As anti-Israel activists increasingly seek to influence Christian communities, churches, and high schools across the United States through well-funded campaigns, Passages brought more than 150 American students to Israel this summer 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 over 100 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 October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
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, the October 7 attacks, 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, Chief Executive Officer 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, University of Iowa, Gonzaga University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin, Drexel University, Liberty University, and Colorado State University, among others.
Throughout the program, participants visited key historical, religious, and cultural sites across Israel, including Jerusalem, the Galilee, the Gaza Envelope, the Nova Massacre Site, Tel Aviv, and the Dead Sea region. Students will walk through Jerusalem's Old City, visit the Western Wall, tour Yad Vashem, and engage with communities along Israel's northern and southern borders. Passages participants even heard from renowned speakers including Ambassador George Deek, Shadi Khalloul, Dr. Faydra Shapiro and Amit Segal.
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 October 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."
Passages is a nonprofit organization that provides Christian college students and young adults with educational experiences in Israel focused on leadership, faith, history, and cultural understanding. Through travel programs, leadership initiatives, and ongoing educational opportunities, Passages equips emerging leaders to engage thoughtfully with Israel and the Jewish people.