Birthright Israel Foundation today named Elias Saratovsky its next president and chief executive officer. Saratovsky will assume the role on September 1 after 21 years at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where he served in successive leadership roles across the organization. He will succeed Israel “Izzy” Tapoohi, who is retiring at the end of the year. Saratovsky is...
I’d like to share with you how a Birthright Israel trip transformed my life. I grew up in Queens, raised by a single mother. We had Passover seders and lit candles on Hannukah but not much else. When I was ten years old, she told me I’d start going to Hebrew school at the local Reform synagogue. I had a...
From cheesecake to blintzes to ice cream, Shavuot is all about dairy. What began as a harvest festival thousands of years ago now commemorates the Israelites receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. And from there, Jews worldwide celebrate with dairy delights and all-night study sessions. So, this makes Shavuot the perfect time to serve up a sundae bar, complete with...
Scott Friedman is a Birthright Israel alum of the classic 10-day trip who is one of our most generous alum supporters. On a family trip to Israel with his wife Kara and children, Scott remembered the impact of his Birthright Israel trip and wanted to ensure young Jewish adults today receive the same experience he did. His gift to Birthright...
On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Birthright Israel Foundation board chair Phil de Toledo and his wife Alyce opened their home to our Los Angeles donors. Guests had the honor to hear from Los Angeles Leadership Cabinet Chair Simon Mendelson, Birthright Israel alum and Senior Advisor to Former Special Envoy Noa Tishby Eden Cohen and Phil de Toledo. Simon opened the...
A year ago, I would have never expected to be writing this blog post here in Israel to discuss the immensely positive impact Birthright Israel has had upon my Jewish identity. My story is unconventional, to say the least, but I feel profoundly fortunate to have ended up where I am today — and that Birthright Israel has left an...
iframe.instagram-media { margin: 40px auto !important; } Birthright Israel Foundation has sent over 800,000-plus young Jewish adults on the classic 10-day trip to Israel. And, with that, many alums have gone on to be famous and make their mark on the world. This includes the newest Netflix hit, Jewish Matchmaking featuring six of our very own alums who hope to...
Jewish mothers come in all shapes and sizes. They smash stereotypes in nearly every profession and show us what can be accomplished with talent, determination, and a little chutzpah. To honor Jewish mothers everywhere, Birthright Israel Foundation created the perfect quiz. Find out if you can name these famous Jewish mothers! var app_643e9d0fd58a290014dfdd65;(function(d, t){var s=d.createElement(t),options={"appId":"643e9d0fd58a290014dfdd65","aspect_ratio":"100%","async":true,"host":"quiz.tryinteract.com"};s.src='https://i.tryinteract.com/embed/app.js';s.onload=s.onreadystatechange=function(){var rs=this.readyState;if(rs)if(rs!='complete')if(rs!='loaded')return;try{app_643e9d0fd58a290014dfdd65=new InteractApp();app_643e9d0fd58a290014dfdd65.initialize(options);app_643e9d0fd58a290014dfdd65.display();}catch(e){}};var scr=d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],par=scr.parentNode;par.insertBefore(s,scr);})(document,'script'); .interact-app-container {...
by Katherine Shambaugh, Birthright Israel Alum & Alum Ambassador
Where I grew up, there was a church on every street corner, and the nearest synagogue was 30 minutes away. Israel felt like a country too far away for me to reach and full of people who I didn’t think were anything like me. I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA, in an interfaith family and spent the...
by Madison Yablon, Birthright Israel Alum & Ambassador
I thought this blog post would be a lot easier to write. Now, what makes it hard isn't my inability to share my experiences but my inability to not publish a novel about these experiences. If you had asked me just a year ago today that I was writing MY STORY from MY Birthright Israel trip, I probably would have...
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