With a degree in Jewish Studies, college graduate Brittany Bertsche reflects on her trip to Israel in a unique way. Looking at not only the Jewish people, but also the Palestinians, Bertsche touches on the suffering she encountered there.
“I think the Lord has definitely softened my heart toward the Palestinian people. I’m very pro-Israel—I believe that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination in their own homeland. But through my trips and through interacting with the Arabs who live in Israel, you know, they suffer as well. I think that the blame for the suffering is most of the time put unfairly on Israel.
“But the fact of the matter is that the situation of the Palestinians is certainly not ideal, whether it’s the Palestinians living in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, which is a terrorist group, or the Palestinians who live under the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Authority does not help its people the way it should. So I think that for people who are very pro-Israel, there’s certainly a temptation to, I would say, overlook the suffering of the Palestinians. But the truth of the matter is, the Lord loves the Palestinian people just as much as He loves the Jewish people, and we need to be sensitive to their suffering.”
Bertsche went on to convey that, while some visitors to Israel expect God to give them an immediate revelation in their lives, she learned that God works in His timing, “progressively.” On the “Charisma News” podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network, she says that the Lord did, however, ignite in her a fresh passion for the Jewish people—something she didn’t always have.
To listen to more of Bertsche’s experiences in Israel through the Passages program, check out the rest of the episode here.
For more information about Passages, visit passagesisrael.org.
