Taglit Birthright Israel Program

Jewish Students Participate in Free 10-Day Educational Trips

Sep 7, 2008 Naomi Rockler-Gladen

The Taglit Birthright Israel Program sends young people to Israel to learn more about their Jewish identity. Here's more about them, and how you can participate

Are you a Jewish college student who would like to know more about your identity and visit Israel? If so, you're not alone-- and there's an organization called Taglit Birthright Israel that wants to help you out.

The Birthright Israel Program

Founded in 2000, Birthright Israel has sent over 190,000 Jewish people between the ages of 18-26 on 10-day long trips to Israel. These young people have come from over 50 different countries, and about 70 percent of them come from the United States. Many of the program participants are college students, and Birthright works with Jewish campus organizations like Hillel and Chabad to get the word out to students about this opportunity.

Birthright trips are almost entirely free, and cover round trip airfare from selected cities, hotel, transportation, costs related to educational trips throughout Israel, and most meals. Participants are responsible for a refundable deposit ($250 in the U.S., $300 in Canada). To pay for these trips, Birthright receives funding for the trips through private donors, Jewish organizations worldwide, and the Israeli government.

Eligibility for the Birthright Program

To be eligible for the Birthright Program, participants:

must be between the ages of 18-26
must be out of high school
cannot have traveled before to Israel on a similar type of educational trip
cannot have lived in Israel past the age of 12
must be Jewish, which means that either one of the participant's parents is Jewish (and the students does not practice another religion) or that the participant is an active part of the Jewish community or a recognized denomination of Judaism

Participants in the program come from all Jewish denominations, and range from the strongly devout to those who have little experience with the religious and cultural aspects of Jewish life.

The Birthright Trips and Birthright Trip Organizers

Birthright trips are coordinated through Trip Organizers, who are institutions and organizations who have been approved by Birthright to organize trips. The trips vary a bit according to who organizes them. Most trips are geared towards people who don't have a great deal of knowledge about Judaism and Israel, but some are geared towards people who are more observant. Participants choose a trip organizer and apply specifically to an organizer's group.

All trips participate in similar activities that include Israeli tours and extensive time spend with Israeli peers, including students and soldiers. The trips include educational visits to important Jewish sites such as the Wailing Wall, the Old City of Jerusalem, and Masada.

The Purpose of Birthright Israel

Why offer free trips to young Jews to Israel? Birthright hopes to strengthen people's identification with Judaism and to create a stronger Jewish community worldwide. They also want to foster connections between Israeli Jews and Jews from Diaspora (a term that refers to countries outside of Israel). With only about 14 million Jews remaining in the world, the Jewish community has genuine fears about extinction, so there's a sense of urgency about keeping Jewish traditions alive and teaching them to a new generation.

If you are interested in Taglit Birthright Israel, call 1-888-99-ISRAEL, or stop by the Taglit Birthright Israel website.

The copyright of the article Taglit Birthright Israel Program in Campus Life is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish Taglit Birthright Israel Program in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Masada, an Important Stop on the Birthright Trip	The Wailing Wall	The Tower of David in the Old City of Jerusalem
Modern Life at Hebrew University in Jerusalem