Passages brought more than 150 American students to Israel recently to experience the country firsthand and engage directly with its people, history and contemporary realities.
The summer 2026 delegation includes more than 55 high school students and 100-plus college students representing universities, ministries and Christian communities across the United States. The program marks a significant milestone as Passages welcomes its first high school cohort to Israel since before the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The high school participants are primarily affiliated with Indy Genesis, an Indianapolis-area church youth movement focused on Christian faith formation, leadership development and global engagement.
Their visit comes at a pivotal moment. Across the United States, anti-Israel narratives have gained increasing traction among young people, including within some Christian and conservative circles, often amplified through social media campaigns, activist networks and organizations backed by significant foreign funding. At the same time, misinformation surrounding Israel, Oct. 7 and the broader Middle East conflict has become increasingly prevalent on campuses and in educational spaces.
Passages believes the most effective response is direct engagement with reality.
“At a time when students are being bombarded by competing narratives online, there is simply no substitute for seeing Israel with your own eyes,” said Zach Bauer, CEO of Passages. “Many young Americans are being asked to form strong opinions about Israel without ever having met an Israeli, visited the region or experienced the complexity of the Middle East firsthand. Our goal is not to tell students what to think. It is to give them the opportunity to learn, engage, ask questions and encounter the reality for themselves.”
In addition to the high school cohort, college students participating this summer represent a broad range of campuses and ministries, including students from the University of Georgia, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Regent University, the University of Iowa, Gonzaga University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Wisconsin, Drexel University, Liberty University and Colorado State University.
Throughout the program, participants visited key historical, religious and cultural sites across Israel, including Jerusalem, the Galilee, the Gaza Envelope, the Nova Music Festival site, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea region. Students walk through Jerusalem’s Old City, visit the Western Wall, tour Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and engage with communities along Israel’s northern and southern borders. Passages participants even heard from renowned speakers, including George Deek, an Israeli diplomat who currently serves as the special envoy of Israel to the Christian world; Shadi Khalloul, an Aramean Christian who lives in Israel; Faydra Shapiro, a specialist in contemporary Jewish-Christian relations; and Amit Segal, an Israeli journalist, radio and television personality.
The itinerary is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of both Israel’s biblical significance and its modern-day challenges. Students will hear directly from survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks, residents of border communities, faith leaders, security experts and ordinary Israelis whose lives have been shaped by the ongoing conflict.
“One of the greatest challenges facing young Christians today is distinguishing between slogans and reality,” Bauer said. “When students stand in communities attacked on October 7, meet survivors face-to-face, and see the region’s complexity for themselves, they gain a level of understanding that simply cannot be replicated through social-media posts, viral videos or political activism.”
Bauer added that the return of high school students carries particular significance.
“The decision by these students, parents and pastors to come to Israel at this moment reflects tremendous courage and conviction,” he said. “At a time when anti-Israel activism is increasingly targeting younger audiences and even faith communities, these students are choosing engagement over ignorance, learning over slogans and firsthand experience over secondhand narratives.”
Founded to provide Christian students with educational experiences in Israel, Passages has brought thousands of students to the country over the past decade. Its programs focus on leadership development, historical literacy, faith formation and strengthening relationships between Christians, Israel and the Jewish people.
The summer 2026 travel season reflects growing interest among young American Christians seeking a deeper understanding of Israel amid rising polarization and increasing attempts to shape perceptions of the Jewish state from afar.
“These students are the next generation of faith leaders, community leaders, and decision-makers,” said Rivka Kidron, co-founder and board member of Passages. “The experiences they have in Israel this summer will equip them with something increasingly rare in today’s information environment: knowledge grounded in personal experience, human connection and truth.”
