Wenzel, second from right, with friends

I’m a person who reads the newspaper and watches the news every day. I’m constantly keeping up with the events of various countries aside from Germany, where I live, but a specific one took my attention more than any other: Israel.

I started reading books about this unique country, and, over time, my special interest in Judaism grew. I wondered why so many famous artists, scientists and authors are Jewish, even though the Jewish population is a minority. I had a wish to see this exceptional country with my own eyes.

From previous vacations to the United States and throughout Europe, I know that seeing a country through the windows of a tour bus gives a completely different image than exploring the country by talking to people who live there and learning the history. It’s not unusual for a German student to go to a foreign country, but going to Israel is extraordinary.

The Alexander Muss High School in Israel program offered the experience I was looking for—learning about Israel and the Jewish people, while at the same time learning English. Before I came here, I was very worried about how I would be accepted as a blond, non-Jewish German, but the acceptance was overwhelming. Everybody was excited about “the German,” and nobody made nasty comments about German history. Within hours, I made really good friends.

The climax of this acceptance was the European Soccer Championship. Before the trip, I didn’t even expect to watch it in Israel, but I was happily surprised—my new Jewish friends cheered with me for the German soccer team. This was so amazing that in the end the score didn’t matter.

I also had moments when I felt like the minority for the first time. For example, on my first Shabbat, I didn’t know what prayer was coming up or how I should act. For me, this experience was very valuable—it gave me a sense of how minorities feel in a majority.

The trip itself is impressive. The combination of learning Jewish history and going to the actual sites where the events occurred is unique. Sometimes I disagree with the “Jewish point of view,” but this is something valuable because debates are welcomed and supported. All lessons are open-minded, and everyone’s opinion is respected. I’m writing this halfway through the program and I can already say that it has changed my life in a very positive way.

Experiences like helping people who suffer under the Middle-Eastern conflict and feeding the poor in a Jerusalem soup kitchen moved me and showed me that in all its beauty, Israel still has its dark side. From Europe, it’s very easy to say that if both sides dropped their weapons, there would be peace in the Middle East. But I learned that a mother who has lost her son in war wouldn’t agree with that solution.

Seeing the normal life in Israel gives me hope that someday there will be peace and happiness. The best opportunity to see this “normal” life is during our free weekends. Going to Shabbat dinner with friends and their family is wonderful. To my delight, these people weren’t shocked when they heard I’m a non-Jewish German. The families actually tell me how wonderful it is that a German boy came to Israel to learn about Jewish history. These reactions give me the hope that Germans and Jews can be good friends, despite what happened 60 years ago.

For another unique Israel experience, read about Abbey's non-Jewish journey.

Wenzel Bruckner is 18 years old and in a pre-university program for political science at the Julius-Maximilians Universität Würzburg in Germany.