Birthright Israel

Taglit-Birthright Israel
Formation1999; 25 years ago (1999)
PurposeJewish heritage trip
HeadquartersUnited States
President and CEO
Israel Tapoohi
Chair, Executive Committee
Philip de Toledo
Budget
$46.9 million (2011)
Websitebirthrightisrael.com

Taglit-Birthright Israel (Hebrew: תגלית), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a free ten-day heritage trip to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adults of Jewish heritage between the ages of 18 and 26.[1][2][3] The program is sponsored by the Birthright Israel Foundation, whose donors subsidize participation.

Taglit is the Hebrew word for 'discovery'. During their trip, participants, most of whom are visiting Israel for the first time, are encouraged to discover new meaning in their personal Jewish identity and connection to Jewish history and culture.[4]

Between the program's first trip in 1999 and 2024, more than 850,000[5] young Jews from 68 countries in the Jewish diaspora have participated in Birthright Israel.[6] It is the largest educational tourism organization in the world.[7]

Participation in Birthright Israel has been called a rite of passage for young Jews.[4][8] Pew Research estimated that by 2020, around 20% of American Jews ages 18–46 had participated in Birthright.[9] Birthright has been called the most influential organization in relations between Israel and the Jewish diaspora.[10]

  1. ^ Lapin, Andrew (2022-03-08). "Seeking to spur college student travel, Birthright Israel to lower its age limit back to 26". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  2. ^ "Birthright Israel | A Free Trip to Israel | Taglit – Birthright Israel".
  3. ^ Abramson, Yehonatan (2019). "Securing the diasporic 'self' by travelling abroad: Taglit-Birthright and ontological security". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 45 (4): 656–673. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2017.1409176. ISSN 1369-183X. S2CID 149232197.
  4. ^ a b Getz, Philip (Fall 2011). "The Birthright Challenge". Jewish Review of Books. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  5. ^ "FAQ | Taglit - Birthright Israel". www.birthrightisrael.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  6. ^ Zieve, Tamara (December 28, 2017). "Jewish group pumps $1m. into Birthright to boost participation of Russian-speakers". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Birthright celebrates 800,000 participants since it began". Jerusalem Post. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  8. ^ Stockman, Farah (2019-06-11). "Birthright Trips, a Rite of Passage for Many Jews, Are Now a Target of Protests". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-04-26. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  9. ^ Saxe, Leonard (2022-12-02). "The Reach and Impact of Birthright Israel: What We Can Learn from Pew's "Jewish Americans in 2020"". Contemporary Jewry. 43 (2): 321–341. doi:10.1007/s12397-022-09467-6. S2CID 254219231.
  10. ^ "Taglit-Birthright 'most influential organization' in Diaspora-Israel relations". Israel Hayom. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 13 August 2023.