Two UF students visit Israel on trip for campus leaders

After hearing about her Jewish friends’ experiences at Birthright, Heather Ryan became curious about visiting Israel herself.

As a Christian, Ryan, a 21-year-old UF agriculture education and communication junior, wasn’t eligible for the Birthright trip, which provides young adults with a Jewish heritage a free trip to Israel.

However, Ryan was able to go on a 10-day, all-expenses-paid trip to the country with Caravan for Democracy, sponsored by the Jewish National Fund.

“Everyone has a connection back to Israel,” Ryan said. “Regardless if you are religious or secular or Christian, Muslim, practicing, not practicing, you can find significance in Israel simply by the story that Israel tells of persistence and resilience and growth.”

Two UF students went on the Caravan for Democracy trip from the end of December to January. The program aims to recruit non-Jewish student leaders on college campuses, said Yishai Goldflam, the executive director of Israel advocacy and education for the Jewish National Fund.

Goldflam said the trip shows student leaders what Israel is like beyond news headlines.

“Our goal is to facilitate constructive dialogue about Israel and the Middle East on college campuses,” Goldflam said. “And we believe that the best way to do this is to show student leaders Israel with their own eyes.”

Ryan went on the trip from Dec. 28 to Jan. 8. Jessica Valdes, a 21-year-old UF political science junior, also attended from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6.

Valdes said she went on the trip because she was curious about Israel’s position in the world and wanted to learn about Middle Eastern politics firsthand. In the country, she met Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, Israeli Palestinians, Druze and Bedouin people.

“It was really eye-opening, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Valdes said.

Throughout the trip, Valdes said she wasn’t afraid to ask questions about everything she was learning.

“So I do feel we got a whole perspective instead of a one-side perspective,” she said.

Ryan and Valdes said they plan to host a forum in Spring to share their experiences and encourage other students to apply.

“Anytime there’s a conflict or anytime there’s uncertainty in the world, a lot of the people respond with fear,” Ryan said. “But if a student even has an inkling to have a desire to learn beyond that fear, that is what I would challenge someone, a potential applicant, to focus on.”

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