Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Taglit-Birthright Israel, a free 10-day trip to Israel for young adults with Jewish heritage.
Birthright
The Latest
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Fast Forward Their Birthright program is over. War is keeping these Ukrainian and Russian Jews in Israel.
Some of the young Jews from Ukraine and Russia have finished their Birthright trips and others are still touring, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means that many can’t head home. There are now three groups from Russia and Ukraine on Birthright Israel trips, with 26 of the participants from Ukraine. Sixteen of the Ukrainians were…
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News Exclusive: Inside Birthright Israel’s new merger
Confronting challenges including the pandemic and younger generations’ growing alienation from Israel, Birthright Israel is merging with a smaller and lesser-known organization that provides internships, study and immersive living experiences in the Jewish State. Birthright, which has provided free 10-day trips to Israel for some 750,000 young adults since its founding in 1999, has in…
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News The pandemic cancelled a year of Birthright trips. That pause may have unexpected side effects.
Over two decades, Birthright Israel delivered more than 750,000 free-of-charge trips to young Jews, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, like so many organizations, its programming came to halt. More than a year of inactivity and cancellations later, the group is now beginning to think about what a return to normalcy might look like. For Birthright,…
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Community The joy of Hanukkah gift giving — even during a pandemic
There is often confusion among Jews around the globe about why, when and how the tradition of Hanukkah gift-giving originated. Has exchanging gifts with loved ones and friends always been a part of the tradition? Why do we do it? There is nothing in religious texts nor the original retellings of the Maccabees that specifically…
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News New data suggest Birthright effect on Jewish marriage, connection to Israel lasts up to 2 decades
New data from researchers at Brandeis University show that participants in the Birthright program that provides young adults free trips to Israel continue even up to two decades later to be more likely to marry other Jews, raise their children Jewish and have a strong attachment to Israel than their peers. The study, which compares…
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Fast Forward Is Birthright too late? New program to fund pre-college Israel trips
A new program will lower the cost of Israel trips for high school students by about $3,000 in order to give them that experience before they get to college — not during or after, as Birthright does. The Jewish Education Project will lead the RootOne initiative, which will subsidize trips by five Jewish youth groups…
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Opinion These Hasbara Tours Bribe Jews To Be Pro-Israel And Make Birthright Seem Lefty
Last week, J Street U, the campus arm of J Street, wrapped up its inaugural free trip to Israel for Jewish college students. The “Let My People Know” trip was conceived as a response to protests against Birthright, which does not include meetings with Palestinians on its trips, or discussions about the occupation. While the…
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The Schmooze ‘Sexiest Doctor Alive’ Saves Birthright Participant’s Life On Israel Flight
It sounds more like an NC-17 dream than reality — the man People magazine called “The Sexiest Doctor Alive” leaped into action to save a life when a passenger on his flight to Israel went into anaphylactic shock. But you know what they say about Israel: If you will it, it is no dream. 29-year-old…
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