Studying abroad can be an amazing experience for students.

They get the chance to see a culture and country that can only be understood by immersion.

Which is why it's good for MSU to consider keeping a Jewish Studies Program trip to Israel, despite concerns about safety in the country.

University officials plan on reviewing the program in March to evaluate potential safety hazards to students who would attend this summer.

Many concerns stem from the win of the political party Hamas in the Palestinian Authority elections in January. The party is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State.

Study Abroad and MSU officials have a right to be concerned about the stability of the area and what that could mean for students traveling there. A travel warning for the area was issued by the U.S. Department of State in June 2005, urging U.S. citizens not to travel there for safety reasons.

And the media often reports about some sort of violence, conflict or instability in the region.

But it's important to remember that no country is ever completely safe for travelers.

MSU students in England last year learned that lesson when bombs, planted by terrorists, exploded in parts of London.

As with any country or study abroad program, MSU should carefully review and create procedures that will prepare students and faculty for different emergencies — especially for a historically unstable region such as the Middle East. In case the condition in Israel gets worse, MSU officials can decide to cancel. But it really should be considered carefully and done only as a last resort.

They will hopefully make the right decision to protect the students' safety, but also give them an opportunity to experience Israeli culture.

Despite the dangers, the program is worth the risks. As with any study abroad program, learning about a country and its culture is an invaluable experience for students.

Traveling there would also help because most information Americans get about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict comes from media reports. Having the chance to travel to the region and learn firsthand what it's like could be eye opening and more useful in forming political opinions.

Before being allowed to go, though, students need serious training on how to stay safe in the country. They need to receive more information than average travelers get, so they know what to do, who to contact and how they can get back to the U.S. in case of a serious emergency.

But students shouldn't be denied the experience of observing a divided region and talking with people about their experiences.

Events in Israel are history in the making. Students should be a part of that.