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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May 17, 2018
When I turned 16, my father told me I was Jewish. This isn’t uncommon in Russia, where I was born and raised. Many people discover their Jewish roots later in life. But I just didn’t think I’d be one of them. I spent the next few weeks poring over family documents – birth certificates, passports, letters. They reaffirmed the story...
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