Young Adults Experience Israel on the ICEJ Arise Tour 2026

Young Adults Experience Israel on the ICEJ Arise Tour 2026

By Amanda Saxton, ICEJ USA Young Adults Coordinator

Encouraging. Eye-opening. Revealing. Surprising. Heart-opening. Amazing. These are only a few of the words a group of young adults used to describe their experience on the Arise Tour to Israel this summer.

On July 26, 2026, 25 participants from Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, and the United States arrived in Israel for an experience that would shape the trajectory of their lives and their journey of faith. Even amid heightened tensions in the region, they were unafraid and still chose to come, hungry to encounter the God of Israel and experience His land.

We visited many sites throughout the nation, but one was particularly memorable: Misgav Am, the northernmost kibbutz (a collective settlement) in Israel, right on the Lebanese border. There, the group gathered in a room overlooking the border as a kibbutz member and IDF reservist described the daily realities residents face—challenges rarely acknowledged in the media or understood by those outside the region.

We continued our tour with a Sea of Galilee boat ride where Jesus walked on water; a visit to Capernaum where Jesus taught in the synagogue and established His ministry headquarters; a float in the Dead Sea; and a walk around the incredible Masada fortress—all amid the intense July desert heat! And in the evenings, participants enjoyed reminiscing about the day and worshiping together.

But there were serious and sobering moments as well that exposed the deeper wounds Israel is still healing from today. While at the Nova Festival Memorial in the south, we had time to walk around and read the stories of the innocent young people who were murdered on October 7, 2023. Two survivors, one Jewish and one Arab, shared their traumatic, yet hopeful, experiences. Hearing facts omitted by news media about that horrific day left participants visibly moved, with the stories leaving an undeniable mark beyond words.

ICEJ USA Young Adults Coordinator Amanda Saxton (left) with ICEJ 2026 Arise Tour participants atop the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem we visited the Temple Mount, Gethsemane, and the City of David, among other sites. We then ended our day by experiencing Shabbat at the Western Wall on Friday night. Summarizing the whole trip in one sentence, one young woman shared, “The Jewish people are God’s chosen people . . . [this trip] has given me so much compassion for the people of Israel.”

While traveling back to the States I met an Israeli family in the Frankfort airport traveling back to Israel from vacation. As I briefly shared about our trip in the land with 25 Christian young adults, the mother’s eyes widened in bewilderment. “Weren’t you scared?” she asked. “Oh no,” I replied. “We weren’t scared. We wanted to experience Israel and show our support to you.” She paused before saying, “Thank you—you have no idea how much that means to us.”