Against the backdrop of the "Deal of the Century," dozens of visiting Chinese students in Israel participated in a tour on Sunday of the Judean Desert and the Jordan Valley. The tour was part of a special program run by the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu, which offers tours and lectures to visiting Chinese students aimed at turning them into goodwill ambassadors for Israel upon their return to China. Now in its third year at Hebrew University, the program has already brought hundreds of Chinese students to a variety of different locations across the country, including Jerusalem, Hebron, Sderot, Samaria, Gush Etzion, and the Negev. The students visited a variety of places in the Judean Desert and the Jordan Valley, including Qumran Park, the Castle of the Jews (Qasr al-Yahud), which is believed to be the site of Jesus' baptism, and the illegal Bedouin outpost of Khan al-Ahmar. Over the past few years Chinese enrollment in Israeli universities has sky-rocketed, with thousands of Chinese students currently studying in Israel. In a statement released Monday, Im Tirtzu said that "ensuring that the Chinese students learn the truth about Israel and can effectively advocate on its behalf back in China" would provide Israel with an "invaluable asset" in terms of public relations. Tamir Baram, who oversees the project for Im Tirtzu, said that there is a strong desire among the visiting Chinese students to learn more about Israel. "The strong connection between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel is something that resonates with the students," said Baram. "Our program allows the students to experience this connection firsthand and to learn more about Israel in a way that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to do so." "Thanks to this unique program," added Baram, "hundreds of Chinese students are becoming goodwill ambassadors for Israel in the world's most populated country."
