According to Moshe Hellinger, a doctoral candidate in the political science department of Bar-Ilan University, there are three major conflicts facing Israel today -- conflicts between Israelis and Arabs, religious and secular Jews, and Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews. And these main conflicts are all based on one larger conflict - the question of whether Israel is a Jewish State, a democratic state or a mixture of the two. Hellinger recently addressed a group of nearly 80 U.S. Jewish youth that participated in the "Birthright Program" and visited Bar-Ilan University as part of their whirlwind tour of Israel.
Discussion groups later pondered the meaning of Judaism and being Jewish, Jewish values that have influenced Western culture and their personal lives, and their ties to the Jewish community in. Sally Hassid, a 26-year-old from Setauket, New York said: "I don't know if I would ever live in Israel, but it's my homeland and it's my own country." The participants, many of whom were visiting Israel for the first time, expressed deep concern over Israel's current political situation. Later the group was introduced to Bar-Ilan U.'s various programs for overseas students, including the International MBA Program and the Virtual Jewish University on the Internet. The "Birthright" student visit to Bar-Ilan U. was organized by the Office of the Vice President for International Development.
Discussion groups later pondered the meaning of Judaism and being Jewish, Jewish values that have influenced Western culture and their personal lives, and their ties to the Jewish community in. Sally Hassid, a 26-year-old from Setauket, New York said: "I don't know if I would ever live in Israel, but it's my homeland and it's my own country." The participants, many of whom were visiting Israel for the first time, expressed deep concern over Israel's current political situation. Later the group was introduced to Bar-Ilan U.'s various programs for overseas students, including the International MBA Program and the Virtual Jewish University on the Internet. The "Birthright" student visit to Bar-Ilan U. was organized by the Office of the Vice President for International Development.