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Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

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Trip Highlights

August 14, 2025

Birthright Israel’s Summer of Jewish Connection

by Birthright Israel Foundation

After June’s disruption, Birthright Israel has fully rebounded. In this challenging year for Jewish communities, giving young adults pride, connection, and resilience has never been more important. This summer, 10,000 young Jews from North America, Europe, Latin America, India, Australia, South Africa, and the former Soviet Union participated in our 10-day trips. They join our global family of more than...

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Events Trip Highlights

August 14, 2025

Lone Soldier Families Reunited in Birthright Israel Volunteer Ceremony

by Birthright Israel Foundation

Last week, our Birthright Israel Volunteer program had the privilege of welcoming an extraordinary group of participants to Israel — parents of Lone Soldiers from the U.S., Russia, and Argentina. These brave young men and women have chosen to serve in the Israel Defense Forces far from home, and their parents traveled thousands of miles to not only see them...

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Robert Tanen FEATURED
Alums Trip Highlights

June 25, 2025

Birthright Israel Inspired My Work to Preserve Holocaust Memory

by Robert Tanen , Southeast Regional Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

I grew up in Wellington, Florida, a quiet suburb on the western edge of Palm Beach County. Back then, it felt like the middle of nowhere, the last stop before the hinterlands. To the north was rural Loxahatchee, with its giant trucks and Confederate flags. To the west and further inland, you had Belle Glade, then one of the most...

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Alums Trip Highlights

June 17, 2025

My Brother Joshua Led Me to Birthright Israel and Jewish Education

by Jordan Feinberg , 2016 Birthright Israel Alumnus

I've always been proud to be Jewish. Growing up as an Ashkenazi Jew, I found joy in celebrating holidays and traditions with my family, watching the Rugrats Passover special on an orange VHS tape, and listening to Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song.” Of course, my pride and connection to Judaism was also deeply rooted in food. My Grandma Mindy’s matzo ball...

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Alums Trip Highlights

May 5, 2025

Finding Hope and Purpose As a Birthright Israel Volunteer

by Isaac Malca , 2023 Birthright Israel Volunteer

When I was a kid, my family moved around a lot — from Mexico to Vancouver, eventually settling in Houston. But no matter where we lived, one thing was constant: our connection to Judaism and the Jewish community. In Houston, I was lucky to attend Beren Academy, where I developed a strong sense of Jewish pride and learned the importance...

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Alums Trip Highlights

April 8, 2025

Birthright Israel Is So Much More Than Fun 

by Rachel Moon , Birthright Israel Alumna

Rachel Moon is a beauty and fashion influencer and a pro-Israel activist with over 100,000 followers. She lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. My mom is Jewish. My dad wasn’t, but he adopted everything — every tradition, every holiday. He even led our Seders. My Jewish identity has been important to me for as long as I can remember....

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Alums Trip Highlights

April 8, 2025

From Soviet Silence to Jewish Pride with Birthright Israel 

by Masha Bakshiyeva , 2015 Birthright Israel Alumni, 2024 Volunteer

I’m 32 years old, born in Russia, and raised in New Jersey. My family came to the U.S. in 1996 as refugees fleeing antisemitism in the former Soviet Union. I’ve spent my adult life in America, working in the entertainment industry, and more recently transitioning into the mental health space. Being of service — giving back — has always been...

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Alums Trip Highlights

April 7, 2025

Through Birthright Israel, I Finally Understood My Brother’s Choice

by Rina Factor , 2024 Birthright Israel Alumna

My mother is Korean and my father is Israeli. I grew up Modern Orthodox, in a Zionist home, waving blue-and-white flags at my Jewish Orthodox school on Yom Ha'atzmaut. Before October 7th, I grew up hearing stories of my grandparents who survived the Holocaust, and my grandfather who served in the IDF and narrowly escaped death several times fighting for...

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