Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

March 4, 2026

Birthright Israel Helped Me Become the Jewish Educator I Am Today

I grew up in Commack, Long Island, in a Reform Jewish family. My parents are from the Bronx, and although our home wasn’t kosher, I had my bar mitzvah, and spent summers going up to the Catskills for family reunions.I never originally saw myself as a Jewish educator. I saw myself as Jewish and happened to work in a yeshiva...

February 17, 2026

From Quiet, Hidden Judaism to Pride and Responsibility

My name is Tatyana Kheyfets, and I live in San Ramon, California. I was born in Gomel, Belarus, and immigrated to the United States in 1995 when I was nine years old. My life has always been shaped by the desire to build meaningful relationships, learn from different perspectives, and stay actively engaged with my community. Growing up in Belarus,...

February 6, 2026

VIDEO: Elias Saratovsky and Birthright Israel Alumni on Network TV

February 5, 2026

Birthright Israel: “If Not Me, Then Who?” 

This reflection was written in January 2025, following a Birthright Israel staff mission to Israel. I was there during the release of hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, who had been held in Hamas captivity for more than a year. I landed back home just 24 hours ago, and I am still in disbelief at what I experienced. I...

February 3, 2026

Birthright Israel Through My Eyes as an Israeli American

I was born in Israel, and my family moved to the U.S. when I was seven and a half. I grew up in New Jersey, and now I’m a fourth-year student at Drexel University, majoring in biology. I work at a cancer immunotherapy research lab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and I’m exploring a career in medicine.As an immigrant...

January 29, 2026

Birthright Israel Made Me Ask: How Can I Be a Better Jew?

I’m from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and I’m a sophomore at Drexel University in Philadelphia, studying marketing. I’m interested in social media and branding, and I also play basketball. I went to Hebrew school until about age thirteen and had my bar mitzvah, but after that, there was a gap. Then the pandemic hit, everything got chaotic, and before I knew...

January 29, 2026

Birthright Israel: "Don't Wait"

For most of my life, Israel was something I was supposed to wait for. When I was growing up in a Chabad Chasidic community, the answer was seminary. When COVID-19 shut that door, the answer became “next year.” When my health collapsed, the answer became “when you can walk again.”Once COVID restrictions were lifted, and I had time off from...

January 28, 2026

“Our Story”: How Birthright Israel Helped Me Claim Mine

I’m from Westchester, New York. I studied cinematography at Ithaca College and graduated in 2023. Now I’m getting an MFA in photography through Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m going through my photos from Birthright Israel and writing about my experiences, hoping to eventually compile them into a book.My dad is Jewish, and my mom is Catholic. My sister...

January 27, 2026

Judaism Felt Outdated Until Birthright Israel 

I grew up in Michigan with a Reform Jewish identity. But if I’m honest, I felt the least Jewish of my siblings. I’m one of six kids, and I was the most secular one. I just didn’t see the relevance. Judaism felt outdated, like the traditions were disconnected from modern life. Then October 7 happened, and it fundamentally changed me. I...

January 26, 2026

What Birthright Israel Made Impossible to Ignore

For many Jewish young adults, Judaism doesn’t disappear. It just gets deprioritized. Not out of rejection, but out of momentum. Careers accelerate. Cities change. Communities become harder to hold onto. You don’t stop being Jewish; you just stop structuring your life around it. That’s what happened to me.I live in the San Francisco Bay area now, where I am an...