Experts in the field of Jewish identity strongly believe that trips to Israel are among one of the surest ways to keep Jews connected to the Jewish community. In fact recent studies have shown that alumni of Taglit-Birthright Israel’s free 10-day trips to the Jewish state are more likely to marry Jews than those who have not participated. The study, published in 2009 by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University found that these trips had a “profound long-term impact on Jewish identity and connectedness to Israel.”
That’s one reason that representatives from KU Hillel are proud to report that about 64 Jewish students from KU went to Israel over winter break. Forty of those students went on a Birthright trip. Another 12 participated in an Israeli Leadership Mission heavily subsidized by a grant provided by the local Jewish Federation.
Students also took trips sponsored by Jewish National Fund, various yeshiva programs and private visits.
The number of KU students taking Israel trips just keeps growing, Kimmel said.
“Last year was the first time that we had a full bus in a very long time for Birthright, and that’s a bus of 40 kids.
There’s always between 12 and 14 kids on the leadership mission,” Kimmel said.
The leadership mission is “a higher level Israel trip,” according to Kimmel and all students who applied must have been to Israel before.
“We really want to make sure that we have quality students going. We only look at sophomores and above, and it’s for students who have demonstrated leadership at KU Hillel and Jewish life at KU,” she said.
Once the mission is over, Kimmel said participants commit to serve a leadership role within the KU Jewish community and are responsible for conducting a follow-up experience based on their trip experiences.
“It can be leading discussion groups or organizing programs such as Israel week,” she said.
Israel’s diversity
The theme of the trip is the diversity and the many faces and cultures of Israel.
“It’s digs a little deeper than the average touring component. It’s getting to know the community, the culture, the conflict and the co-existence within Israel and the people,” she explained.
That’s exactly why Abby Durham went on the mission. She’s a 20-year-old sophomore from Memphis.
“We learned about the Christians, the Muslims and the Arabs and we got to experience their lives. And we got to experience Jews living in poverty in Israel,” Durham said.
Durham, who hopes to become a rabbi, enjoyed visiting a bilingual school in Beer Sheva. She thought it was “very cool” that students were learning to co-exist peacefully there.
“It was very moving to see that people in Beer Sheva were realizing that Israel isn’t necessarily (just) a place for the Jews but a place for everyone, that we shouldn’t necessarily be fighting and that we should live in some sort of harmony and get along together,” she said.
Erika Meltzer also enjoyed her time in Beer Sheva. A junior who hails from the Detroit area, she spent last summer as a local Federation Learning for Life intern.
“I truly loved spending time touring the bilingual Jewish Arab kindergarten of the Hagar Association and meeting with many of the volunteers who toured us around the school. It was pretty amazing interacting with the children who at such a young age were fluent in two, and some three, languages,” Meltzer said.
Building relationships
Kimmel said that the students also visited the Ramla and Gezer region, which has close ties to Kansas City. They met young leaders, stayed in Israeli homes, “and really build relationships and learn about the community that Kansas City is connected with.”
Meltzer thought staying with the host families was an integral part of the trip.
“It was nice being able to stay with a family and get a taste of their lifestyle especially over Shabbat,” she said. “It was a very relaxing weekend … learning about their family and their lifestyle on Kibbutz Gezer.”
Kimmel said the students are strongly encouraged to share their Israel experiences beyond the KU campus.
“This helps them establish their role and determine who they want to be in their Jewish community as they start to leave and complete college. It’s really instilling that importance of not just Israel, but Jewish community life,” Kimmel said.
Kimmel said this program has had a great impact on the students who have been a part of it.
“We’re seeing students who were on the first two trips who are now out of college, now reaching out and connecting with their federations. They are trying to initiate young leadership programs within their own Jewish communities, whether it be in Kansas City or Minneapolis or Memphis. It’s nice to see that, and knowing that they want to stay connected is a big part of Hillel,” she said.
Kollel also helps students travel to Israel
The KC Kollel also helped subsidize KU and metro college students so they could travel to Israel. Over the last several years the Kollel rabbis have cultivated relationships with these young people by teaching at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and inviting them to their homes.
“Several students approached me expressing interest in returning to Israel to tour and study during winter break,” said Kollel Rabi Binyomin Davis. “Thankfully I have a lot of contacts who work in the field in Israel, where I studied and taught for six years.”
The Kollel was able to help other students study and tour Israel. Rabbi Davis said one of the advantages of all of these trips the Kollel helped arrange for college students is that they are still very inexpensive for students who have been to Israel on Birthright or other group trips previously. He said he is more than happy to help students learn about subsidized Israel trips and all they have to do is contact him at or call him at (913) 481-5842. In fact his home is always open to students.
“I really enjoy getting to know college students. It’s a very exciting time in a young person’s life, and I feel privileged to be a part of it for these students,” Rabbi Davis said. “My wife and I both became more involved in Jewish life in college, and we hope to always be an address for students to feel comfortable, a familiar face of a rabbi in Overland Park.”
The Kollel helped Micah Levin secure a spot at Aish Hatorah.
“This past winter break at Yishavat Aish Hatorah proved to be a crucial experience that instilled in me a desire to perfect myself daily and to continually search for truth. Learning with Rabbi Davis and the KC kollel helped me reach my goal of returning to to learn Torah,” Levine said.
Another KU student, sophomore Michael Lebovitz, has been studying with the Kollel for the past two years and joined them for many Shabbat meals.
“When Rabbi Davis approached me about returning to Israel, I was ecstatic. I had been wanting to return since my post-high school year. It was an amazing experience, and I was especially excited to study with Rabbi Davis’s good friend and longtime study partner who was the rabbi director of my program is Israel!”
Senior Olivia Etkind was very inspired by her trip to Israel. She was pleased to be able to connect with other students from around the country who had similar values and goals in life and returned home with knowledge that she can share with others about Israel and Judaism.
Boris Abramov, who is working on a doctor of pharmacy degree at UMKC School of Pharmacy, was also able to study for three weeks.
“I was fortunate to go on a peer trip to Israel in high school, and I had been wanting to go back. I was thrilled to return! This trip made me reconsider returning to Israel on more learning programs during my breaks,” Abramov said.
