University of Chicago students in the Negev on a Birthright Israel trip.

During the last school year, more than 1,200 Chicago area students visited Israel on a free 10-day Birthright Israel trip. Birthright Israel trips offer students a unique opportunity to connect not only with the State of Israel, but also with their peers – both American and Israeli – and their campus Hillel.

On the University of Chicago campus, more than 20 percent of students have participated in a campus-sponsored Birthright trip with the UChicago’s Newberger Hillel.

This is my first time expressing my Judaism,” said UChicago student Name , who became a bar mitzvah on the trip. “I always considered myself half Jewish and being here in the Jewish homeland it has changed my perception.”

In August and September, Newberger Hillel and Northwestern University’s Fiedler Hillel each sent full busses to Israel where participants experienced all aspects and regions of the country from a Bedouin community to Mt. Herzl.

“The places we visited, the conversations we had, and the experiences were shared as a group are ingrained in my mind, and I have not been able to stop thinking about them since I got home,” said Northwestern student Samantha Max.

Registration is now open for winter Birthright Israel trips. Students can register for Northwestern trips and UChicago trips with Hillel; all other young adults in the Chicago area ages 18-26 can sign up for Birthright Israel through Shorashim for a JUF Chicago community trip.

Photo: UChicago students in the Negev on a Birthright Israel trip.