Using “the land as your classroom” is the slogan of AMHSI. The core Israel studies class follows the history of our people in the classroom and physically in the land; across the preserved history of archaeological sites and by walking the same paths as our ancestors on hikes. We bring our notebooks, find a shady spot to sit and have our lessons right out there on the trail - the land is our classroom in a very literal sense. But what’s special about Israel is that we’re not just looking at any old ruins or any pretty view. Whether we are guided by the Tanach, Josephus Flavius, (a Jewish historian for the Romans in the time of the destruction of the Second Temple) the stories of the Mishna or any later source as we progress through history, the story we are following is that of our people.

I am personally very interested in history. Normally when I’m studying, I learn the stories, events, causes, and effects; looking at the past in hindsight and trying to understand how those people lived and thought. And this is perfectly nice - detached and analytical, a mental exercise from my comfortable classroom or home in Seattle. I have no connection to these people. And although their actions have shaped my life, they are to be studied and thought about as a pastime (or homework assignment). This relationship is completely different when the story in question is yours. When the “spoiler” is the fact that you’re alive today, everything is personal.

It is this dynamic, of the land and the personal narrative, that brings the history to life. A story about Jewish rebels hiding in caves to survive while in revolt against the Romans is simply more impactful when you’re sitting in those same, pitch-black, cramped caves hearing their story. When you’re able to visit these sites - the ruins of ancient synagogues and homes that are living proof of the existence and endurance of the Jewish people - you (or at least I,) don’t “travel back in time,” but rather see through it. This narrative that we are being told in class, on our Tiyulim, is ours. These are the stories and experiences of our ancestors that shape our lives today. They are not lost because we and so many others come to these sites in Israel learning our history. In this way, with the land as our classroom, and the stories of our people - Israel and Jewish history come alive and it is made clear that the narrative of the Jewish people is ours to carry on.