Travel & Service Learning
Just as Tufts University is committed to global citizenship, Tufts Hillel is deeply engaged with connecting to Jewish communities and other cultures around the world.
Our past trips – to Germany, Argentina, Morocco, India and Rwanda – have brought students into contact with international Jewish communities and with other cultures. Students have the opportunity to do hands-on work, volunteer, and learn about other cultures and Jewish diversity around the world.
These immersive experiences are powerful and long lasting. Students who learn and volunteer far from Tufts bring this understanding back to enrich life here on campus and beyond.
The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village is home to the most vulnerable Rwanda teens, many of them orphans of the genocide and survivors of unspeakable trauma. Founded by Anne Heyman z"l and Seth Merrin in 2008, the village is a safe and secure living environment that supports these young survivors with health care, education, and necessary life skills. Using education and service, the village is a modern model of how to create socially responsible citizens in Rwanda and around the world.
Each summer since 2009, Tufts Hillel sends an interfaith group of twenty-two students on a twelve-day trip to volunteer at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village and study the impact of contemporary genocide on society. Students tour memorial sites and spend time living in the village, working on community service projects, and meeting with genocide survivors.
Upon returning to campus, students continue their engagement with the village, designing educational programs on the Rwandan genocide, raising funds for the village, and promoting awareness about educational and reconciliation initiatives in Rwanda.
By meeting and working side-by-side with these inspiring Rwandan teens and village leaders, Tufts students who take the annual trip learn about the issues of genocide in our world today, can put the theories of activism and advocacy into practice, and see first hand the importance of moral action in the face of persecution and oppression.
Birthright Israel is an innovative partnership between Jewish communities around the world and the people of Israel, providing the gift of peer-group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26. It is made possible with the support of the Government of Israel, private philanthropists, and thousands of donors worldwide.
The Tufts Birthright Experience
With the generous support of Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Tufts Hillel is proud to offer Birthright Israel trips with Shorashim for eligible Tufts students and their friends. By going on Birthright Israel with Shorashim & Tufts, you can explore Israel with Israelis the whole time & experience Israel through the eyes of the locals. Float in the Dead Sea, hike in the desert, wander the streets of Tel Aviv, & so much more this winter by applying now!
These trips are staffed by our own campus professionals, and we work with Shorashim to customize the itinerary in order to provide Tufts students with a truly unique Birthright Israel experience. You can click here to apply now for your Birthright Israel adventure this winter with Shorashim
Tufts Hillel provices this Campus Birthright Israel trip through Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Israel IACT initiative. In addition to opportunities provided on the trip itself, IACT expands the Birthright Israel experience with excellent pre- and post-trip programming, and creates many opportunities for students to engage in Jewish life upon their return from Israel.
Our trips are also open to friends and family members of Tufts students. If they are eligible for Birthright Israel, friends from camp, from home, siblings, and cousins are welcome to join the Tufts Hillel trip! In order to save a spot together, make sure to apply today!
There are many opportunities for travel in Israel. Each year, thousands of students explore, study, volunteer and intern throughout the country.
A trip to Israel offers the chance to experience another culture, learn the history, and see what Israel has to offer. Understanding Israel can deepen your connection to traditions and to the Jewish community.
In addition to our Taglit-Birthright trip, Tufts Hillel offers a summer internship program in either Haifa or Jerusalem through Onward Israel. Students are placed in internships that match their areas of interest and are able to spend the summer developing their professional skills as well as learning about Israel and Jewish identity.
The program is sponsored by Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and Israel Campus Roundtable, with a minimal cost for Tufts students.
Resources
Onward Israel
Israel Campus Roundtable
To learn more about travel to Israel, contact Lauren Bloom, Associate Director
Tufts Hillel encourages students to explore service-learning trips in the U.S. and internationally. These trips give students the opportunity to do hands-on work, volunteer, and learn about Jewish communities and other cultures around the world.
Our domestic service projects have brought us to the Mexico-Arizona border to work with immigrants, to farm school to learn about environmental issues and food sustainability and on alternative spring break trips across the country.
Our past international trips have included service learning in Germany, Argentina, Morocco, and India. Students worked alongside local Jews and others in many locations to see their world through their eyes. Tufts Hillel also sponsors interfaith groups on a visit to Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda.
To learn more about Tufts Hillel service learning opportunities, contact Associate Director Lauren Bloom.