Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, Birthright Israel Foundation was graciously hosted by several donors at the Gables Club in Miami for an exclusive lunch featuring former IDF solider and tour educator Noa Tadmor. We are thankful to our host committee, Carolyn and Mel Miller, Nadine Foldes, Zelda Schwebel, Roz Berrin, Barbara Furman, Nedra Kalish, Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst, for making… Read More 

On Monday, March 27, 2023, Birthright Israel Foundation donors Lauren and Ilan Kempler hosted Israeli alum and tour educator Noa Tadmor to rally support for the classic 10-day trip. Lauren and Ilan opened the evening's program with touching remarks about their passion for the Jewish community and Israel. Local South Florida alum and donor Risa Shiman shared how her trip… Read More 

Demand for the classic 10-day Birthright Israel trip is at an all-time high in our post-Covid world. Young Jewish adults are craving a sense of belonging, spaces where they feel safe to be Jewish, and, most of all, an opportunity to see Israel for themselves.   As an organization, we were thrilled when we received 32,000 applications for our summer 2023… Read More 

Birthright Israel Foundation is fortunate to have supporters throughout the United States dedicated to helping provide young Jewish adults with transformative Israel experiences. Many of our donors give so that the next generation forms unbreakable bonds with the land and people of Israel while further strengthening their Jewish identity and connections with their Israeli peers. Whether a young Jewish adult… Read More 

Are you ready for Passover? The Jewish festival begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 5, and ends at sundown on Thursday, April 13. This year, to help make your seder special, Birthright Israel Foundation produced a short and sweet Passover Haggadah. Our Haggadah is complete with the story of Passover, blessings, and a guide to the seder plate. Plus, there… Read More 

On Wednesday, March 9, Mei Sze and Jeff Greene hosted Birthright Israel Foundation's annual Palm Beach event for an awe-inspiring evening celebrating the impact of the classic 10-day educational experience. Our Palm beach supporters were excited to hear from Jeff Greene on the importance of education for today's youth and Jewish young adults and a Birthright Israel update from the… Read More 

The easiest way to get someone to disappear is to make them feel ashamed of who they are. And the best way to combat hate is actually with pride. I understand both things as a Jew and a person of color. I grew up in the projects of Brooklyn, NY, to a dark-skinned Jamaican father and an Ashkenazi mother —… Read More 

You may be most familiar with dressing up in costume or shouting "Boo Haman" during Purim but sending Mishloach Manot, or Purim gift baskets, are also a fun tradition. Sending the gift baskets is a tradition from the Book of Esther and helps us celebrate Queen Esther and the Jewish people's victory over Haman. In ancient times, one would send… Read More 

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, Birthright Israel Foundation hosted its most generous philanthropists at the $100,000-plus level for the annual Palm Beach dinner reception at Cafe L'Europe. The evening opened with a warm welcome from our Palm Beach chair Ronnie Pertnoy. Guests were then joined by the Foundation's board chair, Phil de Toledo, who gave an important update on Birthright… Read More 

Now in its 10th year, Birthright Israel Foundation's Palm Beach Leadership Cabinet is entering a new era and is ready to lead the country in rallying support for Birthright Israel. As 2023 trip registration closed early due to the increase of applicants, which was up by 68%, and the 30% increase in cost per participant, the number of spots available… Read More 

Words cannot describe how dear Birthright Israel is to my heart. To understand why I have to give you context about me and my childhood. I grew up in Buckhead, an Atlanta neighborhood, and as close I was to the Jewish community, I had zero Judaism in my upbringing. I'm a sixth-generation Russian Orthodox Jew, but within the last two… Read More