College students and faculty who spend time in Israel―a summer, a semester or a year—enrich their academic experience. That's the consensus among study abroad administrators from 10 Illinois colleges and universities and representatives of major Israeli universities who met for a Study Abroad in Israel Symposium organized by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF/JF) Feb. 15.
The first-ever gathering of this type in the country educated study abroad administrators and representatives about existing programs and gave them the tools and connections to establish partnerships with Israeli institutions. University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, Elmhurst College, Loyola University, North Park University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Harper College were represented at the symposium.
Richard Herman, former chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) noted that study abroad is instrumental in an era of "global education." His University's goal is for 50 percent of the students to study abroad. The current number is about 28 percent, up from just 16 percent studying abroad in 1998.
In a world where study abroad is now the norm, Israel can be seen as an unknown frontier. In fact, the number of American students participating in programs at Israeli universities hit an all-time low in the early 2000s after the beginning of a terror campaign known as the Second Intifada. In the past couple of years, American universities have begun again forging relationships with Israeli counterparts.
"By going to Israel with the students, faculty are modeling for the students how to take a place and make it your own as a foreigner, how to be a constructive member of a society that might not be your own," said Martha Merritt, associate dean for international education and director of study abroad at the University of Chicago. "Faculty come back just as energized as the students."
Merritt also noted her University's success at engaging alumni who live in Israel or have strong connections with the country, which adds another perspective for visiting students and faculty. The University's program in Israel, Jerusalem in Middle Eastern Civilizations, treats Israel as the landscape of many faiths through ancient, medieval and modern times.
In addition to sharing successes, the symposium encouraged program administrators to network with representatives of Israeli institutions, such as the Hebrew University, Haifa University, the Technion, Tel Aviv University, and Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Many of them already have established partnerships with U.S. colleges, and students from Illinois are able to join those programs, Israeli university reps said.
"The easiest way to get information to students is to work with specific faculty, specific departments, units and build a partnership in a very intimate and very personalized way," said Daniel Schuval, academic affairs director for MASA Israel Journey, which curates 160 study and work programs in Israel and is funded jointly by the government of Israel and Jewish communities around the world, including the Chicago Federation.
Part of the attraction of Israel as a study abroad choice is its multi-faceted society. Students at Haifa University and the Technion, for example, would be exposed to a city that's home to Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and Bahai'.
Interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution studies as features of study abroad attracted Loyola University Professor of Italian Wiley Feinstein to learn more about programs in Israel, he said. Feinstein, who chairs Loyola's Modern Language Department, is active in the University's study abroad programs, including current partnerships in Spain, France and Poland.
In related news, Israeli universities have welcomed at least 21 students who had to leave Egypt due to the political instability there.