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January 7, 2000/29 Tevet 5760, Vol. 52, No.18
Birthright Israel forges critical Jewish ties
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
Sophia Miriam Rothman may take her first trip to Israel in 2020 - for free. Born Dec. 18, 1999, to my sister and brother-in-law, Sophie (her nickname) and thousands of her Jewish peers may get this opportunity courtesy of Birthright Israel, a 2-year-old worldwide initiative to provide a first Israel experience for every Jewish young person ages 15-26.
In fact, 40 Arizona college-aged youth went to Israel last month to participate in the first-ever round of Birthright Israel's programs, with the trip organized locally by the Israel Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. Another 20 or so left on Jan. 2 on a Birthright Israel trip organized by the national Hillel. And federation Executive Vice President Art Paikowsky estimates an additional 75 Jewish high school students will travel to Israel in 2000, funded in part by Birthright Israel. Overall, Birthright Israel hopes to send 4,000-5,000 youth to Israel this year.
Birthright Israel was founded by philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt to spark revitalized interest in Jewish life. Statistics bear out their belief that there is a connection between an Israel experience and reinvigorated Jewish ties; studies have shown that Jewish youth who visit the Jewish state during their formative years are more likely than others to develop and retain Jewish communal ties. Bronfman and Steinhardt believe in this concept so strongly that each put up $15 million to get Birthright off the ground, then approached other big donors and then local Jewish communities and the Israeli government for assistance. Their goal? Raise enough to make a first trip to Israel a "birthright" for every Jew. They're well on their way, helped by a $75 million commitment from Israel's government and millions more from Jewish communities worldwide.
Cost for the 40 lucky Arizonans who flew to Israel last month courtesy of Birthright is the $200 round-trip airfare to Newark, N.J. (I say lucky because their names were selected from a lottery of at least twice the number of slots available.) By now, they've visited Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Galilee, Golan Heights, the Dead Sea and Masada. Plus, each will have spent a weekend hosted by an Israeli family with a young adult their age. According to Paikowsky, who helped organize this trip and spent time with the group in Israel, it's a "serious itinerary" designed to help participants experience the "melting pot of what Israel is all about" and to provide a "critical ingredient in enhancing their Jewish identity."
I remember first visiting Israel. I was 21, a college junior, and studying in London. I spent part of my spring break in Israel. I'll never forget celebrating Passover with an Orthodox family in Mea Shearim, walking along the beach in Tel Aviv, or gazing across the border to Lebanon and to Syria. Without a doubt, this unforgettable experience helped me better appreciate what it meant to be a Jew - and strengthened my Jewish cultural and religious underpinnings. I discovered I felt more comfortable in Israel than in England. I felt a connection with the land and the people that I've never experienced elsewhere.
Birthright Israel aims to give this same experience to every young Jew, regardless of affiliation, nationality or need. The hope is that such trips will help our youth "discover their past, and begin building their Jewish future." The organizers of Birthright Israel call their program a gift. But it's really an investment. An investment from which we - and all the Sophies of this world - will benefit.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to mlatz@negot.com.
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