Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

I went on my first Birthright Israel trip in the summer of 2010, along with many friends through the Chabad Center at the University of Pennsylvania. After an amazing whirlwind experience and 4-day extension on the beach in Tel Aviv, I knew I had to return in the years to come. After this initial experience with Birthright Israel, there is… Read More 

When I was in college, a new program started that would allow Jewish young adults who had never visited Israel to go on a free trip as their birthright. Growing up in a very Zionist household, I had already been to Israel several times, and so did not qualify for this new-found opportunity. As I saw the program develop and… Read More 

Eighteen years and 650,000 happy participants later, you’d think people would get Birthright Israel right. Yet it’s amazing how many people get Birthright Israel wrong. Few understand Birthright’s secret sauce – what I call the Zen of Birthright. They expect it to be as site-oriented as a grand European tour, as partisan as a Zionist pep rally, as self-involved as… Read More 

The alarm yells at me at 4:30am. I wipe the few hours of sleep away from my eyes. I sluggishly make my way into clothing and sneakers and join the team of sleepy walkers to the front door. We take a stroll to a small pathway that opens up to a bigger dirt road. And as I look up -… Read More 

My two boys, Lenny and Ben, went on Birthright Israel this past winter and all I can say is THANK YOU from deep in my soul for this opportunity. This WAS the trip of a lifetime and everything I ever wished for; everything I worked hard to develop came to fruition on this trip.  I wanted to give my kids two… Read More 

On May 9, 2019, our NYC Young Leadership Council gathered at GoldBar for a Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration to ring in Israel's 71st birthday! Alumni supporters are an integral part of our annual campaign to ensure that the next generation of young Jewish adults is connected to our rich heritage, traditions and beliefs. Through their shared experiences on Birthright Israel, our… Read More 

This Mother's Day, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a mom, and about the ways that my experience on Birthright Israel changed how I parent. My son Jake was 18-months old when my husband, David, and I went on a journey with Birthright Israel. We were the only parents on the trip, but this was… Read More 

Isn't it amazing how when you're young, your life is built around the idea of community? We have community at school with our classmates, community with sports and in my case community with fellow tennis players on my high school tennis team or the dancers, I danced with in college. There are a lot of opportunities to be part of… Read More 

In March 2019 I had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Israel with Birthright Israel and visit Yad VaShem. After experiencing Israel firsthand through this trip, I know how rare opportunities like this must be. However, I’m writing now not to focus so much on my Birthright Israel trip but about what I learned during our visit to… Read More 

My husband, Danny and I went on Birthright Israel in 2001 during our last year of undergrad. We immediately became good friends and maintained contact well after the trip was over. At the time we were both in relationships, but deep down we knew there was something special. Nearly two years later we had moved on from those relationships and… Read More 

Amanda Flaxman is a winter 2019 Birthright Israel alumna from Highland Park, IL. She currently works as a Data Scientist and the biggest takeaway from her Birthright Israel trip was the authenticity she felt from everyone. What was the major factor that drove you to sign up for Birthright Israel? My trip was leaving from Chicago and just happened to… Read More