Birthright Israel
Taglit-Birthright Israel (also Birthright Israel or Birthright) is a Jewish Israeli registered charity that sponsors free 10-day heritage trips to Israel. Birthright Israel's goals are to diminish the division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world and to strengthen participants' personal Jewish identity and connection to Jewish history and culture. As of spring 2009, over 200,000 individuals (over 22,000 each year), from 52 different countries have participated since the trips began in the winter of 2000, and 70% of trip participants came from the United States. From 2007, annual capacity was increased to 37,000 participants a year.[1][2]
Taglit is the Hebrew word for discovery. A trip to Israel with Taglit-Birthright Israel is a discovery of the country, and participant's birthright.
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History
Initiated by the former Justice Minister of Israel Dr.Yossi Beilin in 1994, the Birthright Israel program was founded in 2000 in cooperation with Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt as well as the Israeli government, private philanthropists, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Jewish communities around the world, the Birthright Israel program has invested over $400 million on educational trips to Israel. Top educators, historians and tourism professionals were recruited to plan the program, for which demand is very high. Registration is conducted online and each round there are thousands more applicants than spots.
Tours are held in the winter and summer, and bring in some NIS 1 billion to the Israeli tourist industry. Over 250,000 young people from 52 countries have visited Israel through the Birthright program. On the business side, this has generated tourism revenues of NIS 1.5 billion for services such as hotels, food, security, guides, entrance fees, buses and flights.[1]
Eligibility
Eligible individuals are those who have at least one parent of recognized Jewish descent and who do not actively practice another religion, between the ages 18 to 26, post high-school, who have neither traveled to Israel before on a peer educational trip or study program nor have lived in Israel past the age of 12.[3] As of August 2009 persons who turn 27 before December 1 are not eligible for trips during the next year. Only if you turn 27 after December 1 can you participate in the next year of trips.
A Taglit-Birthright Israel trip includes airfare from major cities, hotels, most meals, all transportation within Israel, and costs associated with touring the country for the ten-day trip. A $250 USD deposit is required ($250 in Canada); the deposit is refunded upon return from the trip. Airfare or transportation from a participant's home to the gateway city is not included, although the trips depart from multiple cities.
Trip organizers
Trips are organized by different organizations and companies accredited by Taglit-Birthright Israel, which sets the logistical, educational and security standards. All groups are led by licensed Israeli tour guides, all groups are accompanied by an armed security guard and include visits to the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, as well as other sites determined by Taglit-Birthright Israel. Tours may vary according to age group and the religious background of the participants. Trips may be geared for graduate students, undergraduates at a particular university (who may sign up through Hillel or Chabad), participants from a particular city, Orthodox Jews, Reform Jews, hiking enthusiasts, pluralistic enthusiasts and so on.
Itinerary
Trips are generally ten days long, and often include a so-called Mega Event, which involves speeches by dignitaries, ambassadors, musical performances, and the coming together of all participants currently in Israel, from all trip organizers. Another feature of the tours is a 5-10 day mifgash (encounter), with Israeli peers, especially soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces who join the touring. The purpose for the mifgash is for the participants and the soldiers to get to know each other and to better understand each other's world view and identity. One component of the mifgash is a discussion session, which aims to explore such topics as, What does it mean to be Jewish in a modern world? How does Jewish life in Israel differ from Jewish life abroad? What do Israeli Jewish young people have in common with their Diaspora peers, and what sets them apart? How does mandatory military service impact Israeli young people's perceptions of service and commitment to their country?, amongst others. This encounter with the soldiers aims to give participants the chance to get to know Israel through the eyes of Israelis approximately the same age.[4] Over 30,000 Israelis (including IDF soldiers) have taken part in the program since 2000.[1]
The itineraries include visits to historical, religious and cultural heritage sites around the country, including in Jerusalem, the Negev, and the Dead Sea. Required sites include the Western Wall.[5] Most trips also include Tel Aviv and the Galilee.[1] The trips are not meant to be an exhaustive tour of Israel but a primer or introduction. The program participants are encouraged to extend their stay in Israel or return again on their own.
Security measures
Birthright has policies in place during the trip that it claims "ensure a comprehensive safety umbrella"[6]
- The program does not travel to the West Bank, Gaza, or East Jerusalem other than the Jewish quarter of the old City
- Participants in each group remain together at all times and follow a set schedule of activities
- Participants do not leave the groups to travel, explore or visit with Israelis on their own during the ten-day trip
- Public transportation is not allowed at any time
- At least one highly-trained, armed escort will accompany each group throughout the entire trip
Funding
Taglit-Birthright Israel receives half of all its funding from the Government of Israel. Other sponsors include North American Jewish Federations through the United Jewish Communities (UJC), Keren Hayesod, and The Jewish Agency for Israel; and many leading private philanthropists through the Birthright Israel Foundation, including Charles Bronfman, Michael Steinhardt and Lynn Schusterman.[1] Steinhardt describes himself as an atheist, and said he supports Taglit because he wants to pass along Judaism's humanistic values.[7] The program also receives funding from the German government (from the Claims Conference).[8]
In 2007, Miriam and Sheldon Adelson pledged $25 million to Birthright Israel to take applicants off waiting lists and to increase annual capacity from 25,000 to 37,000 in 2007 and 2008.[1][9]
Criticism
The Birthright Israel program has been criticized by some former participants as well as other members of the American Jewish community for the following reasons:
- Political screening of participants: Birthright Israel does have a pre-trip screening process to determine the eligibility of an applicant. As Salon.com has reported a candidate's political opinions may be taken into account: "Potential candidates who are discovered to have a 'hidden agenda' are not allowed onto the [Birthright] trips."[10] However, what constitutes a "hidden agenda" has not been made clear by Birthright organizers, nor does the article document this process.
- Political balance of group leaders: since each trip is organized and run differently, the discussion of political issues is left to the discretion of the trip organizer. However, the larger Birthright organization believes in Zionism. Numerous articles[11][12] have documented that according to some former participants, the trips lacked discussion concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict, and did not encourage political discussions:
She [former Participant Susan] didn't like the tour leader expressing his view as universal truth while leaving out facts that supported the Palestinian side...her attempts to redress the pro-Israel slant were not welcome. Group discussions were zealously facilitated and stuck to a narrow script that excluded any conversations about how participants felt about Israeli policy, and does not encourage political discussion.[10]
Birthright's director of marketing, Gidi Mark, responded to these criticisms: "I don't think it's political for Jews to support Israel. It should be an integral part of every Jew's identity."[10]
Organizations such as Birthright Unplugged have formed as a response to what they see as a one-sided approach to the conflict. Birthright Unplugged's goal is to expose people to Palestinian society and its political realities by taking groups to Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps. While the trip is designed for North American Jews, it is open to people of all backgrounds.[13]
Diverting money from other programs
Several articles have accused Birthright of reducing enrollments in post-high school Israel trips,[14][15] as well as diverting money from Torah education[16] and Jewish social programs.[15] Marilyn Henry in the Jerusalem Post states, "While philanthropists want the local communities to kick in more for the [Birthright] program, [Jewish] federations seem tapped out. Like Bergen County, they have more demands than Birthright...Put more starkly: Do we feed the elderly in our own communities or pay for students to visit Israel?"[15]
Similar trips
Trips with similar goals[17] include Birthright Armenia[18] for the Armenian diaspora, Irish Way for the Irish diaspora,[19] and Birthright Greece for the Greek Diaspora.
See also
- Israel
- Israeli government
- Diaspora politics
- Diaspora politics in the United States
- Birthright Greece
References
- ^ a b c d e f Record number of students to take part in Birthright Israel this year - Haaretz - Israel News
- ^ Richest US Jew pledges USD 25 million to Taglit - birthright israel - Israel News, Ynetnews
- ^ Taglit-Birthright Israel: Frequently Asked Questions
- ^ Sample Itinerary
- ^ Taglit-Birthright Israel How to Choose a Trip Organizer?
- ^ Safety and Security Update
- ^ Jewish Marriage Tied to Israel Trip, by Jennifer Levitz, Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2009
- ^ Birthright IsraelBirthright Israel:About Us
- ^ Richest US Jew pledges USD 25 million to Taglit - birthright israel - Israel News, Ynetnews
- ^ a b c Come, See Palestine
- ^ Does Birthright deliver?
- ^ Birthright participant turns pro-Palestinian activist
- ^ Birthright Unplugged
- ^ Birthright Israel Builds a Solid Foundation
- ^ a b c Metro Views: Birthright israel's collateral damage
- ^ Birthright's quick fix can't sustain Jewry like the Torah
- ^ Birthright Israel, Meet Birthright Armenia
- ^ Birthright Armenia - Journey of self-discovery
- ^ Irish Way
External links
- Birthright Israel
- Kelner, Shaul, Leonard Saxe, et al. Making Meaning: Participants’ Experience of Birthright Israel (Waltham, MA : Brandeis University, Nov. 2000)
- The Birthright Israel Program: Present and Possible Future Impacts - Interview with Leonard Saxe at the Institute for Global Jewish Affairs
- Avi Herring discusses the merits of Birthright Israel in The Current, a Columbia University journal
- Jordan C. Hirsch investigates how Birthright has affected the American Jewish community in Presentense.
- MASA Israel Journey This is a follow up program for birthright Israel alumni and is a long-term Israel experience
- Research on Taglit-Birthright Israel
- Taglit visit to Ein Hod artists' Village June 4 2010
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Lynn Schusterman. First person interview conducted on September 14, 2010 with Lynn Schusterman. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.
- Israel in Touch Taglit Birthright Israel trip
