Professor showcases photos from Israel trip

Last May, University of South Dakota’s Jan Berkhout, a professor of psychology, took a trip to Israel, during which he toured locations that shaped the course of human history. Berkhout took the trip with his wife, as members of Shurat HaDin, an Israeli anti-terrorism non-governmental organization.

On Monday, Berkhout exhibited a series of large format photos he took during the trip in the South Dakota Union building.

The event gave attendees the chance to develop a visual understanding of recent dramatic changes that ultimately define the landscape and influence its ideology.

The pictures not only highlighted the rich history of the region, Berkhout said, but also the didactic undertones that may help students have a better understanding of the significant political and cultural history of the Middle Eastern nation.

One of the photos depicts the famous Dome of the Rock, which Berkhout photographed from a rooftop in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The monument is a shrine located on the Temple Mount and is important to the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths.   

Berkhout also took photos at the Golan Headquarters of the Syrian Army, which was built by the Soviet Union in 1955, captured by Israel in 1967 and damaged during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Other photos taken on the trip include photos of an Israeli fortification on Mount Bental in the Golan heights, and a grand vista taken of Lebanese territory near the Israeli border.

Many of the photos, Berkhout explained during the exhibit, show that Israel has undergone major economic improvements over the years.

PHOTO GALLERY