April 1, 2025
I grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia. My mom enrolled me in a Jewish preschool, so I was immersed in Jewish culture from early on. I remember chopping fruit for Shabbat and making challah. I loved it. I was always a curious kid, eager to learn, and I’d follow along with my older friends in Hebrew school....
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March 31, 2025
Jon Warech is the Executive Director of the Hillel at Florida International University. As the marketing material of Birthright celebrating its 25th anniversary began to go viral in the Fall, I started to do some math and got a little confused. I went on Birthright with University of Florida Hillel in December of 1998… 26 years ago. After an intense...
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March 28, 2025
Jenn and Elie Zussman met as college students on one of the first Birthright Israel trips in 1999. They married in 2006 and live in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with their two daughters. Jenn: I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, in Pikesville, with a strong Jewish community. My upbringing felt very natural and supportive. But when I went to the University of...
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February 19, 2025
Growing up around Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites, Cole Keister often felt different because he was Jewish. The kids at his rural Oregon school called him a “kike” or a “dirty Jew.” One even gave him a bible and invited him to church to be “saved.” Upon returning from Birthright Israel in college, Keister no longer felt different. Instead, he said...
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February 19, 2025
Since it was founded over 25 years ago, more than 900,000 Jewish young adults from around the world have joyously claimed their birthright as part of a global movement to ensure a strong and vibrant future for the Jewish people. This educational and life-changing trip to the Jewish homeland is known as Birthright Israel. In the U.S., Birthright Israel Foundation...
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February 19, 2025
As the US fundraising arm for Birthright Israel trips, Birthright Israel Foundation aims to raise nearly $57 million every year to help nearly 50,000 Jewish young adults claim their birthright. This year, in celebration of our 25th anniversary, we've made a commitment to bring a minimum of 200,000 new participants to Israel by 2030. To help achieve this ambitious goal,...
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February 18, 2025
My name is Laura Fasman, and I’m from California. I am a yoga teacher, a nature and animal lover, and a Reform Jew. I went on my Birthright Israel trip in September of 2024. Before I visited, my connection to Israel was based upon the experiences of others, from my older cousins’ Birthright Israel trips to the lives of Israelis...
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February 14, 2025
On February 10, the Birthright Israel Foundation Board Reception in Sunny Isles Beach, FL, brought together supporters, alumni, and leaders to celebrate Birthright Israel’s 25th anniversary and its lasting impact, recently confirmed by Brandeis University’s Jewish Futures Project. Hosted by Leslie Dezer and her family at the Bentley Residences Gallery, the evening featured inspiring remarks from Birthright Israel Foundation National...
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February 12, 2025
My name is Adina Fridman. I am originally from Toronto, Canada, but am currently a sophomore at New York University. I am majoring in Politics with minors in Public Policy and Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Naturally, I am interested in current events and government, with a focus on international relations and international politics. I have always attended Jewish schools, where...
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February 11, 2025
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, in Highland Park, which is a very Jewish community—about 50% Jewish. I came from an interfaith household, and my Jewish experience was more cultural than religious. My mom’s whole family, the Jewish side, had come over from Eastern Europe, but they had passed away before I was born. Judaism wasn’t something I...
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