Annual Jerusalem Seminar trip canceled amid ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict
Goerzen notified students of the decision on Oct. 26.
On Oct. 26, Assistant Professor of Bible and Religion Peter Goerzen notified Bethel students enrolled in the Jerusalem Seminar that the trip was officially canceled. Students in the course had planned to travel to Jerusalem from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15.
“As tour leaders, we have developed relationships with the individuals and organizations we visit, and our hearts break for each of them,” said Goerzen in his email to students confirming the cancellation. “Each is impacted. Violence merely breeds more hatred and violence.”
“I was saddened because I had heard all these stories of how fun and cool Jerusalem was to go to and experience,” said Jordan Twenter, a junior from Independence, Mo. “I wanted that for myself. … Even if it wasn’t 100%, I wanted the experience of a Jesus moment, outside of the country and I felt like God gave me that opportunity.”
After the Gaza war began in October, the leaders of the trip followed the news with great concern. The Jerusalem Seminar was automatically in question. While the trip has not visited Gaza since the 1990s, the war with Gaza immediately impacted life throughout Israel-Palestine.
The trip was ultimately canceled due to the continued violence in Jerusalem.
“I was saddened to have this trip canceled,” said Peter Buller, a junior from Inman. “I was looking forward to traveling to a new place, where Christ walked and the church was born. The part of the trip that excited me the most was the opportunity to learn about the Palestine and Israel conflict from the people who live there and have experienced it.”
As the violence moved toward the West Bank, students would have visited places like Jericho, Bethlehem, and East Jerusalem. The action to call off the trip happened due to no indication of increased stabilization in the immediate future. No imminent cease-fire appeared likely and the security of the travel situation for late December and early January was impossible to anticipate.
“Being able to have the in-person experience of the holy land would be like none other,” said Lia Groves, a senior from Valley Center. “It’s a shame with everything going on over there right now. Hopefully, peace will soon be present again.”
“Currently, I’m humbled,” said Twenter. “Everything going [on] over there is horrid and dreadful and makes me upset that humans could do such things to one another. … As I was complaining about the funds and the lost experience, people are fighting for their lives over there and it made me feel guilty and quickly changed my mindset. God will give me another opportunity and canceling this trip was the right decision.”
As students are heartbroken over this decision, they shared their concern for the people impacted by the violence and, like Twenter, are selfless about the cancellation of the trip.
“To the horrors of those around the world, it is fitting that the trip was canceled because of escalated violence between the two peoples,” Buller said. “Most of all, my heart breaks for the victims of this violence.
“The people of Palestine have endured violence for decades before this; as they have endured apartheid, forced removal by settler violence, and discrimination broadly, and now face conditions that could amount to genocide. My heart has ached for the victims of the October 6th attack in Israel. Violence that cannot bring about peace, but can only extend the cycle of violence.”
Goerzen also understands what exactly is being lost by the cancellation.
“This decision, though essentially unavoidable for a group of our size around 40, came with a great deal of sadness,” said Goerzen. “We often talk about the trip as inviting participants to learn what it means to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ … and all who live there and beyond.
“We listen to many stories of people who live in a variety of places and from a variety of perspectives, and especially to stories of organizations working for justice and peace amid situations of both slow and fast violence. These are precisely the [kinds] of experiences that shed important light on the most recent outbreak of ‘fast violence.’”
As of now, the trip is wrapping up its final plans to refund students for their plane ticket expenses. Other students are working with Goerzen to amend their academic plans for their schedules to meet the required credits.
Discussions of attempting to plan another trip will be communicated with these students in the future at the appropriate time as it remains too soon to tell.
“I would say that after the trip got canceled I was frustrated at first because it took a lot of work out of me to fundraise for the trip and … I had to return these donations and explain everything that was happening,” said Twenter.
“As those on the trip start to receive our refunds and divest ourselves from the trip, the thing I hope remains with us is the pain we see daily from this war and to then be voices against our government’s unconditional support of the Israeli war machine which we have funded through our taxes,” said Buller.
“Voices that demand peace by way of equitable justice for all who have been harmed since this violence began decades ago.”