Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

I met a group of strangers at the airport, boarded the plane, and felt apprehensive and uncomfortable about my first trip abroad. Birthright Israel would also be the first time I would be in an environment where I did not speak the native language, which would become a source of discomfort in the first couple of days. I did, however,… Read More 

Preparing for Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays is a perfect time to reflect on and celebrate moments from the past year that matter. At Birthright Israel Foundation, the successful relaunch of our trips in the wake of both a global pandemic and conflict in Israel is one of those moments. Thanks to your belief and commitment to our mission,… Read More 

We recently had the chance to catch up with Avery Rosin, Birthright Israel and Birthright Israel Excel alumnus, who has recently taken on leadership roles in our organization both nationally on our Board of Directors and locally in his hometown of Los Angeles on our Leadership Cabinet. Avery’s commitment to our organization has been more than 10 years in the… Read More 

San Diego resident Kira Finkenberg understands the value of Jewish continuity and has dedicated most of her adult life to serving the NexGen community, holding board positions for five major Jewish organizations. Therefore, when she received a call asking if she’d be interested in staffing a Birthright Israel trip, it was only natural for Kira to say, “How soon do… Read More 

Can you name one of the primary founders of state of Israel? What is tzedakah? Would you consider yourself a Gal Gadot superfan? As you answer the questions, we hope you are reminded of the wonderful heritage, history and culture young Jewish adults can discover on a journey with Birthright Israel! Take our quiz below to see if your knowledge of… Read More 

Is your child interested in going on a Birthright Israel trip? Have they discussed trip options with you or when they plan to go? For many of today's young Jews, a Birthright Israel trip is the first independent Jewish decision they make. Whether your child has discussed details of their upcoming journey with you or just said, "Hey mom, I'm… Read More 

I am typically more of a guarded person when I encounter people new to me. When I was given the opportunity to participate in Birthright Israel as an Israeli (Mifgash participant), I jumped at it. As a child, I was always interested to learn what was happening in the United States. My uncle lived there for a time and he… Read More 

We kicked off the start of our events season on Friday, August 6, 2021 at the home of Mindy and Ron Horowitz in the Hamptons. Nearly 100 guests joined us to enjoy the summer sun and celebrate the magic of Birthright Israel. We had the pleasure of hearing remarks from Birthright Israel Alumni Jamie Schulman and Benji Sklar. Jamie, a New York… Read More 

Allegra Horstmann is a 25-year-old professional living in Marion, Massachusetts, whose Birthright Israel trip ignited a career in the Jewish nonprofit world. After her Birthright Israel trip, she desired to pursue her passions and move to Israel, where she volunteered with at-risk youth. Shortly after her volunteer program was finished she decided to become an Israeli citizen. Today, Allegra Horstmann lives… Read More 

Birthright Israel Foundation is proud to have given the gift of Birthright Israel to 750,000-plus young Jews. More so, each year we work with nearly 40,000 donors to ensure more young Jews can visit Israel. We understand the importance of this life-changing educational experience and so do our alumni. This is why we can't wait to share with you advice,… Read More 

When alumnus Neil St. Clair first entered the workforce, his family encouraged him to hide his Jewish identity, “suggesting that if I want to succeed, I should not display my Judaism.” He didn’t identify publicly as a Jewish person for the first time until he was in his 30s. Married, with his second child on the way, he decided to… Read More