As a kid, I grew up in a Christian home. Church was a weekly affair, as well as attendance to designed programs for Bible memorization during the week. Even though I was immersed in the Bible as a child, I was not educated on the contextual relevance that it had on my life and the rest of the world. As I began living on my own, I had the freedom and power to choose the type of sources and media outlets that would feed my levels of comprehension for discerning fiction versus nonfiction.

Sadly, regarding Israel and the Jewish people, my perception was shaped by the influence of television shows such as “Family Guy.” I thought Jews were greedy, money-hungry people that dressed silly. I did not know anything about Israel. This stereotyping of a people/group was due to my lack of knowledge and interest in exploring the truth and understanding others. I have noticed that often our western individualism plays a part in our uneducated claims which self-reference one’s culture or belief above another’s.

As I have grown closer to Jesus Christ and his Word, my goal has been to seek the truth about what is happening in the world instead of being influenced other peoples’ opinions. In the summer of 2014, a pro-Israel organization called Christians United for Israel (CUFI) provided me with an opportunity to travel abroad to Israel. I accepted the offer without hesitation. This experience was beyond just life-changing. I say this because I was able to witness the reality of what is happening in Israel, apart from the misinformation inaccurately expressed in the media.

Throughout my travels in Israel, I experienced situations that revealed more truths that contradicted global accusations pronounced against Israel. My eyes were also opened to the reality of biased media manipulation and the deep influence that the media culture has on our society. These revelations inspired and excited me, not because I could now prove others wrong, but rather to be able to share accurate facts and spread the truth!

This excitement also sparked momentum for me back on my college campus of Hawaii Pacific University. During my first year after coming back from Israel, I partnered with an established club called the Christian Student Organization. This student-led club meets weekly, starting off with worship, followed by a student, faculty, or local pastor giving a short a message from the Bible. I would periodically speak at this club function and give my pitch that expressed my new passion for Israel. Each time a seed was planted in the crowd, averaging about twenty-five to thirty people.

Every year, Hawaii Pacific University hosts an “Intercultural Day” event for all student clubs. They are asked to choose a country and/or culture that they would research and then craft a creative booth to display their findings.

The Christian Student Organization gave me the opportunity to take the lead on creating our club’s booth. This was the first event that allowed me to present the knowledge and insight that I received to the entire university and it was the perfect place to start my education and advocacy journey.

Little fun fact: Hawaii Pacific University has been ranked the number “one most diverse educational institutions in the nation.” (Stockwell, 2015)

Our Israel booth was aimed at displaying the diverse culture, high-tech innovations, bio-medical discoveries, agricultural advancement, and unparalleled religious freedom in Israel. Ironically, our booth was placed next to some very interesting neighbors. We were at the end of the row next to the LGBTQ club and across was the Saudi Arabian Women’s and Men’s’ clubs.

I believe it was divinely appointed and God opened the doors for us to be able to have a healthy conversation and great debate. The best part was when students were able to ask questions to all sides and really be able to culturally educate themselves.

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, which makes it a safe haven for all types of people and religions that are often persecuted in surrounding countries. This often-overlooked fact was a perfect way to build ties with the LGBTQ club. I think it was also great to see that both Saudi clubs were open and receptive to sharing their beliefs and thoughts on Israel in a respectful manner.

Throughout this experience, I noticed that most students were hungry and eager to learn about what is currently happening in the world. Each and every club that presented at Intercultural Day was related to Israel in some aspect.

While experiencing these revelations, a Jewish friend and I decided to start the first ever pro-Israel organization at Hawaii Pacific University. We named it the “U.S.-Israel Relations” Club and our main goal is to educate the HPU community about Israel’s importance as well as work to end the unfair treatment of Israel in the media and global society.

Source: Stockwell, Carly. “Top 10 Most Diverse Colleges in the United States.” USA TODAY College. N.p., 07 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

Nathan Lodico is a Senior at Hawaii Pacific University and the co-founder of the first “US-Israel Relations” club on campus.