2008 MSU Jewish Studies Summer Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
—There is no way Israel will ever leave my heart. There is forever a special place in my heart for this land and what it means to me!
—This really has been a trip of a lifetime! It was absolutely amazing.
—Between learning about Jerusalem and gaining an understanding of the Zionist movement the trip to Israel was a great success and a whole lot of fun. Meeting new people and learning more about a new culture was fantastic and enlightening.
—How do you sum up the best experience of your life (and I’m not using this term lightly, I truly believe it)? … This is definitely something that I can remember for a lifetime and tell my kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, and that’s good enough for me. The trip was everything I could have ever wanted and more, and I am so satisfied with my experience.
These quotes convey some of the excitement and lasting memories generated by the 2008 MSU Jewish Studies Summer Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Twenty MSU undergraduates from a broad range of backgrounds and academic interests participated in the program, led by Professor Marc Bernstein of MSU’s Department of Linguistics & Languages. This year’s overwhelming response (doubled since last year) was encouraged by the availability of Levy and Slade scholarships administered by MSU’s Jewish Studies Program, which conferred 18 scholarships to help defray the costs of the program. Students came from Jewish and Christian upbringings and for many in the group it was their first visit to the country. Very few had spent any significant amount of time living in the country and not being escorted around as part of an organized Jewish group or Birthright, and they did an incredible job of adapting to the culture, absorbing huge amounts knowledge and experience, and getting out on their own to see the country and meet its people.
The academic program consisted of two rigorous four-credit courses. Professor Bernstein’s course on the historical geography of Jerusalem took advantage of the students’ presence in Jerusalem to delve into the city’s rich past, explore its present, and look to possible futures. Students learned about the major events in Jerusalem’s history, its place in the human imagination, and its significance over the millennia as a source for tremendous cultural innovation. Central to our considerations was the notion of constructed collective memory and the competition over sacred space. Field trips to diverse archaeological and cultural treasures, under the guidance of professional guide Barak Zemer, traced the history of Jerusalem from its ancient Canaanite origins down to the present. Students kept academic response journals and carried out final research projects.
Students also took a course taught by Dr. David Mendelsson on the emergence of the modern State of Israel in which they surveyed ideological, political and social developments surrounding the collective identity of the Jewish community in Palestine from the beginnings of political Zionism through the sixty years of statehood. As part of this course, students were able to explore the National Cemetery at Mt. Herzl, areas of the Galilee and the North, as well as important Zionist historical sites in Tel Aviv. This being the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State, it was a particularly apt time to take stock of where the country came from and where it is today.
International Relations major Kallie Eisenberger summed up her experience thus:
Israel was not at all what I anticipated it to be. The few expectations that I had coming in were erased on day one, and I am so glad for this. Almost every day we had some type of tour in the city, which I found extremely valuable; I really felt that I learned so much more about the history and complexity of Jerusalem by being physically present instead of being taught about them in a classroom. I cannot even begin to explain what it felt like to stand on Temple Mount, touch the Western Wall, and go inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Our trip truly encompassed aspects of each of the Abrahamic religions, which I deeply appreciated and found to be extremely interesting. Not only did we see and hear about the background of these religions and how each has had some influence in Jerusalem, but we were able to apply our knowledge to current issues through interviews with local Jerusalemites, including an Arab villager, a Jewish settler, a Sufi sheik, and two men that have each lost a family member in the conflict—one a Palestinian and the other an Israeli. Being able to go into the city and explore, talk to people, and learn about past and present issues was truly an amazing and invaluable experience.
Although I learned so much about the history, life, religions, and the formation of the state of Israel, I think the thing that most impressed me was the true complexity of the land. For a country that is only sixty years old, there is such a deep history there that extends well past the formation of the state in 1948. While we were only there for five short weeks, I know that everything I learned, saw, and experienced will stick with me for a lifetime. Not only was it a wonderful trip with a group of really great people, but also it affirmed to me the choices I have made in my education, particularly choosing to go on study abroad, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I really cannot say enough about this experience—as my friends and family who have been forced to hear about it constantly can tell you. Even pictures aren’t enough to convey the incredible wonder of Israel and particularly Jerusalem. Standing on top of Masada and looking across to the sun rising over the Dead Sea and Jordan, looking up at the Dome of Rock, and even wandering the Old City with friends are irreplaceable memories for me I met people from all over the globe, saw the holiest places in the world, learned an incredible amount, and made lifelong connections to a place that will always remain close to my heart because of the fantastic experience I had there. It was an amazing trip that I would do again in a heartbeat. My gratitude for being able to complete this trip is inexpressible as I now have an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life and has been the highlight of my college career.
Check out the program blog (msuisrael.blogspot.com) to view the students’ trip and lecture reports, in addition to the results of their research projects.
Marc Bernstein will again be leading the Program in 2009. For more details about the program, contact him at msb@msu.edu and see: http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/israeljewish.html.
