Why Israel
For the past 55 years, BBYO has been sharing the magic of a summer in Israel with Jewish teens from around the world. Today, Israel trips remain at the heart of BBYO’s Passport to the World programming. Why Israel?
Jewish Identity
Studies have consistently shown that a high school-age trip to Israel may serve as the single most powerful experience in the development of a teen’s Jewish identity. There is a good reason why this is true. The miracle of modern Israel’s re-emergence in the 19th and 20th centuries has resulted in a new and dynamic Jewish society. The richness of Jewish life in Israel today – in all of its many colorful forms – presents Jewish teens with a unique perspective on their own connection to Judaism and the larger Jewish world around them. This type of experience can only be found in Israel, and when these identity-building connections are made during the teenage years, the meaning is especially lasting.
Connecting with Jewish History
An experience in Israel is about 3000 years of Jewish history coming alive in a way that a classroom can never achieve. The BBYO Passport program is based on the notion that informal education through active touring is the best way to convey the richness and modern implications of Jewish history in Israel. Passport participants cover the spectrum of the Jewish people’s development in Israel – from the days of the Bible, to the Talmudic ages, and through the emergence of modern Zionism in our own times. Israel presents a unique opportunity for today’s Jewish teens to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors, and make their own connections to the story of the Jewish people.
Commitment to Israel
We at BBYO believe that the thriving of modern Israel is essential to the continuity of the Jewish People. As a non-denominational and non-political program, we take pride that the Passport to Israel experience is designed to expose teens to the complexities of political life in today’s Israel. Participants will be challenged to consider different points of view and different ways to interpreting the contemporary meaning of Zionism. However, tying all of this debate and discussion together is our common unity in support of Israel and the Israeli people.
Forming Friendships with Israeli Teens
Every Passport to Israel program includes the opportunity to make new friendships with Israeli teens from BBYO’s sister youth movement in Israel – Tzammeret. Through a series of mifgash programs (encounters), teens from Israel and the Diaspora are encouraged to share their respective views on the big issues. What it means to be Jewish in Israel vs. what it means to be Jewish in North America. How do Israeli teens view North American Jews and how do North American Jewish teens view Israelis. The result of the mifgash experience is a richer understanding of Israel and new friendships with a great group of Israeli teens.
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