Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

It’s simple: I am the person I am today because of Onward Israel. Growing up, I was a handful, especially when it came to being Jewish. If there was a world record for the number of times someone faked being sick to stay home from Hebrew school, I would hold it. In fact, if you asked my Rabbi who was… Read More 

On Wednesday June 15, 2022, nearly 150 of our friends and supporters gathered at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor, NY, for our annual Birthright Israel Foundation Long Island event. The evening honored Arlene and David Horowitz for their leadership and dedication to Birthright Israel. MAKE A GIFT NOW The evening featured remarks from Long Island Leadership Cabinet Chair Amy… Read More 

Birthright Israel alumnus Jake Niefeld is currently a student at the University Kansas studying Spanish Education. He's originally from Minneapolis, MN, and absolutely loves to be outdoors. Jake also enjoys playing his guitar and any kind of sport, most specifically, Ultimate Frisbee. In our interview below, we caught up with Jake and wanted to know why he thought Birthright Israel… Read More 

Levi Meir Clancy was born in Los Angeles, CA, and is of Ashkenazi and Okinawan descent. Levi's work, passions, and hobbies are all one and the same. He explained that growing up with a minority’s perspective on survival from both sides of his family — an estimated one-third to one-half of Okinawans perished in atrocities during World War II —… Read More 

On June 14, 2022, Birthright Israel Foundation donors and supporters joined for an intimate gathering with Birthright Israel alumni at the beautiful Chicago home of Lori Komisar & Morrie Silverman. Attendees had the pleasure of hearing remarks from Dr. Zohar Raviv, International Vice President of Educational Strategy at Birthright Israel, and Birthright Israel Alumnus Billy Steinberg, who shared how a 10-day… Read More 

Caleb Esrig grew up in New Rochelle, NY, where he attended Solomon Schechter School of Westchester (now The Leffell School), where he first developed his passion for Judaism. For college, Caleb attended Harvard, where he studied Economics and worked closely with Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Harvard Hillel. Today, Caleb works as an associate consultant in Bain & Company's New… Read More 

On Tuesday, May 17th, 2022, Birthright Israel Foundation hosted its 22nd Anniversary Gala honoring the program's Co-Founder Charles Bronfman, and celebrating his 90th birthday. Charles shared his vision and passion for transforming the Jewish future and gave us an inside glimpse into how Birthright Israel became a reality. His stepson, Tony Cohen and his children, Stephen Bronfman and Ellen Bronfman-Hauptman,… Read More 

Are you familiar with the Jewish festival of Shavuot and all it entails? Thousands of years ago, what began as a harvest festival now commemorates the Israelites receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. And from there, Jews throughout the world celebrate with dairy delights and all-night study sessions. So, whether you're familiar with Shavuot or not, we suggest taking our… Read More 

For long-time St. Louis donor Greg Siwak, Jewish philanthropic causes have always been of the utmost significance. Growing up, Greg's parents and grandparents were his role models for giving back to the Jewish community. His mother, Nancy Siwak, even served as Board Chair of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and is now on their Council of Life. "Supporting the… Read More 

Rabbi Jordan Gerson is a 14-time Birthright Israel trip staffer, a Birthright Israel Fellow and serves as a rakaz for Hillel International Birthright Israel trips. Originally from St. Louis, Rabbi Jordan landed his dream job when he took the position of Campus Rabbi at Washington University and was glad to be back in his hometown. Most recently, Rabbi Jordan staffed… Read More 

Birthright Israel dads are some of the program's most devoted supporters and best fans. They know just how important it is for young Jews to see Israel for themselves and form bonds with the land and people. That is why we're giving out a shoutout to Birthright Israel dads everywhere on Father's Day and sharing a few reasons why they… Read More