The Birthright Israel program, which provides free first-time trips to Israel for young adults, may be in danger of folding.
Last April, Israel’s Cabinet narrowly averted cutting the Israeli government’s subsidy for the program. This past June, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that participation in Israel programs generally has declined because of the intifada.
“The prospect of falling enrollment could threaten Birthright, whose future funding is not assured,” wrote Rachel Pomerance for JTA on June 18.
Nevertheless, Birthright Israel trips are still taking place and are still proving to be invigorating experiences for the young participants. Recent high school graduates Don Karsh of Glendale and Max Jacobson of Bayside both returned from a Birthright trip this summer with glowing words.
“Beautiful, just beautiful. I had the shivers,” said Karsh.
The trip began June 23, and when the group returned the United States on July 3, the two participants felt changed.
“I never thought I would feel as connected as I did to the people and the land,” said Karsh. “When you leave, you have a sense that [Israel] is your Jewish home.” In fact, during the interview Karsh accidentally referred to Israel as his home several times.
Jacobson felt equally amazed. “You’re there in your homeland, and you just have this feeling that you belong. It feels right to be there.”
On its Web site, Birthright Israel defines itself as “a unique partnership between the people of Israel through their government, local Jewish communities (through the United Jewish Communities, Keren Hayesod and The Jewish Agency for Israel), and leading Jewish philanthropists.”
Birthright provides Jewish men and women, ages 18 to 26, with a free trip to Israel, as long as it is their first organized peer-group trip.
Participants can enroll through a number of organizations. Karsh and Jacobson heard of the trip through the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and elected to travel with an Israel-based group named Oranim.
The ten days of the trip were packed with activities and “There were a lot of awesome parts,” said Karsh. Even so, “kayaking on the Jordan River and water hiking were my favorites.” Jacobson also was particularly fond of the water hiking expedition.
Another highlight for both was staying in Bedouin tents in the Negev desert, where they were treated to an achafla, an enormous feast, of which Karsh said “I had the best pita and zatar ever there.”
The group with which Karsh and Jacobson traveled comprised 27 people from all over the United States. After flying into Tel Aviv, the group spent time in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Beersheva and the Golan, and participated in the fun and important rites of climbing Masada and floating in the Dead Sea. The nights (in the cities) were spent freely, mostly at nightclubs.
They also stayed at a kibbutz in Golan, which was exciting for both travelers. “I really like the idea of community style living,” said Jacobson.
Karsh and Jacobson also were impressed with the people they met. “It’s great to just mingle with Israelis,” said Karsh.
Jacobson, in addition to his new perspective on being Jewish, came back with a girlfriend, fellow traveler Hope Silverstein of Michigan. The “new environment and Jewish connectedness” made people feel in touch with each other, Jacobson said.
Karsh said “there was a little fear on my parents’ part” about his participation, but he never felt concerned about his safety. A solider accompanied the group at all times; and a group of six soldiers, roughly the same age as Jacobson and Karsh, spent significant time with the group.
“I felt safer in Israel than I do in downtown Milwaukee,” said Karsh.
Jacobson will attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this fall, but plans to return to Israel to join the Marva program, an Israeli military training initiative. Karsh will attend UW-Madison, but also desires to return to Israel as much as possible.
Loading ...