Student Spotlight: Delaney Selected for Israel Tour
Meaghan Delaney, first year undergrad at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was selected for a national program which allows university students to tour humanitarian and educational initiatives in Israel.
“I was actually accepted to BU as a chemistry major, but after an international relations class in high school I fell in love,” said Delaney. “I switched before I even arrived on campus and haven’t looked back.”
Quickly, Delaney settled into a focus of study on Middle East security issues. She has been taking classes in Hebrew and was outspoken about her interest in visiting Israel.
“I was recommended for The David Project, a program that selects student leaders from colleges all over the country for travel to Israel,” Delaney said. “I was able to attend as a representative of student government through my involvement in BUIAA.”
Delaney traveled with 30 other students in January, representing student groups from states such as California, Michigan, Florida, and more.
“The purpose of the trip was Israel education, which meant hearing from pro-Israel and pro-Palestine voices,” Delaney said. “We toured the West Bank and Arab villages on the Green Line, we visited a school in Tel Aviv with refugees from 48 different countries and a charity that takes in children from across the Middle East for heart surgeries. We met Syrian refugees and UN Peacekeepers at the Golan Heights.”
Along with the sense memories she said she will always cherish – mint lemonade with every meal and the dynamic Tel Aviv nightlife – Delaney said she had experiences of a spiritual nature.
“I am a Christian, and it was moving to stand in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Delaney said. “I will also never forget the night we were in Jerusalem at midnight. It was snowing, which is very rare, and there were still so many people praying at the Western Wall.”
Delaney said that the trip allowed her to speak with more firsthand knowledge on the plight of residents of Israel.
“I traveled with an open mind, and met a lot of people who believe in the two-state solution. I think both sides truly want peace,” Delaney said. “No one should have to live in fear.”