Birthright Israel Foundation Blog

Katie Spector is originally from Northeast Ohio and lives in Cincinnati today. She is the Director of Engagement at the Hillel at Miami University in Ohio. She's passionate about providing Jewish students a place to find their Jewish identity and creating spaces where all Jewish students are welcome. When she isn't working, she is either crocheting, reading a book, or… Read More 

Homeland, miracle, and start-up nation. As a kid growing up in New Jersey, these were the words used to describe Israel — by both my parents and my teachers in Hebrew School. After visiting Israel for my brother’s Bar Mitzvah, I thought I understood the importance of the Promised Land as the safest place in the world for the Jewish… Read More 

For nearly 20 years, Birthright Israel has partnered with the Gift of Life Marrow Registry, encouraging the young Jews who participate in trips to Israel to register and potentially help those with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood-related diseases. The groups recently hit a milestone: 100,000 who have offered to serve as donors. The 100,000th is 20-year-old Mitch Linefsky of Fairlawn,… Read More 

Birthright Israel is a gift that kindles a spark of shared cultural identity in the hearts of Jewish students, fostering a sense of community that transcends borders and lasts a lifetime. This invigorating experience empowers Jewish youth to explore the profound significance of their cultural identity and gain a newfound appreciation for their Jewish heritage. Through this journey, students can… Read More 

I’d like to share with you how a Birthright Israel trip transformed my life. I grew up in Queens, raised by a single mother. We had Passover seders and lit candles on Hannukah but not much else. When I was ten years old, she told me I’d start going to Hebrew school at the local Reform synagogue. I had a… Read More 

Scott Friedman is a Birthright Israel alum of the classic 10-day trip who is one of our most generous alum supporters. On a family trip to Israel with his wife Kara and children, Scott remembered the impact of his Birthright Israel trip and wanted to ensure young Jewish adults today receive the same experience he did. His gift to Birthright… Read More 

A year ago, I would have never expected to be writing this blog post here in Israel to discuss the immensely positive impact Birthright Israel has had upon my Jewish identity. My story is unconventional, to say the least, but I feel profoundly fortunate to have ended up where I am today — and that Birthright Israel has left an… Read More 

Where I grew up, there was a church on every street corner, and the nearest synagogue was 30 minutes away. Israel felt like a country too far away for me to reach and full of people who I didn’t think were anything like me. I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA, in an interfaith family and spent the… Read More 

I thought this blog post would be a lot easier to write. Now, what makes it hard isn't my inability to share my experiences but my inability to not publish a novel about these experiences. If you had asked me just a year ago today that I was writing MY STORY from MY Birthright Israel trip, I probably would have… Read More 

Growing up, I remember being told I was Jewish and celebrated the holidays with my family but nothing else. I didn’t go to Hebrew school, nor did I have a Bar Mitzvah like my brother did. I knew I was Jewish, but I would always make the joke that I was “Jew-ish” and didn’t know much more about Judaism or… Read More 

My journey with this organization started way before my Birthright Israel trip. As a Persian Jew growing up in Beverly Hills, I was raised Jewish and surrounded by a Jewish community. For all my life, my parents had instilled a Jewish value system in me, but I didn't really know what my true Jewish identity meant — I had never… Read More