April 12, 2022
Ellen Voskoboynik was born in the United States to former Soviet immigrants. Her parents, who fled the former Soviet Union as refugees, raised her to have a strong respect for her Jewish heritage. Ellen participated in Birthright Israel through the Indiana University Hillel, where she became a Bat Mitzvah on the trip. Ellen is now a practicing emergency room nurse...
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April 11, 2022
I went on Birthright after my second year of college in May 2019. Like many Birthright Israel trips, my journey started at the airport. My dad and stepmom dropped me off at the airport. Margot, my stepmom, wanted to come with me to the airport so she could see a Birthright Israel trip up close. After two goodbyes and many...
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April 6, 2022
Shani Levi is a recent Birthright Israel alumna from Johannesburg, South Africa. After her Birthright Israel trip, she went on to study midrasha in Jerusalem, Israel. Shani loves getting involved in her community and helping people — something her trip further inspired her to do. In our interview below, read how her trip impacted her life. Q&A with Shani Levi...
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April 1, 2022
The Birthright Israel experience is very different for an Israeli young adult than our American counterparts. When I was asked to join a Birthright Israel group in Tel Aviv for three days, I said, "of course, it's a free vacation." Most of all, I was excited to have time off from the army. I was very excited about this "free...
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March 29, 2022
Levi Snow and Megan McKee do not have the traditional Birthright Israel love story. Before their trip in 2014, the two had already been dating and met through the Indiana University Hillel. Their journey helped solidify their love for her each other. They both signed up for Birthright Israel at the beginning of their relationship, not knowing what the future...
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March 23, 2022
The Birthright Israel love story of Melissa and Alex Block was beshert from the beginning. Their story unknowingly began when Melissa volunteered to lead an LA-based trip in 2008, and Alex's plans of going on Birthright Israel with his cousin fell through. For Melissa, she was not initially leading the trip Alex was on. At the time, only a limited...
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March 22, 2022
I was incredibly fortunate to go on a Birthright Israel trip in July 2021 when Israel opened its borders during the pandemic. I was eager to have this experience and am grateful to share more about it with you. Growing up, I was raised in a home that was a mix of reform, conservative and orthodox, from my parents and...
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March 15, 2022
While I was in high school in the summer of 2012, I took my first trip to Israel with BBYO, the Jewish youth movement I was involved in. I was thrilled to be spending three weeks on a trip to Israel, but part of me was also a little sad — I knew that by going on this trip, I...
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March 1, 2022
Going on Birthright Israel in the middle of a pandemic in the winter seemed like an intimidating trip. Although my trip was canceled and rescheduled many times due to COVID, the excitement of participating never left me. Once in Israel, I knew I was in for a fantastic jam-packed 10-day adventure. I could speak to many aspects of what Birthright...
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February 24, 2022
Ricki Spielman is a Birthright Israel alumna and 2018 madricha (trip staff) from Aventura, FL. After her trip, Ricki wanted to give back and help her peers take advantage of this gift. As a nurse practitioner, she used her skills to help those with disabilities have the same meaningful Birthright Israel experience. Ricki's Birthright Israel Experience What inspired you to...
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