July 30, 2025
On June 12th at 7:40 pm local time in Chicago, I received a WhatsApp text from my nineteen-year-old son Matthew who was in Israel: You’ve probably heard what’s happening now I am safe in the subway I was out to dinner with friends and had just gotten an alert saying that Israel had preemptively struck Iran as part of its...
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July 29, 2025
On Friday, July 25, we gathered at the Hamptons home of Lisa Kadin and William Spiegel to celebrate 25 years of Birthright Israel. William opened the evening with a moving story about his son Ryan’s Birthright Israel Excel experience. He announced that he and Lisa are increasing their gift this year to help more young Jews build strong connections to...
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July 25, 2025
My name is Annie Michaels, I’m 32, and I live in Chicago. I was part of a Birthright Israel Volunteer trip in September 2024. This trip was created for individuals with disabilities from the U.S. and Canada who had attended Camp Ramah in the past. The purpose of the trip was to volunteer during a time of war and to...
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July 23, 2025
I was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and came to the U.S. when I was a year and a half old. Fresh off the boat except it was a flight with a layover in Italy and I had no say in the matter. Russian was my first language. My second language was also Russian. English eventually showed up, uninvited but necessary....
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July 21, 2025
I grew up in Richmond, Virginia. It’s not the smallest Jewish community, but it’s not L.A. either — where I live now. Growing up, I was nearly always the only Jewish kid in my class. One of maybe three or four in my entire grade. We observed the High Holy Days, did some Shabbat dinners, and I had a bar...
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July 15, 2025
Growing up in Montgomery County, Maryland, my strongest Jewish memories were forged at Perlman Camp in the Poconos. Every summer, Shabbat became the highlight of my week, Israeli dancing and singing Hebrew prayers with my closest friends as the sun set over the lake. It was there that my Jewish identity felt most alive and authentic. At UNC Chapel Hill,...
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July 14, 2025
Lori Komisar has long been a force in Jewish philanthropy. As Vice Chair of Birthright Israel Foundation, she brings both strategic leadership and a fierce commitment to ensuring every Jewish young adult has the opportunity to visit Israel. But her dedication goes far beyond boardroom decisions — it’s deeply personal, and now, everlasting. Lori and her life partner, Morrie Silverman,...
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July 8, 2025
I live in Manhattan, where I’m part of the leadership team at a software infrastructure and technology company. My family is originally from Kyiv, Ukraine. They fled after Chernobyl, first to Israel, and then finally to Toronto, Canada, where I was born and raised. I’ve walked a path that’s taken me deeper and deeper into Jewish life, something that truly...
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July 7, 2025
This story originally appeared on June 25 in Hillel International. For months, I had been counting down the days until my trip to Israel with the University of Florida Hillel. It was a dream I spoke into existence over and over, telling friends, family, teachers, and even strangers how excited I was. I imagined myself living for the summer in...
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July 1, 2025
In honor of Birthright Israel’s 25th anniversary, we’re proud to spotlight 25 outstanding alumni and share their inspiring stories with you. I’m from Havana, Cuba, and I’ve been part of the Jewish community since I was a child. My family is deeply involved: my mom is the vice president of the Beth Shalom Synagogue, the most important congregation in Cuba....
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