Eva Terry writes for National Review Online about an effective tool against antisemitism.
Young Americans of all political persuasions are marinating in anti-Israel propaganda on social media and on college campuses.
Given the opportunity to experience the country for themselves, rather than simply watching negative videos about it, young people can broaden their perspective and gain a deeper understanding of Israel’s people, culture, and history. This is the approach advocated by Passages, a nonprofit that takes young people on subsidized trips to the Jewish state.
“What we want students to do is to see Israel for themselves [and] be able to connect with their faith there,” Passages CEO Scott Phillips told National Review. “To see the real Israel versus what they hear in some of the mainstream media or what they may hear on campuses when they get back . . . Our hope is that their perspectives are changed both on their faith and on what’s happening in Israel.”
More than 250 college students and young adults from around the U.S. gathered in Washington, D.C., on Saturday for the annual Israel Impact Summit, hosted by Passages. Religious liberty advocates, policy analysts, and other speakers invited by Passages urged the young crowd to confront the rise of antisemitism among their peers.
Following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Passages’ mission shifted to include educational efforts — like its annual summit — to support the Jewish community.
Manhattan Institute polling from this summer shows that about a quarter of Republican voters under the age of 50 “believe that Jews receive too much favorable treatment.” Simultaneously, 54 percent of men and 39 percent of women under 50 said “the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians describe.”
Polling from Pew Research Center replicated the trend: 57 percent of 18- to 49-year-old Republicans had an unfavorable opinion of Israel — up seven percent from last year and up nearly 20 percent since 2022.
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