One of five buses sponsored by Texas Hillel poses with a Longhorn flag in front of the Western Wall during Texas Hillel’s Summer 2022 Birthright Israel trip.
Texas Hillel hosted five buses of Jewish Longhorns
After the Birthright Israel experience was essentially put on hold during the pandemic, thousands of students across the country traveled to Israel this summer to connect to the Holy Land. Texas Hillel received an influx of interest as underclassmen and graduating students pined to go on the first trip carried out since Winter 2019.
Ten Texas staff led five buses, comprising around 120 Jewish Longhorns and several dozen friends from 30 other universities. Twenty-plus were from Dallas. The students participated in a range of activities from celebrating Shabbat in Jerusalem to floating in the Dead Sea to exploring the night life in Tel Aviv. To say the least, they had an incredible trip.
The best part of the trip, however, is that it didn’t end in Israel. Three of the five buses were composed entirely of underclassmen who will return to Austin in the fall with a new network of friends.
In the words of rising junior Ethan Liebnick, “Going on Birthright with Texas Hillel is the best decision I’ve ever made. I couldn’t imagine going to Israel with any other Jew Crew. I had an incredible time there and can’t wait to return to campus and see my Jewish Longhorn friends.”
With the success of this past summer, Texas Hillel is already looking forward to its Winter 2022 trip, with applications officially opened. If you are or know a Jewish student looking to go through Texas Hillel, reach out to their new IACT Coordinator Sade Storthz at sstorthz@texashillel.org.
