June 23, 2026
It was January of 2004, and I was nineteen years old, rolling my luggage out of Ben Gurion Airport for the first time. Something tumbled off the top. A young Israeli security guard bent down to pick it up. Our eyes locked, and the bells rang — at least for me. I looked at him and said, with all the...
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June 16, 2026
The Long Island Jewish community gathered on June 11 for an evening of celebration, inspiration, and commitment to the Jewish future. The event was held to honor Jon Held, whose advocacy, leadership, and philanthropic investments have helped send thousands of young people on Birthright Israel trips. National Board Member and event co-chair Scott Jaffee opened the program alongside Long Island...
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June 11, 2026
I'm from Miami, and a biochemistry pre-med student at the University of Florida. My dream is to become a cardiovascular surgeon. My parents are Orthodox and Sephardic, so I grew up passionate about our traditions and customs. I had been hearing about Birthright Israel my whole life. My friends and I had been talking about it since we were in...
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June 11, 2026
I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, and a junior at the University of Florida. I attended Jewish day school through eighth grade, where we learned in both Hebrew and English. That's where I got my first real sense of Jewish identity. But at a public high school, that faded into the background. In college, I joined a Jewish fraternity. My new friends...
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June 11, 2026
I almost didn't go on Birthright Israel. My best friend, who isn't Jewish, told me flat out: “I support you and I love you, but I don't want you to go. I’m scared. I would rather you be home for winter break.” Hearing her say that really made me second-guess myself. Am I doing something stupid? Am I going to...
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June 11, 2026
Hello! First and foremost, I would like to thank the Birthright Israel Foundation donors for providing me the opportunity to travel to Israel. It was the experience of a lifetime, shared with Jewish people from around the world, and one that I will be forever grateful for. My name is Jason Eichner and I am a 26-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio....
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June 11, 2026
I think my words from our closing session, where our group looked back on our Birthright trip and said some emotional goodbyes, might be the best place to start in reflecting on the experience: “I had the opportunity to come to Israel once before [with my Jewish Day School class], and when we had to leave, I was very sad,...
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May 28, 2026
Because of my family ties, Israel always held a special place in my life. My mother is Israeli, and much of her family still lives in Israel, so I grew up hearing stories about the country and feeling connected to it from a young age. I was raised Jewish by the most amazing parents anyone could ask for, and I...
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May 27, 2026
Birthright Israel Foundation President and CEO Elias Saratovsky made an exciting appearance on CNBC this week, making the case for why firsthand experience in Israel matters more than ever. In a lively, candid conversation, Elias shared that more than 50,000 young people have traveled to Israel since October 7 — a powerful testament to the pent-up demand and deep curiosity...
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May 15, 2026
On May 6th, Jane and Amir Gold in Miami hosted a special gathering in celebration of Birthright Israel Storytellers. Jane Gold, Miami's Cabinet Co-Chair, opened by sharing what drove her to this work: her son at Penn wrote a heartbreaking article about Jewish students leaving their Star of David necklaces on their bedside tables, unable to wear them on campus....
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