
all surprised to learn how different our 
life in America is. Our group members 
were especially surprised to see how 
excited they were about their upcoming 
military service. This experience not 
only provided an opportunity for the 
students to get to know Israeli citizens 
closer to their age, but also allowed them 
to gain a deeper understanding of the 
issues facing the local community. 
Throughout the trip, we had 
numerous opportunities to reflect on our 

Wayne State students embark on a trip 
to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Fact Finders

Jeremy Soper } jewish@edu writer

for college students 
by college students

continued on page 56

A group shot of 
the people who 
went to Israel and 
the Palestinian 
territories on the 
Fact Finders trip.