Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

On Monday, March 20, 2023, Birthright Israel hosted a special reception at the Jewish Funders Network international conference to celebrate a landmark gift from the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation and Bronfman Hauptman Family Foundation. The major multi-year gift was made in honor of their father (and father-in-law), Birthright Israel co-founder Charles Bronfman. The gift will enable Birthright Israel… 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 

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 

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 

Birthright Israel Foundation had the pleasure of speaking with donors Sharon and Simon Mendelson about their philanthropy and love of Israel. Simon, the newly elected Chair of Birthright Israel Foundation's Los Angeles Leadership Cabinet, looks forward to growing the network of supporters in his community. Sharon, whose mother is an 8th-generation Israeli, knows how special of a place Israel can… Read More 

As one of the greatest Jewish educational interventions since the day school, the summer camp, the Zionist movement, the yeshiva and the Talmud itself, Taglit-Birthright Israel is often targeted. Critics stereotype Birthright’s Israel trips as the Jewish world’s big, fat, mindless, propagandistic frat party. But the caricatures clash: faultfinders have to choose between bashing Birthright Israel as a mindless romp… Read More 

New York, NY — Birthright Israel Foundation President & CEO, Israel "Izzy" Tapoohi, announced that he will be retiring in December 2023. Izzy is committed to providing BRIF the time necessary to conduct a thorough search for his successor and to ensuring a smooth transition of leadership. "The last six years at Birthright Israel Foundation have been tremendously rewarding, both personally… Read More