A convergence happened today that convinced me that ToursInEnglish.com was on the right track. Two young men who had completed the Taglit Birthright program reunited at an event through their participation in our tours.
One of them took the Hebron tour yesterday and heard from the guide about the Friday demonstration at Bi’ilin, a West Bank village that conducts weekly joint Palestinian/Israeli non-violent demonstrations in protest against the confiscation of their land for an Israeli settlement. The villagers have been doing this for three years!
The other young man took today’s Central West Bank tour from Tel Aviv, heard about the demonstration from the guide, and requested to be taken to the tour. Since he was the only tour participant today, the guide complied.
Both men met at the demonstration and recognized each other from the Taglit Birthright program. The program provides a free trip to Israel for any young Jew anywhere in the world in order to strengthen their Jewish Indentity. The tour includes indoctrination in ‘Zionist values’. However many young people take the trip for a free ride and then set off to explore the real Israel and Palestine, often with ToursInEnglish.com.
In addition to the two men appearing at the demonstration, yet another ToursInEnglish.com client on a private tour had specifically requested to be taken to Bi’ilin although it was not on the original itinerary. Thus the three clients met at the demonstration having been motivated by their experiences on the tours.
Part of the mission of the tours is to educate and motivate our clients to become more involved in the issues and it is gratifying to see that the process works. We also frequently receive email from past tour participants with stories of their committment to working for a just peace in the land.
Comment (0)