In recent years, Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy (BCHA), located in Stamford, has been looking to start an upper school senior year Israel trip.
The eighth-grade Israel trip has always been a highlight of the middle school experience at BCHA, and the team wanted a trip to Israel at the high school level to become a focal point of the upper school experience as well. Bi-Cultural also wanted a trip that would encapsulate learning and discussion that was appropriate for older students as they prepared to move onto college campuses.
The opportunity came to light with the halting of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference. In the past, the BCHA upper school used to prepare their students to attend the policy conference every year. That conference gave students a greater education, understanding and experience of the importance of Israel. With no conference on the horizon, BCHA was looking for a new way to give their students this significant experience.
For some time, Geff and Deborah Erickson, along with Deborah’s parents, Betty and Ronaldo Steinberg, have supported the upper school’s Israel education efforts in ways such as funding the students’ participation in the AIPAC Policy Conference. Last year, Rabbi Shimmy Trencher, principal of the BCHA upper school, reached out to Geff to discuss the possibility of his family funding a pilot program that would include Israel education as well as a capstone mission to Israel. After hours of discussion, Geff decided his family would be the lead funders of BCHA’s Israel Trip Pilot Program. Additionally, Rabbi Trencher reached out to Audrey Lichter, who is the executive director of Chai Mitzvah and who works closely with Jewish philanthropist Scott Shay, who recently published an excellent book on anti-Zionist conspiracies on college campuses. Scott and Chai Mitzvah decided to help with the funding, and provided the students with copies of Scott’s book, “Conspiracy U,” and a comprehensive curriculum that the school added to the pre-trip educational program. Once everything started to fall into place, the school leadership made additional funds available and other parents graciously stepped in to provide scholarship funds.
The upper school’s Israel Trip lasted 10 days, which built off of the students’ 20 hours of Israel education preparation they received prior to their trip.
“The overall goal of the program was to expose students to multiple, diverse perspectives through a Zionist lens, so students could become nuanced, thoughtful and educated advocates for the state, land and people of Israel,” said Rabbi Trencher when asked about the goal of the trip.
Throughout the course of the trip, the BCHA seniors visited an absorption center for Ethiopian olim; explored ancient Jewish connection to the land with a direct focus on Jerusalem; hung out with Israeli high school students; visited important sites in the 1948, 1967 and 1973 wars; and heard from Israelis who lived in various regions of Israel such as from the border with Syria and Lebanon, a member of the Druze community and a Palestinian Christian.
When proudly looking back at this Israel trip, Rabbi Trencher noted that this was the best Israel trip he has ever been involved with. “Not only did it help the participants further develop an emotional connection to the land, but also it accomplished its goal of providing our students with a deeper understanding of the complexities facing Israel today and the basic tools to be a proud, compassionate, thoughtful and knowledgeable Zionist and supporter of Israel and its people,” he said.
The BCHA staff is most thankful to all their financial supporters for this legacy trip, as well as Stacey Trencher who chaperoned; Diane Sloyer, the executive director of UJF; and especially Yoav Yaron. Yoav is the community’s shaliach through the UJF of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien. As soon as Rabbi Trencher got the ball rolling for the trip, he asked Yoav for help. Yoav not only provided guidance, but offered to serve as the trip’s lead educator and volunteered to join the journey as a chaperone to infuse his love and pride of Israel. Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy and its students were amazed by how impactful this senior Israel trip turned out, and look forward to continuing and expanding their Israel education in the future.
Julianne Katz is a former Jewish Link intern currently spending her gap year in Israel.
