Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

I met a group of strangers at the airport, boarded the plane, and felt apprehensive and uncomfortable about my first trip abroad. Birthright Israel would also be the first time I would be in an environment where I did not speak the native language, which would become a source of discomfort in the first couple of days. I did, however,… Read More 

San Diego resident Kira Finkenberg understands the value of Jewish continuity and has dedicated most of her adult life to serving the NexGen community, holding board positions for five major Jewish organizations. Therefore, when she received a call asking if she’d be interested in staffing a Birthright Israel trip, it was only natural for Kira to say, “How soon do… Read More 

Can you name one of the primary founders of state of Israel? What is tzedakah? Would you consider yourself a Gal Gadot superfan? As you answer the questions, we hope you are reminded of the wonderful heritage, history and culture young Jewish adults can discover on a journey with Birthright Israel! Take our quiz below to see if your knowledge of… Read More 

I am typically more of a guarded person when I encounter people new to me. When I was given the opportunity to participate in Birthright Israel as an Israeli (Mifgash participant), I jumped at it. As a child, I was always interested to learn what was happening in the United States. My uncle lived there for a time and he… Read More 

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 lives… Read More 

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,… Read More 

When alumnus Neil St. Clair first entered the workforce, his family encouraged him to hide his Jewish identity, “suggesting that if I want to succeed, I should not display my Judaism.” He didn’t identify publicly as a Jewish person for the first time until he was in his 30s. Married, with his second child on the way, he decided to… Read More 

“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… Read More 

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… Read More 

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… Read More 

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. … Read More