In the News

by Daphna Berman (Note: This article was published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in July 2005).

Most days, Lee Gargagliano of Brooklyn hitchhikes and then takes the bus from his hosts'' home in a small village outside Beit Sahour to Bethlehem , where he volunteers at an orphanage. A participant in the Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE), he then spends the rest of his day learning Arabic, taking day trips around the West Bank and getting to know his host family, who compel him to consume unimaginable quantities of food and hot tea. Gargagliano, like some of the other PSE students, could have chosen the birthright program that offers all Jewish college students a free trip to Israel and saved a few thousand dollars in the process. But the 20-year-old college student finds the idea of being able to travel for free, simply because of his Jewish heritage, "appalling."

by Nathan Guttman [Note: This article was published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in Febuary 2005].

WASHINGTON - Registration for the upcoming season of Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE) is at its height. After a successful first season last year, organizers hope dozens of American students will take part in the program this time. The brochure promises prospective participants a trip "designed to develop relationships, break down stereotypes, foster philanthropic efforts and forge strategic partnerships to strengthen communities in the region," through living and studying in the Bethlehem area. Interested students are asked to fill out a form stating why they want to participate. According to the organizers, most list a variety of reasons, such as desire to get to know the region, study Arabic and work with nongovernmental organizations. Some are majoring in Middle East studies, a few come from Arab-American families, a few are American Jews, and others just happen to be interested. Nearly all say they shied away from visiting the area till now because of the cost and that one PSE attraction was its reasonable price. But regardless of background, after a summer in the Palestinian territories, participants come away with a clear political picture.