Search results for: Keysar Ariela

The goal of this paper is to look at trips to Israel as a vehicle for Jewish engagements of the millennial generation — those born after 1980 — and to assess the relationship between connections to Israel and Jewish involvement both in the private and the public spheres. The analyses are based on the Demographic Study of Jewish College Students, 2014, an online survey of four - year institutions of higher education in the U.S. with over 1,100 Jewish students. The road to Jerusalem on an educational tour does lead to the Kotel, the Western Wall, yet it does not elevate religious observance. However, visits to Israel connect or reconnect young people with their Jewish cultural roots, elevate Jewish pride, and create a sense of peoplehood. This is true of any kind of visit, whether with Taglit, another educational program, or family. A personal visit to Israel, in any capacity, seems to be a stronger predictor of feelings of Jewish pride and commitment to Jewish peoplehood more than growing up with two Jewish parents.