As the Milken 2024-2025 school year is now fully underway, students on campus have looked forward to future events throughout this time.
The planning, advertisement, and anticipation of many events, such as social events and guest speakers, have made themselves apparent in the atmosphere on campus.
Milken students significantly appreciate their ventures and explorations across the globe through the tiyulim. These trips allow students to branch out and explore the world around them via inspiring activities and learning opportunities while away from the familiarity of their homes.
These programs continually evolve not only because of Milken’s pursuit of excellence but also due to the recent events of the war in Israel.
Students’ tiyulim have changed over time, and many have questioned whether they would take place this year due to the current conflicts in Israel. That said, some of the redesign of the programs does not have to do with the war and relates to the school’s plans of always improving on such experiences.
The Milken ninth graders attended their tiyul to Santa Barbara from September 30 to October 2. This trip offered numerous activities for students’ pleasure, such as a day trip to the Channel Islands, beach days, and kayaking.
Many students appreciated these activities.
“I think the tiyulim evolved from being less structured to [feeling] … programmed with activities,” stated Tobin N (‘28) .
He spoke of the difference between his seventh grade trip to San Francisco and this recent trip up the coast.
In addition, although Tobin missed seeing some of friends not in his groups, the increase of activities and structured time caused Tobin to appreciate the tiyulim much more, illustrating the positive evolution of the programs.
Although encountering antisemitism seemed less likely on the Santa Barbara tiyul, there is a much higher chance of facing it on future international trips coming up.
The 12th grade tiyul is a program in which students travel to Poland and Israel to learn about the events of the Holocaust and to visit and bear witness to multiple sites. Milken seniors taking this trip are questioning the safety of their attendance on the tiyul.
“When traveling in Poland, will we come face-to-face with pro-Palestinian protestors? Will we be barricaded with antisemitic comments or remarks? Will we feel safe?” Noa S (‘25) asked.
These heavy questions have caused many to worry that this tiyul could be canceled, showcasing the effects of the war in Israel on Milken tiyulim.
Although Noa is nervous about these aspects of the trip, she is still very excited, explaining that it is a deeply meaningful and enriching experience, and she desperately wants to attend and go to Israel.
This trip is extremely important to Milken students because especially in these times of antisemitism, it is important to stand together as a community and remember the countless lives taken during the Holocaust and to honor that we can visit our Homeland of Israel.
The cancellation of this trip could feel particularly disappointing because the tiyul is a time of hope in which Jews should stand together, and its cancellation during the war in Israel could take away another source of hope for Milken students.
The revocation would demonstrate how the antisemitism the students would be attempting to educate themselves on via the tiyul is still dominant in society, making the lack of the trip even more revealing of the importance of Israel for the Milken community.
As of now, the trips are set to take place, and several emails have already gone out to the adult community in the school about this. Hopefully, they will move forward as planned.
Along with this 12th grade adventure, the 10th grade is also questioning their attendance on their tifferet, or their trip to Israel.
“Tiff this year is a sore subject because if we went, we would be in a country at war,” Camilla (‘27).
Ms. Vom Steeg, Israel Programs Coordinator, explained the two main things Milken is focusing on in order to determine whether Tiff will occur.
“We will only run the tiyulim if we can do so in both a safe and meaningful way,” she stated.
Both of these values would be a crucial aspect of the trip. Even if it were to be safe to travel to Israel, students could still be deprived of meaningful experiences due to the war. If they were to be staying in a bubble(for example, staying near their hotel rather than being able to see more of the country) the whole time, it can be argued the trip would not be as meaningful.
Tiferet has been a huge part of Milken culture for quite some time and this highly anticipated trip many students have discussed since attending the Milken Middle School. The trip had to face cancellation last year due to the war, and if it is canceled once more the effect of October 7th on Milken will feel even more apparent in one more way of the countless it already does.
To improve tiyulim as a whole, Ms. Vom Steeg explained that after every trip, she meets with chaperones and division heads to evaluate the trip.
In these meetings, they discuss what will make better tiyulim programming, analyzing the aspects in order to improve future trips.
“Every single year, we’re trying to get better in terms of communication with families and parents, what we share, how we share it, and the way in which students feel prepared to go,” she said.