October 26, 2018
This is why I became a Birthright group leader. I remember every second of my first Birthright Israel trip. I’ve never felt that connected to anything in my life. Everywhere we went, everything I saw and did, I felt like I was meant to be there. I think it’s because it’s the land of my people. I didn’t expect to...
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October 23, 2018
A 32-year-old mom of two takes a Birthright Israel trip and finds she has something to learn from her young companions. Other than the fact that I’m a sucker for anything free, I wasn’t entirely sure what compelled me to go on Birthright’s pilot trip for Jewish men and women in the advanced age range of 27 to 32. As...
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October 22, 2018
No matter where in the world a Birthright Israel participant comes from, each and every single one continues to relive the magic of Israel throughout their entire lives. With more than 650,000 alumni embarking on the journey of a lifetime we wanted to share with you, by week, an insight into just how impactful Birthright Israel is. “It’s impossible to...
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September 17, 2018
I could write novels upon novels about how beneficial Birthright Israel is and how this trip changed my life for the better. Growing up, I really didn’t know much about Judaism or my culture. I am 100% Jewish on both sides, but I was not in touch with my roots. Because I didn’t come from a huge Jewish community, once...
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September 1, 2018
For Ian Persits and Mackenzie Samet, Birthright Israel was much more than a free trip—it was where their love story began. Although both from New York, the two of them were brought up in very different homes. Ian was born and raised in Brooklyn in a Russian-Jewish household. His parents immigrated to the United States in 1975 to build a...
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August 2, 2018
From an early age, I knew Israel was an important place. My mother’s parents had both survived the Holocaust. After World War II, my grandfather, a survivor of Auschwitz, volunteered in a displaced persons camp in Germany helping other Jewish refugees get to British-controlled Palestine. While my grandfather hoped to also emigrate to Eretz Yisrael, his one surviving family member...
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July 10, 2018
A staff member observes how Birthright's Special Needs trips...aren't especially different from any other. Ben Gurion Airport, early in the morning, a group of young Canadian or American Jews get off the air-conditioned airplane straight into the hot Mediterranean climate, tired after a long flight, on their faces a mixture of pressure and excitement is evident. They place their suitcases...
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July 5, 2018
At Adath Israel, a typical day doesn’t really exist, Julia Campbell said. Campbell has worked as the program and marketing coordinator at Adath Israel for just over a year. At the Merion Station synagogue, you can find the 25-year-old organizing events, meeting with staff, communicating with congregants and, right now, planning for the High Holidays, in addition to many other...
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June 27, 2018
During my time at Tufts University, I spent months considering whether or not to participate in a Birthright Israel trip. In weighing my decision, I decided that if I were ever to do Birthright I wanted my trip to be through an institution I knew would respect all sides of the geopolitical issue at play. As a recent graduate, the...
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May 22, 2018
Four years ago, I boarded a plane to take a journey with Birthright Israel. I had very few expectations. As a senior in college, the past President of a national Jewish sorority, and a member of the Chabad Student Board, I was confident in my Jewish identity. I was raised in a strong Jewish community, attended Hebrew School twice a...
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