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 Hostel Booted By Birthright Bans ‘Haters Of Israel’ Like… Jon Stewart?
A hostel in Jerusalem’s Old City published a list of Jewish activists, journalists and celebrities who have been “banned…because of crimes committed against the Jewish People.” The Jerusalem Heritage House’s list, which refers to the people named as “sonei Yisrael” or “haters of Israel,” includes Jewish politicians like Bernie Sanders and Dianne Feinstein; advocacy groups…
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Fast Forward Facebook Removes Video Of Birthright Walkoff
Facebook removed a live-streamed video posted by a Birthright participant who recently walked off her trip with eight others to visit a Palestinian family facing eviction from their eastern Jerusalem home. The social network took down the video over the weekend, according to IfNotNow, an American-Jewish progressive activist group that connected the participants with activists…
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Fast Forward Birthright Won’t Vet Applicants Despite Walkouts Protesting Israeli Occupation
Despite several highly publicized walkouts on its program, Birthright does not intend to introduce a vetting procedure that would weed out potential troublemakers from the free trips it offers to Israel. In recent weeks, Jewish-American participants have filmed themselves walking out of three separate Birthright trips to protest the occupation and the absence of discussion…
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Community What Do IfNotNow Birthright Protestors Really Want? We Asked Them
On July 23, our Deputy Opinion Editor Laura E. Adkins sat down with IfNotNow activists Noah Wagner, Rebecca Oliver and Danielle Raskin to discuss their recent Birthright Israel walk-offs. Watch: What do you think? Let us know.
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Letters No, American Zionism Is Not Apathetic
Last month on the pages of The Forward I claimed the right to be a liberal Zionist in America, one who feels a deep connection with Israel, one who continues to envision a democratic Jewish state that exists alongside a free and independent Palestine — but also one who recognizes that a half-century after the…
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Opinion Why Do People Care More About Adelson’s Money Than The Lives Of Palestinians?
Over the past three weeks, 13 Birthright participants decided to walk off their Birthright trips, causing quite a stir. The walk-offs happened on three different trips, but all for the same reason. After repeatedly asking questions about the material they were being presented and then receiving whitewashed answers about Israel’s military rule over Palestinians, or…
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Opinion I’m A Settler Who Defends The Birthright Walkouts
Twice this summer, a number of students have filmed themselves walking off their Birthright trips. The much debated walkouts are part of a campaign called “Not Just A Free Trip” organized by the American Jewish activist group IfNotNow. But while many believe that IfNotNow’s left-wing walkouts of Birthright trips may be nothing more than a…
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Fast Forward Birthright Walkout Leaders Create GoFundMe For Canceled Flights, Lost Deposits
Eight Birthright participants who walked off their tours Sunday created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover their canceled flights and forfeited deposits. The participants were on two separate trips, according to the GoFundMe page. Birthright didn’t approve of them deviating from their itinerary to meet with a Palestinian family that lived in East…
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