University students from Jewish lineage have the chance to expand their cultural horizons through the birthright israel program, which offers free, 10-day trips to Israel, the Jewish holy land.
Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Rabbi Michael Melchior addressed 18 college newspaper reporters from across the United States about what Jewish young adults can learn from the birthright israel program in a conference call Wednesday.
“Students have a birth right to be connected with Israel,” he said. “Birthright israel has changed lives and given more insight and feeling on what being a part of the birthright community means.”
The program, now in its third year, is aimed at connecting young adults of Jewish heritage with their culture free of charge. The $210 million in funding for the trips is provided through a three-way equal partnership of the government of Israel, united Jewish communities and prominent philanthropists awarding this gift of more than 28,000 trips in the past two years.
The program’s goal is to send 100,000 Jewish young adults to Israel by the time it reaches its five-year mark.
Although the trip is essentially free, a $250 deposit is required.
Those eligible for the program are 18- to 26-year-olds who never have visited Israel on a group trip, birthright israel spokesman Joe Wagner said. Applicants then need to fill out the online application and be interviewed. In 1999 alone, there were 25,000 applicants, and birthright israel representatives have been aggressive in visiting campuses nationwide to recruit new participants.
Birthright israel offers more than 20 different trips to choose from, but all have a common thread — an emphasis on culture. Every tour group spends a “Shabbat,” the Jewish holy day in Jerusalem. There is also a “Mifgash” exchange with Israeli peers to compare lifestyles and a rally and party at the Jerusalem convention center, Wagner said.
Safety is a priority on the trip, Melchior said. Participants travel in groups of 40 on private buses and the one airline that the organization considers safer than other commercial lines. Trip itineraries and travel routes are also modified annually to meet the safety situations. In addition, each group is accompanied by guards.
Senior Geordie Vanderbosch traveled to Israel with the program last spring. He said while the trip was enjoyable, it was also educational. Vanderbosch said he applied because of his interest in travel and international politics.
“The trip is half vacation and half learning,” he said.
His said his experiences in the birthright israel program led him to join a Jewish fraternity and become more involved with the Jewish community at the University when he returned.
Not only does birthright israel influence individual lives, it is also important for the maintenance of a rich Jewish heritage, Oregon Hillel student life coordinator June Sedarbaum Harris said.
“If culture is going to survive, we need to educate, or the culture will start to diminish,” she said. “There are a lot of students with no Jewish connections. This opens up a whole world to them of old and new cultures,” she said.