Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

A huge highlight from any Birthright Israel trip is the hike to Masada. Participants wake up before sunrise, fill their water bottles and begin the ascent to learn about an incredible part of Jewish history. Many participants walk away feeling an overwhelming sense of Jewish pride and understanding of our collective past through their experience atop Masada. Whether it be… Read More 

A highlight of any trip to Israel is tasting the world-famous rugelach at Marzipan in Jerusalem. If you've witnessed Birthright Israel groups near Machne Yehuda Market in Jerusalem they're probably carrying a box of this rugelach with them. Like all Israeli treats, this one is also a favorite to participants. However, like many Jewish foods, this pastry treat has adapted… Read More 

One of the most important aspects of Birthright Israel trips are the Mifgash (encounter) who play a crucial role in the experience of the Diaspora participants. In this week’s edition of What Are Alumni Saying we want you to hear what participants and Mifgash are saying about their Birthright Israel trip! “After my Birthright Israel experience, I saw Israel in… Read More 

If there is one staple around every Jewish table during the holiday season — it has to be kugel. Whether you prefer it sweet or savory you can't go wrong with our festive sweet potato kugel recipe perfect for this Thanksgiving. You can even add a pinch of cinnamon to the sweet potato kugel to add depth and warmth to… Read More 

In this edition of What Are Alumni Saying This Week we are going to highlight participants of our Accessibility trips. Birthright Israel believes that every eligible young Jewish adult should be able to travel to Israel to experience his or her birthright. Since these trips began in 2001, there have been nearly 1,900 participants and more than 70 trips. Here’s… Read More 

Birthright Israel’s niche trips are just one way we continue to innovate and be the leading educational program in the Jewish world. By designing the Birthright Israel experience around yoga, outdoor adventure or study abroad – to name a few – we are seeking to create a connection between a young adult’s interest or passion with his or her Judaism.… Read More 

It is Thanksgiving time in the United States and we are adding some seasonal flair to the traditional challah and making it a Pumpkin Spice Challah. Our recipe adds pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract to add dimension and warmth to the bread. If you're expecting lots of kids at your table, you can also bake it into the shape… Read More 

On Tuesday, October 23rd Birthright Israel and Birthright Israel Foundation hosted an afterparty at the 2018 JFNA GA in Tel Aviv, Israel to celebrate our 18th Anniversary and the overall success of the program. We raised our glasses and had a huge l’chaim with a crowd of over 150 Federation professionals, current Birthright Israel participants, alumni, donors, board members and… Read More 

“Everything that you saw and heard, people that you have met, the land you’ve touched—all this will become a trigger for your own inner discoveries,” said Genesis Philanthropy Group vice president for community relations Dorit Golender. Taglit-Birthright Israel marked its 18th birthday on Aug. 21 with a series of events in Tel Aviv for 1,000 participants from the former Soviet… Read More 

It is that time of the week again when we give you a dose of what we like to call Birthright Israel magic – when participants share their life-changing and most memorable moments from their time in Israel. Drum roll please… “Without Birthright Israel I would have never felt so proud of my Jewish identity.” - Alesha “Every moment from… Read More 

This is why I became a Birthright group leader. I remember every second of my first Birthright Israel trip. I’ve never felt that connected to anything in my life. Everywhere we went, everything I saw and did, I felt like I was meant to be there. I think it’s because it’s the land of my people. I didn’t expect to come… Read More