August 22, 2025
I grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, and I’m now a senior at Skidmore College. I study education and psychology with a minor in dance. For as long as I can remember I thought I would become a teacher, but recently I’ve considered going into school social work or child psychology instead. My earliest memories of Judaism are from the preschool...
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August 22, 2025
People say, “Birthright changed my life,” and you wonder, what does that actually mean? Well, 23 and a half years after my Birthright Israel trip, I’m the President and CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal. And when I look back — on my personal life, my marriage to a Jewish woman, my professional path in the Jewish community, and everything...
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August 22, 2025
I grew up in Montreal in a home where we didn’t need to be told why Judaism mattered; it was ingrained. My parents and grandparents set the example. Every Friday night, without exception, we had Shabbat dinner. We weren’t strictly Shomer Shabbat, but family always came first. From the time I was little, Israel was part of my life. My...
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August 21, 2025
I was born in Canada to Israeli parents who had left Israel before my birth. My three brothers were born there. My parents were very Zionist, but they immigrated because my dad had PTSD from the Yom Kippur War, and didn’t want his sons to go into the army and experience what he went through. At home we spoke Hebrew,...
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August 20, 2025
On August 6, friends and supporters gathered in Aspen for Birthright Israel Foundation’s Annual Event, a night of celebration, connection, and shared commitment to the Jewish future. We heard from Birthright Israel alumna Abby Fish, who shared how her experience in a bomb shelter on Shabbat became a turning point in her Jewish identity. Elias Saratovsky, our President & CEO,...
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August 14, 2025
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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August 14, 2025
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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August 6, 2025
Birthright Israel Foundation President & CEO Elias Saratovsky joined Jewish Funders Network’s What Gives? podcast for an inspiring conversation about Birthright Israel’s enduring impact and where we go from here. From his own transformative Birthright Israel trip in 1999 to leading the organization today, Elias shares how immersive Israel experiences continue to shape Jewish identity, pride, leadership, and connection. “The...
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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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