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Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

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Alums Trip Highlights

August 11, 2021

Meet Boston Birthright Israel Alumna Allegra Hortsmann

by Birthright Israel Foundation

Allegra Horstmann is a 25-year-old professional living in Marion, Massachusetts, whose Birthright Israel trip ignited a career in the Jewish nonprofit world. After her Birthright Israel trip, she desired to pursue her passions and move to Israel, where she volunteered with at-risk youth. Shortly after her volunteer program was finished she decided to become an Israeli citizen. Today, Allegra Horstmann...

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Advice from Birthright Israel Alumni to Future Participants
Alums Trip Highlights

August 3, 2021

Advice from Birthright Israel Alumni to Future Participants

by Birthright Israel Foundation

Birthright Israel Foundation is proud to have given the gift of Birthright Israel to 800,000-plus young Jews. More so, each year we work with nearly 40,000 donors to ensure more young Jews can visit Israel. We understand the importance of this life-changing educational experience and so do our alumni. This is why we can't wait to share with you advice,...

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Stories of Connection to Our Favorite Jewish Traditions
Alums Trip Highlights

July 21, 2021

Stories of Connection to Our Favorite Jewish Traditions

by Birthright Israel Foundation

“Tradition!” Loveable milkman Tevye belts out his famous song in the Tony-winning Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof, vocalizing the traditional family roles of shtetl Jews in Czarist Russia. Our people’s connection to tradition dates back to long before the 1964 show and the time period it depicts. Our rich cultural heritage has been passed down since Abraham, generation after...

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Jewish Art, Fashion, and Food: Exploring Israeli Influences
Alums Trip Highlights

July 19, 2021

Jewish Art, Fashion, and Food: Exploring Israeli Influences

by Birthright Israel Foundation

While Jewish Americans and Israelis are kindred spirits, you were likely in for a culture shock the first time you visited the holy land. Americans, for instance, tend to sugarcoat things. Israelis tell it like it is. As one Birthright Israel trip provider puts it, “If you want the hard truth (or even if you don’t), Israelis are more than...

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For These US Jews of Color, Encountering Israel’s Diversity Was an Eye-Opening and Affirming Experience
Alums Trip Highlights

July 15, 2021

For These US Jews of Color, Encountering Israel’s Diversity Was an Eye-Opening and Affirming Experience

by Michele Chabin

JERUSALEM – Arel Moodie, the son of a white Jewish mother and a Black father, experienced a core identity struggle through most of his teenage years. "It was one of the biggest pieces of turmoil in my adolescence," said Moodie, who was raised in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn and attended Jewish camps every summer. "I asked myself, 'Who...

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Staying Connected with Jewish Friends Long After a Birthright Israel Trip
Alums Trip Highlights

July 15, 2021

Staying Connected with Jewish Friends Long After a Birthright Israel Trip

by Birthright Israel Foundation

While everyone’s a bundle of nerves about meeting new people and making Jewish friends before their Birthright Israel trip, the fear quickly melts away when they instantly connect with their group. The 40 or so Jewish young adults from throughout the Diaspora and Israel grow as close as family as they embrace their homeland and heritage on this life-changing trip....

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Meet Former IDF Paratrooper and Birthright Israel Alumnus Aaron
Alums Trip Highlights

June 29, 2021

Meet Former IDF Paratrooper and Birthright Israel Alumnus Aaron

by Birthright Israel Foundation

2017 Birthright Israel alumnus Aaron from Massachusetts, always knew he wanted to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and took advantage of the trip to further his desire to defend Israel and the Jewish people. Aaron returned home after Birthright Israel to finish his degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering before returning to Israel. In Israel, he became a...

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Video: Meet the Israelis Who Make Birthright Israel a Life-Changing Experience
Trip Highlights

June 24, 2021

Video: Meet the Israelis Who Make Birthright Israel a Life-Changing Experience

by Birthright Israel Foundation

This summer, Birthright Israel is back and Israelis everywhere are saying Bruchim Habaim: "Welcome Home." As trips resume after a pause due to the pandemic, young Jews in the Diaspora are not the only ones ready for the journey — Israelis are too! They play a crucial role in the Birthright Israel experience, from El Al flight attendant Ortal, to...

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