Blog | Birthright Israel Foundation

February 27, 2020

Celebrating 20 Years in South Palm Beach County

by Birthright Israel Foundation

On Wednesday, February 26, 2020, Birthright Israel Foundation celebrated 20 years of impact in South Palm Beach County with a private event at the home of Andrea and Mike Leven. The evening's guests had the pleasure of hearing from local alums Bryan Drowos, Courtney Simmons Demri, and Kyla Gladstone, who represent the voices of Birthright Israel's 800,000+ participants: "In Israel,...

Alums Trip Highlights

February 27, 2020

Two Weeks in Israel and Forever in Our Hearts

by Kyla Gladstone , 2019 Birthright Israel Alumna

The two weeks I spent in Israel were nothing short of transformative and to show you how much it changed my life; I need to go back a little bit. I went to high school in Boca Raton, FL, where my mom and stepfather still live. As many people already know, Boca Raton is a very Jewish community. In the...

Alums Trip Highlights

February 26, 2020

4 Things Participants Learned on Their Birthright Israel Trips this Year

by Birthright Israel Foundation

This winter, thousands of young Jews are arriving in Israel and will be shocked at how much they can learn in 10 days on a Birthright Israel trip. By not only visiting sites but gaining insights from their tour educators and Israeli peers, these moments here and there turn into lessons they’ll appreciate for a lifetime. Below are just four...

Birthright Israel Showed Me that There's No Right Way to Be Jewish

Alums Trip Highlights

February 24, 2020

Birthright Israel Showed Me that There's No Right Way to Be Jewish

by Sarah Fielding , 2019 Birthright Israel Alumna

The idea of going on Birthright Israel had been in my head long before I turned 18, but it always seemed like a hypothetical, not something I would actually do. This was due mostly in part to my upbringing in a town of very few Jewish people. No one talked about going to Israel and I couldn’t name a single...

Alums Trip Highlights

February 20, 2020

Go For Those Who Couldn't

by Aidan Segal , 2020 Birthright Israel Alumnus

“In Israel, in order to be a realist,” Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion said, “you must believe in miracles,” and for centuries in the diaspora, Jews under the oppressive arm of an undying anti-Semitism prayed for such a miracle to come into fruition –– to return to Eretz Yisrael. My ancestors of Romanian and Lithuanian descent immigrated to another land said...

Birthright Israel Love Story: Ruthie Schorr & Simon Menaker

Alums Love Stories

February 14, 2020

Birthright Israel Love Story: Ruthie Schorr & Simon Menaker

by Birthright Israel Foundation

In the winter of 2012, a girl from Seattle, WA, and a boy from Charlotte, NC, both signed up for Birthright Israel hoping to get more connected to their Jewish heritage and have a fantastic experience, but little did they know they'd end up meeting their soulmate. This is the Birthright Israel Love Story of Ruthie Schorr and Simon Menaker....

Alums Trip Highlights

February 13, 2020

Assimilation

by Riley Pope , 2019 Birthright Israel Alumnus

Assimilation. A word we hear so often in the Jewish world. It's a tragedy not quite as obvious as the many others that have plagued the Jewish people before. If you grew up Jewish, unlike me, you have likely not felt the sting of assimilation or been able to comprehend what that entails fully. Who would you be if you...

Easing Fears About Going on the Birthright Israel Trip Alone

Alums Trip Highlights

February 9, 2020

Easing Fears About Going on the Birthright Israel Trip Alone

by Birthright Israel Foundation

We often hear that some Jewish young adults feel apprehensive when they first learn about Birthright Israel, but we promise this trip to the Jewish homeland isn’t too good to be true. The reason the trip costs nothing to participants is because it is a gift that keeps on giving. Every single Jewish young adult who claims their birthright helps...

Alums Trip Highlights

February 4, 2020

It’s Just A Bus Full of Holy Souls and Me

by Shira Kaplan , 2019 Birthright Israel Staff

Before I left for Birthright Israel in May of 2019, I was scared. I wasn't nervous about the security situation, or sad about being far from my family— I was scared that I wouldn't make the absolute most of this opportunity to make a difference. I'm glad I was scared because, as a madricha (trip staff), I had the responsibility...

I Wandered for Twenty Years Until Birthright Israel Found Me

Alums Trip Highlights

January 30, 2020

I Wandered for Twenty Years Until Birthright Israel Found Me

by Riley Pope , 2019 Birthright Israel Alumnus

I wandered for twenty years until Birthright Israel found me. This is how happened. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, the most Jewish thing we did at my house was on Christmas, when we'd leave rugelach out for Santa. And to make things even more ironic, my last name is Pope. My mom's parents are Jewish but did not raise her...

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Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

Celebrating 20 Years in South Palm Beach County

Two Weeks in Israel and Forever in Our Hearts

4 Things Participants Learned on Their Birthright Israel Trips this Year

Birthright Israel Showed Me that There's No Right Way to Be Jewish

Go For Those Who Couldn't

Birthright Israel Love Story: Ruthie Schorr & Simon Menaker

Assimilation

Easing Fears About Going on the Birthright Israel Trip Alone

It’s Just A Bus Full of Holy Souls and Me

I Wandered for Twenty Years Until Birthright Israel Found Me

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