The Marcus Foundation has awarded $12 million to Passages Israel, a Christian group that organizes Birthright-style trips to Israel for college students, eJewishPhilanthropy reports.

The grant will enable Passages to expand its programming to high school students and send as many as 4,000 students to Israel over the next four years. The program has the dual goals of strengthening the students’ Christian faith and educating them about Jewish people and Israel before they go to college. 

The trips to Israel offer an opportunity for high school students to interact with Jewish people and be advocates on “college campuses [that] can be hostile to Israel and to the Jewish community,” Passages CEO Scott Phillips told eJewishPhilanthropy. “A lot of these students have never met someone Jewish their entire life, especially those who are studying in Christian high schools.”  

 “It has become abundantly clear that we need to focus our energy on high school students and teens,” said Marcus Foundation chair and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, a Giving Pledge signatory. “Getting them ready and connecting them to Israel has never been more important, because we want them to be prepared for what they will face on college campuses.”  

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