Birthright Israel Foundation’s June 2024 Donor Mission to Israel was an unforgettable experience. The mission highlighted the impact of Birthright Israel’s programs and how the educational components of the trip have shifted since October 7th. Mission attendees interacted with hundreds of Birthright Israel participants from the 10-day trip, Onward, the Volunteer program, and Excel. They shared dismal stories about the antisemitism they’ve experienced on campus over the past nine months. Some of the stories were difficult to hear. Many of the participants we met with had never traveled to Israel before. Some of them had waited four years to go on this trip after having their initial trip canceled during COVID, and then they were waitlisted last year.

Our mission started with a geopolitical lecture with Yaakov Katz, an Israeli journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post. Following the lecture, the mission met with participants from the classic 10-day trips for a special Shecheyanu ceremony overlooking Jerusalem, followed by dinner honoring Birthright Israel Mifgash participants who have served since October 7th. We are fortunate that our donors were able to spend time with them.

Mount Herzl

Our mission toured Mount Herzl with Birthright Israel tour educators the next day. The donor experience at Mount Herzl highlighted the complexity of the educational components of Birthright Israel’s programs and how each element of the itinerary has been carefully evaluated since trips restarted in January. We then had a special Kabbalat Shabbat music program with participants from a Birthright Israel accessibility group.

A Birthright Israel Shabbat Experience

Shabbat began with singing and dancing in the Old City, followed by candle lighting at the Western Wall and Shabbat dinner with Birthright Israel participants. We spent time on Shabbat with seasoned Birthright Israel madricha Cat Korren for Israel reflections and meditations. A group of Birthright Israel Onward interns joined us for a conversation about being Jewish on campus, a timely and relevant topic for our college-age participants. Lynn Schusterman then hosted us at her home for a moderated discussion with Natan Sharansky and Professor Gil Troy. We concluded Shabbat with Seudat Shlishit and Havdalah programming with participants.

Bearing Witness

On Sunday, the mission participants had an emotional day in Southern Israel. They visited Kibbutz Be’eri to meet survivors and witness the destruction of October 7th firsthand, then traveled to the site of the Nova Music Festival. We had lunch with Birthright Israel Onward volunteers and then had the opportunity to volunteer alongside them, cleaning kohlrabi and sweet potatoes. The day concluded at Palmachim Air Force base, where we met and had dinner with IDF soldiers.

On Monday, the mission visited the Schneider Children’s Hospital to meet with the doctors who treated the children hostages who were released in November. Mindy Schneider spoke about Birthright Israel’s partnership with the hospital. The mission departed for Tel Aviv for a visit to Hostage Square, then met up with Birthright Israel Excel Fellows for roundtable discussions on Judaism, entrepreneurship, and the start-up nation. The day concluded with the attendance of Birthright Israel’s Am Yisrael Chai Unity and Solidarity event with classic Birthright Israel, Birthright Israel Onward, and Birthright Israel Excel participants from around the world. It was an emotional and inspirational evening.

The last day of the mission was spent with Professor Len Saxe of Brandeis University, who has rigorously evaluated the program’s impact since its inception. Len spoke about the importance of Birthright Israel at this present moment in the context of what we have learned from 24 years of systemic research. The mission concluded with inspirational words from Dr. Zohar Raviv, Vice President of Educational Strategy for Birthright Israel. We know that our donors walked away from the mission feeling educated, inspired, and deeply connected to our work.

Photos from Our 2024 Mission

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