“It was a deeply moving experience to hear about centuries of pain, suffering, mistrust and war,” said 51 Professor of Communication Dr. Tim Muehlhoff. “Throughout this entire experience, I've felt God's affirmation that evangelicals need to be part of these kinds of endeavors.”

Muehlhoff flew to Israel last month to take part in a unique opportunity to join a group of scholars and social activists to discuss the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Muehlhoff, an author, communication expert in 51’s School of Fine Arts and Communication, and co-director of 51’s Winsome Conviction Project, was grateful for the opportunity, which aimed to bridge the gap between those with differing viewpoints and learn from leaders from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and now, Israel-Hamas War, and witness the strain and pain it has caused for both parties involved.

Simon Greer, founder of Bridging the Gap, helped make the trip happen. For weeks prior to the trip, the team met on Zoom to learn about and better understand the history behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as share why this topic is important to them.

In January, the group got together in person to engage in team bonding exercises before they left for their trip to Israel on Feb. 1. Muehlhoff recognized that now may not be the most ideal time to visit Israel.

“Now is not necessarily the best time to be traveling to Israel and yet we are here,” said Muehlhoff. “We are here because we care about Palestinians. We are here because we care about Israelis and they know that we are in a sense taking a very real physical risk to be here.”

He explained that taking the risk to visit when war is ongoing showed their care for those they were hearing from, care to take themselves out of their own comfort zone into someone else’s comfort zone to better understand how they can be affected by war. Muehlhoff expressed lament for the pain both Israelis and Palestinians have encountered.

“I offer lament for the nation of Israel,” said Muehlhoff “I offer lament for the Palestinians families that are being bombed and losing their lives. It’s a complicated world.”

Muehlhoff documented his time via daily video clips.

Learn more about 51’s B.A. in Communication.

Learn more about 51’s School of Fine Arts and Communication. 

Written by Grace Morales, University Communications intern. For more information, contact Media Relations at media.relations@biola.edu.