jewish trip to israel free

Israel For Free? Here's How to Do Birthright

It feels great to turn your hard-earned points into travel. But you know what feels even better? Traveling for free.

Every year thousands of young Jewish people do just that through the Birthright Israel Foundation , a nonprofit with a mission to connect Jews to Israel. This popular trip is a favorite on college campuses, where students can partake in a once-in-a-lifetime experience — for free!

Wondering how to hop on board? Here's a one-stop guide to all things Birthright, from what to expect to how you can apply, plus a few exclusive pointers from several Points Guy team members who have taken the trip themselves.

What Is Birthright?

Birthright Israel is a nonprofit foundation that sends up to 40,000 young Jewish people to Israel every year for free. While the program's stated goal is to help Jewish youth explore their identity and build stronger ties to Israel, it doesn't have a religious agenda and accepts Jews of all denominations.

Who Can Go?

Going on a Birthright trip is pretty straightforward: Almost any Jewish non-resident from the US between the ages of 18 and 26 is eligible — check out Birthright Israel's FAQ section for more info. If you do qualify, you'll hop on a summer or winter trip and head out to explore the land on your air-conditioned coach bus chock-full of guides and new friends.

Should I Go With Friends?

A Birthright trip is what you make of it, and whether or not you know anyone else on the trip beforehand could have a huge impact on your time there. TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig went solo back in 2011, a decision he said helped him open his mind to new experiences and people, while TPG Social Media Editor, Samantha Rosen, says she cherished the chance to go on Birthright with some of her closest friends from college.

Which Trip Should I Choose?

10 different tour providers work with Birthright Israel to coordinate trips, and while all follow similar itineraries, each brings a different taste to the table. Hillel International sends you to the Holy Land with other kids from your college campus, while Mayanot, Ezra World and Israel Free Spirit all tend to attract many Orthodox Jews. Every trip has a "mifgash" (or meeting) in which Israeli soldiers tag along for a portion the tour, but Shorashim has soldiers stay on for all 10 days. This was a key piece for Rosen, who went on a Shorashim trip in the summer of 2013.

"The soldiers give you insight into what life is like in Israel, to give you a perspective and become your friends," Rosen said. "They become a part of the group."

Many providers also offer single gender, LGBTQ, culinary and other specialty trips as well. If you do some research into what you want from your trip and what's available, and it will pay off in delivering exactly what you want when you get there.

What You'll Do in Israel

Think of Birthright as your passport to Israel's hottest spots. You'll place a note in Jerusalem's Western Wall, hike to the top of the Masada mountaintop fortress and explore the lively seaside streets of Tel Aviv. You'll also take some time to reflect on Jewish history by visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center and Mount Herzl, Israel's national cemetery. In between, you and your new friends will get some time to explore on your own. Try plenty of street food to get a taste of the local flavor, but stay away from "Jerusalem mixed grill" if you're squeamish around mystery meats.

Can I Earn Miles on My Flight?

Honig traveled with Israel Outdoors in 2011, and like the points-hound he is, he managed to score some mileage out of his 5,500-mile flight. But it did take a bit of wrangling; though he didn't book the ticket himself, he was able earn miles by eventually adding his frequent flyer information to the Delta itinerary.

"It depends on how [the provider] books the tickets," Honig said. "Sometimes they have deep discounted group fares that aren't eligible for mileage accrual." While Honig's experience may be a fluke, there's no harm in trying.

Have you ever been on a Birthright Israel trip? Tell us about your experience, below.

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Birthright is resuming its free trips to Israel for the first time since Oct. 7

( JTA ) — Birthright Israel on Tuesday announced that it would resume its free, 10-day educational trips to Israel in January after suspending them amid the ongoing war with Hamas.

Around 350 participants, students and young adults primarily from the United States, are expected to travel to Israel beginning the week of Jan. 5, 2024, the organization said in a statement.

The 350 participants are a small fraction of the 23,000 Birthright had planned to send to Israel this year. Still, the resumption of the programs is a powerful symbol of a potential return to normalcy for Israel, which has been in war mode since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7. Even as Israeli leaders say they are unwilling to put an end date on their military operations in Gaza, universities are gearing up to reopen Dec. 31 and on Monday, the government raised limits on gathering sizes , citing reduced concerns about rocket attacks.

The decision to resume Birthright trips was made after “careful consideration and conversations” with the group’s local partners in Israel, the group’s statement said, and will “operate under strict safety and security standards” set by the Israel Defense Forces’ Homefront Command.

Birthright CEO Gidi Mark said that while the trips will continue to prioritize the organization’s goals of “positive Jewish identity building,” they will also incorporate a focus on the Hamas attack and its impact on Israeli society and Jewish communities around the world.

“Everything is different post-Oct. 7 from an educational perspective. The people of Israel are different and the young adults arriving to Israel are different,” Mark told JTA. “We are preparing the educational teams to deal with broad discussions and an open dialogue. We believe that participants will come to explore and learn about what happened and what is occurring now, and also share about the reality back home and the rise of antisemitism.”

Travel to and from Israel has been limited to Israeli carriers since Oct. 7, and the war has taken a steep toll on tourism .

Last month, Birthright announced the launch of volunteer programs in Israel after it canceled its regular scheduled trips for December amid security concerns. More than 3,300 of its alumni had applied to volunteer in kibbutzes and other Israeli communities “to harvest crops in the absence of the thousands of foreign field workers,” the organization said in a statement at the time.

Even with the resumption of its regular programs, the two-week volunteer trips – which are exclusively for Birthright alumni – would continue in tandem, Mark told JTA.

“Naturally, alumni of January classic trips will be able to extend their stay in Israel, for an additional two-week volunteering experience,” he added.

Birthright Israel has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999. The organization had previously canceled trips only once before, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing financial woes, it has scaled in the years since.

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Birthright Israel FAQs

What is harvard’s hillel’s birthright israel trip.

Israel is a dynamic country, known for both its beauty and its complexity. The Harvard Hillel Birthright trip pushes Jewish students to engage, think, ask questions, and expore an Israel of th multiple truths that hold these charactaristics together. The Birthright trip is a FREE ten-day journey during which students will travel throughout Israel alongside a handful of Israeli peers. The group is led by a member of the Harvard Hillel staff alongside a licensed tour guide in Israel. From the old city of Jerusalem to the mountains of the north to the nightlife of Tel Aviv to the desert in the south, our students have the opportunity to experience the many faces and places that make Israel what it is. Harvard Hillel is committed to a pluralistic Jewish experience and reaches out to American youth who are unaffiliated and from all Jewish denominations and to Israelis of all backgrounds.

Please direct all questions to Lauren Cohen Fisher .

It sounds too good to be true. Is the trip really free?

Yes, the trip is free. There are really no catches other than the following:

A $250 deposit will secure your space on the program and will be fully refunded upon your return. Your deposit will also be returned if you withdraw your application before the date set forth in the waiver agreement (generally about 30 days before departure). Please note: students doing both Birthright and Trekstension will not receive their deposit back.
Participants are responsible for travel to and from the departure gateway.
Participants are responsible for one independent meal daily during the course of the program.

What does the gift cover?

It includes round-trip airfare to Israel from a departure city in the U.S., accommodations in hotels and guest houses, two meals a day, ground transportation, entrance fees to all sites on the itinerary and the services of qualified staff and educators.

When are the departure dates?

Our Winter Birthright Israel and Trekstension trip will depart on January 3, 2019 and return January 20, 2019. If these dates don't work for you, but you are interested in joining Harvard in Israel, please reach out to Lauren Cohen Fisher about our Summer 2019 trip.

What is the deadline for Registration?

Registration for all Birthright Israel trips opens soon, but you are able to pre-register now by clicking here (just fill out the Google form). Registration will close when trips are full, so sign up ASAP!

I have been to Israel before. Am I eligible?

If you have been to Israel only with your family or for work, you are still eligible in most cases. Even if you've traveled on a peer group program before you turned 18, you may be eligible. If you have any questions about your eligibility, contact Lauren Cohen Fisher before you begin the application process. You can also learn more about eligibility at the Absolutely Israel website.

Is it safe to travel in Israel?

Safety and security of participants is the top priority for Harvard Hillel, Israel Experts, and Birthright Israel. While participants are in Israel, bus itineraries are reviewed daily with Israeli authorities to ensure maximum safety, and changes are made if necessary. You can read for about our safety and security policy or contact Lauren Cohen Fisher with any questions.

Do I need a passport?

Yes, you must have a valid passport. Israeli law requires that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond the return date from Israel. If you are a U.S. citizen and you have a valid passport as defined above, you will not need a visa to enter Israel. If you live in the U.S. but are not a U.S. citizen you may need a visa for travel, depending on your country of origin. Contact the closest Israeli consulate and find out what the requirements are. Our office can help you with any documentation that you may need.

Can we visit family or friends on the trip?

Though you are never allowed to leave the group at any time, you can have friends or family in Israel visit you during the trip. On many nights there is free time at the hotel for guests to come visit. There is also often free time on Shabbat for family and friends to visit.

Can I extend my trip in Israel?

Yes. For a small fee, trips can be extended for up to six months. Harvard Hillel also offers a four-day "Treskstension" following Birthright, which explores Israel through a geopolitical and cultural lens. You can view images and quotes from the January 2017 Trekstension here . Please contact Lauren Cohen Fisher for more information.

How many people are on the trip? How many to a room?

Your Harvard Hillel trip will have 40 students. Depending on the location, there are 2–3 participants per room. Each participant always has his/her own bed. Rooms are always divided by gender. Most nights you’ll be in hotels or guest houses, with the exception being one night in a Bedouin camp. Eight Israeli participants will join you for half of the trip. A tour guide, Israeli guard/medic (or two) and two madrichim (trip leaders) will lead you around Israel!

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Jewish National Fund-USA is currently running much-needed volunteer missions in Israel for variety of ages and groups, from teens to adults. JNF-USA Volunteer in Israel Missions are your opportunity to build Israel now and make a difference for the future.

Spend 4 meaningful days with us providing hands-on support to our beloved friends from communities across the Israel Envelope and the Galilee. When you help a community move back, watch a child walk into their school, dance with an IDF soldier, see the gratitude in a farmer’s eyes, you will never be the same. You will be part of history. First there was Herzl. Then there was Ben-Gurion. Now, there’s you . Make history. Volunteer in Israel.

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About Jewish National Fund-USA's Travel & Tours

Jewish National Fund-USA is currently running volunteer missions in Israel. Additional tours have been postponed to late 2024 and early 2025. We look forward to returning home; visiting our communities in the Negev and Galilee, meeting the special people that make Israel the incredible land it is, and taking a behind-the-scenes look of how vision comes to life with Jewish National Fund-USA's work on the ground.

Discover the magnificence of southern Israel and the Negev, take in breathtaking views of the Galilee, experience the rich culture and multi-layered history of the old city of Jerusalem, visit the iconic neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, enjoy authentic cuisine, but most importantly, make memories that will last a lifetime. Start your adventure by exploring Israel’s iconic sites including the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv's sunny beaches, Masada's grand views, and more. From there, take the path less traveled to explore Israel’s north and south. Travel to southern Israel with us; get glimpses of blooming fields in the Negev desert, taste delicious local fruits and vegetables, and meet the farmers who are making innovative agri-tech advancements. Get to know the people who have made new lives all across the region, and see how we inspire the transformation of the sand dunes into vibrant communities. Northern Israel brings with it a change of scenery. Travel through the lush green mountains, experience local wineries, enjoy an authentic kibbutz experience, and connect with local artisans, businesses, and entrepreneurs who make the region into a thriving community. Join us on our exclusive, curated, high-end tours that will take you off the beaten path. Find the trip that's right for you. We've got your backstage pass to Israel.

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Travel to Israel

For Jewish travelers, a visit to Israel can and should be more than a typical tourist encounter with a foreign people, culture, and place

By Rabbi Peretz Rodman

Approximately 3 million people visit Israel each year. Some are Christians who come to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. An increasing number come to do business. Others come to have a good time in a country that offers scuba diving at the Red Sea, dipping in the healing waters of the Dead Sea, or wind surfing on the Mediterranean. The largest segment of visitors, though, are Jews coming to Israel because they are Jews and Israel is the Jewish homeland.

Perhaps these Jewish visitors can be called pilgrims. If pilgrimages are made to sacred places, however, it is a strangely secularized sense of sacred space that draws Jews to visit not only Jerusalem but also Eilat.

They come to see not only the site of the Holy Temple and the ruins of ancient synagogues but also trendy shops and cafés, to meet not only Jews engaged in Torah study but also Jews who are diamond cutters, dairy farmers, and software tycoons.

For Jewish travelers, a visit to Israel can and should be more than a typical tourist encounter with a foreign people, culture, and place. With preparation, it can be a stimulating, life-changing encounter. How, then, do we plan for a more enriching trip to Israel than that offered by standard tour agencies, a trip suited to our desire to explore what Israel means to Jews?

Experiencing Modern Israel

Jewish visitors come to Israel out of a sense of identification. But with what? Are they coming to learn about the land and people of Israel, or what being Jewish means to them?

If the experience of modern Israel is what you want to learn about, then you will want to visit sites like Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, where the Zionist leadership declared Israel’s independence in 1948, or Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, where most of the state’s early political leaders are buried. You can visit the home and the burial site of David Ben Gurion in the stark emptiness of the Negev or see memorials to battles and to fallen soldiers, then meet today’s soldiers on military bases. You can visit the Knesset and the Supreme Court . You can learn about Israel’s minorities by visiting Druze villages and Bedouin encampments . Tour operators can facilitate this. You can experience the Jewish ambience of public spaces: city centers, outdoor markets, even shopping malls.

The key to making this a transformational experience is to ask the sort of questions that most tourists rarely ask. In the mall, consider “Is there something that makes this place distinctly Jewish?” The answers may vary: a stall selling kippot , the Hebrew on the signs, the presence of a synagogue tucked away in the back. Whatever you find, the search raises the issue of what cultural distinctiveness Israeli and Diaspora Jews share. On such a trip, one can come to feel and understand the experience of Jews living as a Jewish majority, speaking a Jewish language, and living by the rhythms of the Jewish calendar, in the same hills and valleys as their ancient ancestors. Lisa Grant of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion notes: “it has been demonstrated that Israel trips are successful in making American Jews feel more secure in themselves and more connected to the Jewish people.”

If you are planning this type of trip, look for travel providers who advertise that they do “educational travel” or provide “Israel education” experiences. These enterprises will have a person traveling with the group who is a “tour educator” or even “scholar-in-residence,” often alongside a licensed tour guide. Some education travel providers include: Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel, The Israel Studies Institute (ISI) , Oranim Educational Initiatives , Ramah Israel Programs , and Daat Travel Services .

Judaism, Israel and You

What if your goal is to use Israel as a venue to explore the spiritual side of Judaism? Lawrence A. Hoffman, also of HUC-JIR, wrote Israel: A Spiritual Travel Guide , to be “A Companion for the Modern Jewish Pilgrim.” In it, Hoffman offers 18 short readings to prepare for a trip to Israel, intended to be read over the three weeks before departure. “Your trip can be just another vacation,” he writes, “or it can be the journey of your life. To make it the latter, do it right… Put aside some sacrosanct time” for preparation.

For the trip itself, Hoffman gathers more texts: Psalms, poems, midrashim , and other readings to be read at many sites across the country He suggests prayers and blessings that can be used to enhance the experience of many types of sites: a place of battle, a place of hope, or seeing and hearing Hebrew all around you. Hoffman tries to help Jewish visitors connect–both before and during their visit–to the experience of prayer and thanksgiving. By using Jewish sources both ancient and modern, the book seeks to link the Israel experience to the practices and values of the religious life of Jews in the Diaspora.

Many Israel tour operators use Jewish texts, games, or discussions to make connections between visitors’ own Jewish identities and the land and people of Israel. As Steve Zerobnick of Jerusalem-based tour provider Israel Studies Institute puts it, an Israel trip should engage “the questions of how the story of Israel makes me feel about my own role in Jewish history, the Jewish world, Jewish politics, my community, and my family.” A visit to Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market, for example, would best be planned for a Friday. Zerobnick explains: “Watching the transformation of Jerusalem from the high-energy, crowded atmosphere of mid-day and early afternoon to the quiet right before Shabbat would be followed later by a discussion that asks: how do we translate that transformation into our Shabbat experience at home?”

Without making those sorts of connections during and after the experience, Zerobnick notes, even the greatest of transformational experiences can go sour. Not only is attention paid during the trip to processing these questions, but ISI even sends staff members abroad several months after a trip to encourage program participants to consider what they have done with their Israel experience in their own lives and the lives of their communities.

Journeys of the Spirit

It is possible to engage Israel at an even more personal level. Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, in “Israel as a Spiritual Journey”( Sh’ma ), observes that there is “a parallel between the travels of [the Jewish] people and our own soul’s journey,” and that an Israel trip is a chance to explore that parallel. “How, in fact, have our people reacted to change over the centuries? What can we learn from our people’s adaptive strategies that could help us cope with the jagged discontinuities in our own lives? Can the healing from a broken homeland be applied to a broken home?”

Why should Israel in particular be the site for such spiritual introspection? Because, even in the age of instant communication and widely affordable international travel, Israel is–or can be with sufficient planning and follow-up–a place that fosters dreams, a place that enables Jews to connect to their deepest aspirations for themselves and their people.

Free and Subsidized Educational Israel Trips

Birthright Israel offers a variety of free 10-day educational Israel tours for Jews age 18-26.

Honeymoon Israel offers subsidized Israel trips for newly married couples in which at least one partner is Jewish.

The Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project offers subsidized Israel trips for Jewish women who are not religiously observant and who have at least one child under the age of 18. Preference is given to women who have never visited Israel before.

Know of other free or subsidized trips? Please comment below or email us at [email protected] .

Peretz Rodman's journeys as a rabbi, educator, and writer take him frequently to North America, China, and other places, but Jerusalem is his physical, as well as spiritual, home. -->

Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

Pronunced: TORE-uh, Origin: Hebrew, the Five Books of Moses.

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Birthright is resuming its free trips to Israel…

Florida Jewish Journal Palm Beach Jewish News

Birthright is resuming its free trips to israel for the first time since oct. 7.

A group of Birthright Israel participants takes a selfie while touring the country on one of the group's free trips for young adults. Courtesy of Birthright

(JTA) Birthright Israel on December 18 announced that it would resume its free, 10-day educational trips to Israel in January after suspending them amid the ongoing war with Hamas.

Around 350 participants, students and young adults primarily from the United States, are expected to travel to Israel beginning the week of Jan. 5, 2024, the organization said in a statement.

Travel to and from Israel has been limited to Israeli carriers since Oct. 7, and the war has taken a steep toll on tourism.

Even with the resumption of its regular programs, the two-week volunteer trips – which are exclusively for Birthright alumni – would continue in tandem, Mark told JTA.

“Naturally, alumni of January classic trips will be able to extend their stay in Israel, for an additional two-week volunteering experience,” he added.

To read more content visit www.jta.org

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Prof. Shaul Kelner

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Tours That Bind — A Study of Birthright Israel

TOURS THAT BIND

Diaspora, pilgrimage and, israeli birthright tourism.

New York University Press, 2010

View on Amazon

Since 1999 hundreds of thousands of young American Jews have visited Israel on an all-expense-paid 10-day pilgrimage-tour known as Birthright Israel. The most elaborate of the state-supported homeland tours that are cropping up all over the world, the free trip to Israel tour seeks to foster in the American Jewish diaspora a lifelong attachment to the country based on ethnic and political solidarity. Over a half-billion dollars (and counting) has been spent cultivating this attachment, and despite the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict the tours are still going strong.

Based on over seven years of first-hand observation in Israel, sociologist Shaul Kelner provides an on-the-ground look at this hotly debated and widely emulated use of tourism to forge transnational ties. We ride the bus, attend speeches with the Prime Minister, hang out in the hotel bar, and get a fresh feel for young American Jewish identity and contemporary Israel. We see how tourism’s dynamism coupled with the vibrant human agency of the individual tourists inevitably complicate tour leaders’ efforts to rein tourism in and bring it under control. By looking at the broader meaning of tourism, Kelner brings to light the contradictions inherent in the tours and the ways that people understand their relationship to place both materially and symbolically.

Rich in detail, engagingly written, and sensitive to the complexities of modern travel and modern diaspora Jewishness, Tours that Bind offers a new way of thinking about tourism as a way through which people develop understandings of place, society, and self.

Winner, 2010 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award, Association for Jewish Studies

Honorable Mention, 2011 Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book, American Sociological Association Culture Section

âOne of the finest social scientific studies of contemporary Jewish life in a generation.â â Riv-Ellen Prell, author of Fighting to Become Americans: Jews, Gender and the Anxiety of Assimilation

âThe best book to date on diaspora tourism. A major contribution to the literature on tourism and Jewish studies.â â Edward M. Bruner, author of Culture on Tour: Ethnographies of Travel

âMasterfully performed…. an excellent book…. highly recommended.â âÂ American Journal of Sociology

âThe study that scholars of contemporary Judaism and American Jewish life have been waiting for…. A tremendous addition to the field.â âÂ Religious Studies Review

âMust reading for those who work on homeland/diaspora relations. Ditto for those who research tourism.â âÂ Contemporary Sociology

âA supreme example of how a case study can be successful….Kelner provides a refreshingly broader spectrum of comparison for Israel-experience tours.â âÂ Forward

âOriginal and persuasiveâ âÂ Society

âFascinating insights into one of the most daring and effective social experiments of the modern Jewish Diaspora.â âÂ The Jerusalem Post

Preview Tours That Bind on Google Books .

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Birthright Trips, a Rite of Passage for Many Jews, Are Now a Target of Protests

By Farah Stockman

June 11, 2019

Halfway through a 10-day tour in Israel, Risa Nagel had a decision to make.

The 25-year-old grant writer from Seattle had hiked the hills of Galilee and wandered the ancient market in Jerusalem. But then some of the friends she had just met told her they were planning to walk off the tour to visit a Palestinian family, an act of protest that was bound to cause pain and controversy.

“We will be able to see for ourselves what’s going on,” one of them told her. “Do you want to come?”

Ms. Nagel agonized. The next day, after the group held a moment of silence at the Western Wall, her friends announced that they were walking off. She followed them.

Over nearly two decades, a nonprofit organization called Birthright Israel has given nearly 700,000 young Jews an all-expense-paid trip to Israel, an effort to bolster a distinct Jewish identity and forge an emotional connection to Israel. The trips, which are partly funded by the Israeli government, have become a rite of passage for American Jews. Nearly 33,000 are set to travel this summer.

But over the past year, some Jewish activists have protested Birthright, saying the trips erase the experiences of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank. Activists have circulated petitions , staged sit-ins at Hillels on college campuses and blocked Birthright’s headquarters in New York. But no protests have generated more publicity and outrage than the walk-offs from a handful of Birthright trips.

Supporters of Birthright dismiss the protesters, calling them professional activists and publicity seekers whose views are out of step with the majority of American Jews. Others say that the function of the trip is not to educate participants about Palestinians. In a statement, Birthright said that demand for its trips was higher than ever, and that the trips grappled with Israel’s complex history in an apolitical manner.

“We do not shy away from open discussion of the geopolitical realities in Israel, including the conflict,” the statement said.

But the protests highlight growing unease among many young American Jews over Israel’s policies. They see Israeli leaders who have been drifting rightward and openly embracing the annexation of the West Bank , land on which Palestinians have long hoped to build their own state.

The Birthright protests also highlight a generational divide between Jews who grew up with the constant fear of Israel’s destruction, and younger people today who may be more likely to take Israel’s existence for granted, and who focus instead on the millions of Palestinians left stateless by the conflict.

Just 6 percent of American Jews over the age of 50 believe that the United States gives Israel too much support, according to research by Dov Waxman, a professor of political science, international affairs and Israel studies at Northeastern University. But that view is held by 25 percent of Jews aged 18 to 29, the cohort that goes on Birthright trips.

Many older Jewish Americans have long expressed unease about Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, but consider it anathema to openly protest the Jewish state.

Ms. Nagel, who grew up in Glen Cove, Long Island, had organized against climate change in college and for racial equity as an adult. But she had never been involved in any Israel-related protest before her Birthright trip.

Her Jewish upbringing included Hebrew school, a bat mitzvah, and a desire to go on Birthright.

“I was told, ‘This is your homeland. You have to go there,’” she said. She knew little about the conflict, she said, when she signed up for a “free 10-day vacation.”

On the group’s first night in Israel, one of the attendees, a law student named Rebecca Wasserman, asked if she could facilitate a discussion about Israel’s military control over the West Bank. The group’s Israeli guide agreed, and even shared some of his own deeply personal experiences as a former Israeli soldier.

Many welcomed the talk that first night, said Ben Fields, 26, a college counselor from Denver.

“It felt at first like it was a good-natured attempt to have these conversations,” Mr. Fields said. “Absolutely, these were things we should talk about.”

But as the trip wore on, Ms. Wasserman and three others kept bringing up the same points.

“They kept saying, ‘When are we going to hear from Palestinians?’” Mr. Fields recalled.

Mr. Fields did not know it at the time, but Ms. Wasserman and the other three had all been in contact with IfNotNow , a network of Jewish activists who want to end Jewish American support for the occupation.

One of IfNotNow’s founders, Yonah Lieberman, had helped lead a Birthright trip as an outside volunteer in 2013 and said he “saw a lot of lies” about Israel.

Activists cite the fact that one of President Trump’s biggest donors, Sheldon Adelson, has also given generously to Birthright, as a reason to be skeptical of the program.

Others question whether a program aimed at bringing Jews from the diaspora to one of the most contested regions in the world could ever be apolitical. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who counts settlers among his political base, routinely addresses Birthright events and urges participants to support Israel when they return to their home countries.

Last summer, IfNotNow encouraged activists to protest one-sided trips .

After Ms. Nagel and others walked off their trip — a departure the activists livestreamed and sent to the news media — they visited an Arab family facing eviction in East Jerusalem. They then traveled with Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli soldiers who oppose the occupation.

In Hebron, a populous West Bank city divided between Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers who occupy a small section under heavy military protection, Ms. Nagel walked down streets that Palestinians are barred from using, even if they own a home there. She saw the Star of David spray-painted on the wall, marking territory.

“Seeing the Jewish star being used in that way was so hard,” she said. “Judaism is about love and kindness.”

Birthright does not bring participants to meet with settlers or Palestinian political activists in the West Bank, citing security concerns and a desire for unbiased speakers.

“We encourage our tens of thousands of participants each year to challenge themselves by asking difficult questions,” Birthright said in a statement. “IfNotNow promotes a specific and highly partisan political viewpoint, which does not correspond with Birthright Israel’s nonpartisan commitment to open dialogue that allows participants to develop their own points of view.”

Jason Harris, the creator of “ Jew Oughta Know ,” a podcast on Jewish history, has led 14 Birthright trips. He said he tried hard to give an unvarnished picture of Israel’s complex history. He supports the inclusion of more Arab voices, but noted that doing so would be difficult.

“Are you going to get a Palestinian who thinks that Israel shouldn’t exist?” he said. “No matter which Palestinian you pick to come talk to a Birthright group, you’ll be told, ‘You didn’t pick the right one.’”

Eric Axelman, 29, a filmmaker who has interviewed dozens of people who have gone on Birthright trips for his upcoming film, “ Israelism ,” said that the closest that many came to interacting with Arabs was spending a night in a Bedouin tent or taking a camel ride. Some spent time at a Dead Sea resort without even realizing they were in the West Bank, he said.

Birthright has updated its curriculum in recent years to include more contact with Israeli Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of the population. When Birthright was first conceived in the 1990s by Yossi Beilin, an Israeli official who helped craft the Oslo peace process, few fretted about how to talk about a conflict they believed was on the verge of being solved, said Brian Lurie, a well-known rabbi who has spoken out against the occupation and has been involved in Birthright since its inception.

But as the conflict has dragged on, he said, Birthright has had to grapple with how to talk about it.

In 2016, Birthright added a mandatory two-hour lecture on geopolitics. Birthright also spent a year developing nearly two dozen new optional activities involving Israeli Arabs, including a visit to Givat Haviva , a center that fosters cooperation between Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations.

Those activities are currently available to Birthright tours, although only some tour operators use them. They have prompted complaints on the right from Jews who felt that Arab voices were unnecessary on a trip intended to bolster Jewish identity, as well as complaints on the left when Birthright paused them temporarily for fine-tuning.

Activists say the new programming doesn’t go far enough. In the fall, J Street U , a liberal Jewish organization with 60 affiliates on college campuses, circulated petitions asking Birthright to include at least one Palestinian speaker on the occupation. J Street U has also rolled out its own alternative free trip to Israel this summer, which will take students into the West Bank to meet Palestinians and Israeli settlers. Organizers say it is meant to serve as a model for how Birthright could change.

IfNotNow has called for a boycott of Birthright.

Mr. Lurie said he has spoken to both IfNotNow and J Street U about their protests.

“If your goal is to make Birthright better, I’m on your side,” he said he told them. “But if your goal is to destroy Birthright, I’m totally against you.”

Charles Bronfman, a co-founder of Birthright, said he understood the desire of young Jews to learn how Palestinians viewed the conflict. “I’m not going to say they don’t have a point,” he said. “But that is not Birthright’s job.”

“If they have something to teach us, let’s talk about it,” he said of J Street U’s efforts. “Maybe we have something to teach them.”

Almost a year has passed since Ms. Nagel’s Birthright trip.

Mr. Fields said those who claimed to have been surprised by the absence of Palestinian speakers were being disingenuous.

“We all know what we signed up for,” he wrote in an op-ed against the walk-offs published in Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli newspaper.

Nonetheless, Mr. Fields said the experience was “incredible,” and he returned from the trip feeling more Jewish, and more connected to other Jews. This year he hosted a Seder with work colleagues and attended high holiday services.

Ms. Nagel said the protests had prompted an important conversation that Jewish Americans needed to have. She said that she, too, had been attending more Jewish religious and social events since the trip.

“I’ve been to more Shabbats and Havdalahs,” she said, referring to the Jewish Sabbath and a ritual marking its end. “What’s different is that at our Shabbats and Havdalahs, we talk about racism, sexism and the occupation.”

What Is Birthright and Why Is It So Controversial?

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Passover 2024: Five hidden gems of Israel to experience on Hol Hamoed

This list unveils five gems, scattered across israel from north to south, offering unforgettable experiences for you and your family..

PARK ARIEL SHARON (photo credit: TALY SHARON)

The House of Colors – Daliat al-Carmel

THE NEOT Semadar Art Center in the Arava (credit: TALY SHARON)

The Coastal Park – Tel Aviv

Park ariel sharon – hiriya, dead sea bikes – ovnat, neot semadar art center.

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John Ondrasik met with hostage families, injured soldiers and first responders on his first trip to Israel this month

Five for Fighting performs in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on April 13, 2024.

Three months after Hamas launched its deadly terror attack in Israel, singer John Ondrasik, known by his stage name Five for Fighting, penned the song “OK,” a ballad paying tribute to Israeli resilience in the aftermath of Oct. 7.

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Ondrasik’s then-recently released “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” became the anthem for Americans reeling from the attacks, and to honor the first responders and victims of the deadliest terror attack on American soil. He would go on to perform the song at The Concert for New York City, held a month after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

Ondrasik made his first trip to Israel this month, where he met with hostage families, first responders and soldiers who were recovering from injuries sustained while fighting Hamas in Gaza. After playing at a jam session honoring hostage Evyatar David, a musician, Ondrasik was invited to perform at the weekly Saturday night rally in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the remaining 133 hostages. His performance came hours before missiles and drones launched by Iran entered Israeli airspace, setting the country on high alert in the first direct confrontation between Tehran and Jerusalem.

Ondrasik spoke to Jewish Insider about his five-day visit, meetings with Israelis and how the music he created more than two decades ago has taken on new meaning in light of his experiences in Israel.

Jewish Insider : This was your first time in Israel. What expectations did you have before coming here?

John Ondrasik: Well, I heard the food was great. (laughs)

JO: And that was proven very quickly. Obviously concerning why I was coming, I was anxious and interested about meeting with the hostage families, the troops, perhaps singing. So typically, I would be interested in touristy things, but there was so much to do here. We were so busy. I was really focused on doing whatever I can to support Israel and let them know in so many facets that there were artists and Americans who supported them and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them. But at the end, I never could have imagined how our trip ended.

JI: We’ll get there, don’t worry. But before we do, talk to me about some of the folks that you met while you were here. Who stuck out to you?

JO: You know, I met some really cool people we can talk about, but it was just the people on the streets that I met. At our first restaurant, the waitress sat down at our table and started talking to us and was so friendly. I’m like, you don’t see that in the United States. And just the difference, talking to 18-year-old girls who are in full army uniform carrying machine guns. That’s something I’ve never done before. But, of course, meeting [former Soviet refusenik] Natan Sharansky is kind of like meeting [Nelson] Mandela, right? [He’s] such a powerful figure, and just spending time with him. … I met one of the leaders of United Hatzalah, and to see what they’ve done and to go into the control room and see what they have built, it’s just another example of Israeli ingenuity that no one else in the world can do.

Of course, the hardest, the most heartbreaking, the most agonizing people I met were the hostage family members. And I actually ended up meeting with three different sets of hostage families, including on my last day, the mother and brother of [Evyatar David, the honoree of the] Thursday night jam session came to the Hostage Forum and I sat with them and talked to some people and there’s no words to explain that. Anything I say would be diminishing their suffering. And so that was, of course, excruciating, but I think it was helpful for them to be able to tell their stories and know that there are some people that are not Jewish and in America advocating for them. I think they were surprised, and I think that telling them how people reacted to my song, and now millions of people in America have now heard about the hostages, and every day were calling for their release. I think that gave them a little bit of solace. So that was probably the most important thing we did. Playing with the troops, that was amazing.

JI: You played with the troops?

JO: Oh, yeah, I went and visited some troops at Sheba [Medical Center]. Three of them had lost their legs. And so we sat there and jammed on guitar and they ended up giving me guitar lessons because they’re so much better than me. They tend to have a pretty more optimistic view. You know, they’re young, they’re teasing each other. They know that they’re gonna have a great life. I actually met with one American IDF soldier who came from Florida, seven or eight years ago. And we spoke a lot about his experience and going door to door instead of just razing buildings, trying to save lives even though his commander was killed and he got shot four times trying to save him. [It was interesting to] hear from their mouths why they have these values that no one in the world wants to talk about. So, meeting with the troops was great. And then meeting the hostage, the Hostage Family Forum and the people there that put together that thing literally overnight, and really took over the plight of the hostages. The government was way behind them and to see them every day have to deal with this horrible grief, they are heroes in their own right. So I just met amazing people and inspiring people and then I met some artists. I met Idan Raichel. We had a long talk about what’s going on and we have some projects possibly in the works. I met with Danny Sanderson. I met with Gilad Segev.

So I met with artists because we have these projects in the work that was really the main initial reason for my trip but then things got a lot bigger. I feel like I packed in a month of stuff in five days. I just wish I had more time. I would have stayed another week or two, but I have [shows in the U.S].

JI: So you performed on Saturday night at Hostage Square, literally as Iran was launching its missiles and drones at Israel. What was that like? They didn’t obviously come until hours and hours later, but they literally were sending them off while you were performing. What was that whole experience like?

JO: I have not processed it yet. But I’ll tell you this — I’ve never played a gig where before the show, they make an announcement of what to do during a missile attack and nobody leaves.

JI: Only in Israel.

JO: Only in Israel. I have learned so much about Israel. That alone was surreal. The only experience I can compare that performance with, for me, is when I played the concert for New York after 9/11. At that concert, looking out at the emergency workers, meeting the families, [performing at Hostage Square] was very similar to that, to walk on that stage, to be able to play “Superman,” knowing that was the 9/11 song, and here we are in the October 7 aftermath. To be able to speak to them and say my words, I was honored to do that. To perform “OK,” and to look at 5,000-10,000 people, many in the beginning holding signs of their loved ones, singing back to me — there’s no there’s no words for that. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also why music can matter in so many ways. To see them crying and singing reminded me of a guy that I saw at the concert for New York who was crying and singing “Superman” at the top of his lungs, and sometimes music provides solace like that and lets people know they’re not alone.

So many in Israel, every interview I did, first of all I said, ‘Where’s everybody else? Where are all the artists? Why is nobody speaking up for us?’ So be able to show them that no, they’re not crazy, they’re not alone, there are artists who understand that Israel is fighting the good fight, and that people recognize that. [Performing at Hostage Square was], probably with the concert in New York, the most significant, important thing I’ve ever done as a musician, and then to walk off stage, kind of with that mindset of ‘wow,’ to be greeted by all the hostage families and hug them and take pictures with them. And then be told that we have to be in our hotel 11, by a safe room because there’s gonna be a missile attack.

My Israeli friends were like, ‘Well, let’s just go get dinner first.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m going to the hotel!’ So we go to the hotel, they’re all drinking and eating dinner. It’s 10:30 and I go to my room and then they launched the missiles. Look, I had brought my son. And my wife was very reluctant to bring him, but she allowed him to come. And so I was scared. I was scared, especially when they launched the ballistic missiles. My wife is calling me crying, everybody from the States is reaching out. And so I was like everybody, I’m human. I had my bag packed for the safe room, we knew where it was, we were ready to go. I had my son with me and then we’re sitting there, then I actually connected with Fox News and ended up going on Fox News from Tel Aviv.

I’ve always wanted to do my best [Fox News reporter] Trey Yingst impersonation, so it’s 3 in the morning in Tel Aviv, I’m outside my window, things are kind of slowing down. And I’m on Fox News talking about it. And I thought it was going to be over, but then we saw that Jerusalem interceptions so like, wow, it’s still coming this way. And in the meantime, I’m trying to get a flight, which nobody could get flights [because] everybody’s panicking. But that was the most surreal, insane, important, inspiring 12 hours of my life and I’ll never forget it. I’ll never recover from it, but I’m so grateful. I’m still grateful at the end of the day that I was there. I was so grateful that I was there to experience that, to experience the people. And then the next day I went into the Mediterranean Sea and got stung by jellyfish.

JI: It’s early for that. You already got stung?

JO: I found out in Israel that the thing that is more dangerous than Iran is jellyfish.

JI: What is the main message that you want to communicate to your friends back home, to your neighbors, colleagues, to other people in the industry about your time here?

JO: I’m already doing it. I’ve gotten a lot of press inquiries, and I’m doing radio and television. And I like to tell people about the fortitude of Israeli people, but people know that. I like to tell them about the courage, the innovation of the Israeli people, but people know that. But what I really was moved by was in this dark time, in this horrible time in Israel, everybody finds a way to have joy within the fear. And that’s what I took from Israel with me. And I guess it makes sense because Jewish people have been dealing with this for millennia. But to see it firsthand and to see people dealing with these really hard things and, you know, the day that everybody says Iran’s going to attack, everybody’s at the beach and everybody’s playing volleyball and running, and living their lives and [having] dates at dinner. We could not get a seat at a restaurant on that Friday. I was just really moved by how Israelis live life and appreciate life. And I think that’s why they have joy. I guess they’re ranked fifth happiest in the world. And I understand it, because when you’re always at risk of being bombed or [being targeted by a] suicide bomber, you have a sense of, ‘I gotta live today. I’m gonna live today.’

I wrote a song called “100 Years,” which is all about that. I don’t think I ever really lived it, but seeing them, they lived that. I can’t wait to bring my wife back and my daughter, when things get a little safer, and let them share the experience, you know, go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and leave a prayer note and all that stuff. So that’s what I’m telling people and I’m also doing a lot of press here to keep the focus on the hostages and really try to be a strong voice for Israel as much as I can.

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As American Jews speak out on Israel, some see rifts in their communities

Leah Donnella

Xavier Lopez

Dalia Mortada

Christina Cala

B.A. Parker

Lori Lizarraga

Veralyn Williams

A woman stands in the rain at a Jewish mourning ceremony for the Palestinians and Israelis killed since October 7 and to protest Israeli government actions in Gaza.

In the wake of October 7, and the bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli government, many American Jews have found themselves questioning something that had long felt like a consensus: that Jewish safety requires unconditionally supporting the Israeli government and military. But in recent months it's become clear that that consensus does not exist — and probably hasn't for a long time. And as more and more Jews speak out against the actions of the Israeli government and military, it's exposing deep rifts within Jewish communities – including ones that are threatening to break friendships, families, and institutions apart.

In this episode, hear from some people experiencing that division first hand, and we dive deep into the long history of Jewish criticism of Israel with Marjorie Feld, professor of history at Babson College, and author of Threshold of Dissent, A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism .

Editor's note: In a previous audio version of this story, we incorrectly stated the age of one of our guests.

This episode was reported and hosted by Leah Donnella and co-hosted by Gene Demby. It was produced by Xavier Lopez and edited by Dalia Mortada.

Israeli government
american jews

'Heartwarming, heartbreaking': Palm Beach rabbis offer comfort and aid during Israel trip

During their three-day trip to Israel last week, four rabbis with Palm Beach Synagogue offered support, compassion and aid to those impacted by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks .

Rabbis Moshe Scheiner, Yosef Rice, Shneor Minsky and Leibel Shmotkin, along with congregant Yossi Dworcan and Scheiner's son, Uziel, who was in Israel during the attacks , visited with residents, soldiers and community leaders and delivered more than $200,000 in financial assistance to struggling families as part of a trip meant to show solidarity with the Israeli people.

More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel and thousands more were wounded in the attacks, Israeli officials said. Another 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas and remain in Gaza.

'She's my first-born': Mother of Israeli hostage seeks prayer, support in bringing her home

"When your family's in pain, you have to show up and give them a big hug," Moshe Scheiner told the Daily News . "We wanted to give them a collective big hug from the whole community."

The purpose of Palm Beach Synagogue's rabbinic trip was four-fold, Scheiner said.

The rabbis wanted to show support for those in Israel affected by the attacks; provide financial assistance to displaced families and those grieving the loss of loved ones; meet with students; and see first-hand the devastation caused by the attacks and how Israelis were responding to them.

"Obviously, we've been glued to the news and social media," Scheiner said. "But there's nothing like going and seeing with your own eyes."

The rabbis landed in Israel Oct. 30 and spent three days traveling to sites throughout the country, including military bases, a hospital, a school, a hostage center, and a hotel where evacuees from the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel were staying.

That part of the trip was particularly sobering, Scheiner said, as there were hundreds of displaced residents living there, including 200 children. Many were mourning the loss of loved ones in the attacks.

Sixty-two residents of the kibbutz were murdered in the Hamas attacks, Scheiner said, and another 18 were taken hostage.

"That community is decimated," Scheiner said. "They torched the homes, and there was blood everywhere. There was a pogrom there. The Israeli government took the whole community and put them in a hotel, in a place called the Shefayim. Every family is living in one room in a hotel. They're displaced. We went to visit them and talk to them."

The rabbis also spoke with members of ZAKA, a United Nations-recognized humanitarian volunteer organization that provides a rapid response to mass casualty disasters around the world.

In Israel, ZAKA has been working since Oct. 7 to identify those who were killed in the Hamas attacks and ensure a proper burial per Jewish law. Many who died remain unidentified as their bodies were burned beyond recognition, Scheiner said.

"Even dental records don't work, and ZAKA hasn't been able to get DNA," Scheiner said. "There are 150 people that are still not buried. It was the worst atrocities that some in ZAKA said they had ever seen."

As part of showing their support, the rabbis hosted barbecues for hundreds of soldiers in northern and southern Israel; visited with patients at Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv; shopped for cosmetics and beauty products to distribute to evacuees; met with students and staff at the Lev Shalom Center, which serves the special needs community in the Binyamin region of central Israel; and visited with volunteers at the Chamal Distribution Center in Jerusalem, which distributes supplies to those who need them.

They ended their trip with a visit to the Wailing Wall, a place of prayer and pilgrimage in Jerusalem that is sacred to the Jewish people.

"This was the most heartbreaking and the most heartwarming thing I've ever done in my life," Scheiner said of the trip. "It's the most heartbreaking because the pain is unreal, but heartwarming because of the outpouring of love and support. Everyone's caring for everyone."

Scheiner said he and his congregants plan to return to Israel as often as they can to continue providing support, both financial and emotional.

They also plan to "adopt" the community of Kfar Aza, and will raise funds to support its needs and encourage one-on-one relationships with residents for emotional support.

"We'll have family to family connections, where a family in Palm Beach will get to know a specific family in Israel," he said. "They'll call them to talk and let them know that people on the other side of the world care about them."

Uziel Scheiner offered his perspective on Israel and shared his experiences from his trip there in a "Let There Be Light" presentation Wednesday at the synagogue.

To register, visit www.palmbeachsynagogue.org/war-room .

During Shabbat services Friday night, Palm Beach Synagogue will set up empty tables with the names of Hamas hostages placed on empty seats and high chairs.

The synagogue also invites the community to celebrate Shabbat dinner for the hostages, Scheiner said. For information, visit palmbeachsynagogue.org/ or call 561-838-9002.

For those looking to contribute to relief efforts in Israel, donations are being accepted through Palm Beach Synagogue at www.palmbeachsynagogue.org/israel-donations and through the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's Humanitarian Relief Fund at https://jewishpb.org/israelfund .

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at [email protected] . Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

High School

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Travel to Israel

From short term trips to Israel to study abroad, the IEC supports Taglit-Birthright Israel Chicago Community trips run by Shorashim and connects college students and young adults to long term opportunities in Israel through Masa Israel Journey.

Taglit-Birthright Israel

In Chicago, the Jewish Federation sponsors Taglit-Birthright Israel Chicago Community trips run by Shorashim . The emphasis of these trips is on building a sense of community and an understanding of our Chicago Jewish community as well as mifgashim (in which Israelis students and young adults accompany their American counter parts on buses). The buses also visit our Partnership Together Region of Kiryat Gat, Lachish and Shafir for a volunteer activity.

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides the gift of first time, peer group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26. The founders created this program to send thousands of young Jewish adults from all over the world to Israel as a gift in order to diminish the growing division between Israel and the Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewish; and to strengthen participants' personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people. This program is based upon a partnership among international philanthropists, Jewish Federations in North America and Keren Hayesod, and the government of Israel.

There are trips for graduates/professionals and college students. Contact us at [email protected] .

Onward Israel

Start Up Your Future with Onward Israel! Develop your professional future and build your resume through a high-level internship side by side with Israeli peers. This Tel Aviv based internship program places you in a work environment based on your skills, interests and future plans. Intern four days a week while one day a week will be devoted to learning about and experiencing contemporary Israeli society. Outside of your placement, spend quality time with Israelis and explore Tel Aviv’s exciting nightlife, beaches and culture. Features include one weekend retreat in Chicago’s partnership region Kiryat Gat-Lachish-Shafir and one with Jewish students from across North America and the world. Space is limited. Financial aid application available upon request. Rolling admissions. Click Here to learn more and apply!

Interested in a great way to get back to Israel? Kefiada is JUF’s English-immersion, American style day camp in Kiryat Gat-Lachish-Shafir, Israel. There is no program cost, plus free room and board and $1200 flight stipends for all counselors. JUF has been connected to this region in Israel for over 20 years! Kefiada campers are 4 th -6 th graders and the counselors are college students from Chicago or go to school in Illinois. Kefiada serves as a bridge over the summer for Israeli students to retain the English that they have learned during the school year and expand on it. Plus, Kef means fun in Hebrew so there are theme days, color wars, arts and crafts, capture the flag and swimming…all in English. The counselors get to see Israel from a different angle, really become a part of Israeli life and help Israelis in a meaningful way. Applications, and FAQs, can be found at juf.org/kefiada .

MASA Israel Journey

Masa Israel Journey gives 18-to-30-year-old Jews life-changing experiences in Israel, connecting them to programs that meet their interests, offering scholarships, providing expertise, and supporting them throughout the entire process. Use the Masa Program Finder to discover the perfect program for you!

Israel Tech Challenge

Israel Tech Challenge is an expert-driven Israel experience connecting Jewish students and young professionals with tools and networks meant to enrich or launch their careers in the computer science industry. The project gives students the ability to learn from leading Israeli industry players and academics, combining inspiration and networking with actual hands-on cooperation on research and development projects.

Israel Experience College Student/Young Adult Scholarship Program

The Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation's Chicago Community Israel Program (CCIP) and Joseph A. Hochberg Scholarship Fund provide need-based scholarships for college students and young adults (up to 28 years old) who participate in an approved Israel Experience program. The purpose of these scholarships is to encourage the development of Jewish identity and to nourish greater commitment to Israel and the Chicago Jewish community.

"The IEC’s support has allowed me to present what I love most about Israel to my entire campus community."

— Israel Intern

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Highlights of personal stories and lives impacted by the opportunities offered through JUF's Israel Education Center. Read the Blog .

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John Fetterman, Fervent Israel Backer, Has Never Actually Been

By Pablo Manríquez

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Images of Hamas hostages wallpaper the front room of John Fetterman ’s office on Capitol Hill. Their faces peer down at two front desk staffers as protesters show up on a near-weekly basis, demanding explanations for the senator’s immutable support for Israel’s ongoing war against Gaza. Fetterman, of course, isn’t interested in hearing from them, so all his junior aides can offer are Peeps marshmallows manufactured in Pennsylvania and bottled water.

“The most important thing is we must stand with Israel and with Ukraine,” Fetterman told me in December, after the White House requested emergency foreign aid for the two nations as well as for Taiwan.

The Pennsylvania Democrat has made unconditional support for Israel a central pillar of his political identity since the October 7 Hamas massacre, in which 1,139 people were killed, and, in response, the Israeli Defense Forces invaded Gaza on October 27—kicking off an ongoing military campaign that has to date killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. However, none of the current or former Fetterman aides who spoke with Vanity Fair for this story could pinpoint exactly why the junior senator has remained unflinching in his views, despite calls from the left to stand down and waning support among young voters.

Fetterman has received $244,100 from pro-Israel groups over the years, according to data from OpenSecrets , while The Times of Israel has called him “far-and-away…the most vocally pro-Israel Democrat in the Senate since October 7.” But as much as he embraces the role, what’s even more curious is that, according to staffers, Fetterman has never actually visited Israel, one of the most common travel destinations for members of Congress on official business.

The process is “pretty easy,” according to Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has traveled to Israel for years on official Senate business. “You go to DOD,” he said, referring to the Department of Defense. “If anybody needs any help, they’ll be glad to help.” A Senate Armed Services Committee member told me there are essentially two ways lawmakers can travel to Israel—official “CODELs” (congressional member delegations) and visits sponsored by interest groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). According to this senator, Graham sometimes takes commercial flights to Israel accompanied by as few as a single military escort for security. For official travel, the senator said “a freshman like Fetterman” could go to Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer or any committee chair about joining a CODEL or a privately sponsored trip. Schumer wouldn’t say when asked what his members must do to visit Israel. “You’ll have to ask them,” he replied.

When I asked Fetterman in early April if he planned to visit Israel, he shot back, “I don’t know.” However, a source familiar with the congressman’s travel itinerary said he is scheduled to attend an AIPAC-sponsored trip in May. ( Marshall Wittmann, a spokesperson for AIPAC, declined to comment on the trip.)

Fetterman has likened the partisan brawling in the House to The Jerry Springer Show. He told me in late February that national credit defaults, government shutdowns, and failure to fund military allies should never be on the table in congressional negotiations. “It’s governance,” he said. “It’s not entertainment.” He considers himself a loyal Democrat, but has recently openly criticized his party’s leaders on their Israel policy. “In this war against Hamas—no conditions for Israel,” the senator posted to X on April 4, explicitly clapping back at President Joe Biden, who, during a call with Benjamin Netanyahu after an Israeli army airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, reportedly threatened to condition future military aid on addressing concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza. In March, Schumer, ostensibly Fetterman’s boss in the Senate, called for elections in Israel. At the time, Fetterman indicated to Jewish Insider that he mostly agreed with Schumer on Israel policy, but told Axios that calling for an election that would almost certainly oust Netanyahu from power was a bridge too far. “I would demand that there be no foreign influence on our elections, so I’m not in that,” he said.

One ex-aide said Fetterman’s “utter lack of any empathy for the Palestinians being slaughtered” made morale among his staffers plummet last year. By the end of March, four members of Fetterman’s communications team had quit, though not in tandem. “He loves attention and he loves Israel, so this is a perfect combination,” said another ex-staffer. At least three of the senator’s former press aides now work for employers who have been critical of Israel, which the senator has avoided doing, even as a growing chorus of global voices accuse the Israeli army of committing genocide in Gaza. Press aide Emma Mustion left to work for Senator Bob Casey, Pennsylvania’s senior senator who told voters last month that “Israel can do more” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, according to the Washington Examiner . Nick Gavio, Fetterman’s former deputy communications director, left for the Working Families Party, which runs an online tracker of members of Congress calling for a ceasefire, a position Fetterman has consistently opposed. According to Fetterman’s office, a fourth communications aide— Alana Guzman, the senator’s digital and creative director—also quit last month to go to grad school.

Then there’s Joe Calvello, who worked for three years as Fetterman’s communications chief before leaving in March to work as chief strategy officer for Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson. “Calling for peace is not vengeance. Calling for peace is righteousness,” Johnson said at an Eid al-Fitr event with Chicago-area Muslims, where he was presented with an award for casting the tie-breaking vote to pass a ceasefire resolution through the city council. Gavio and Calvello worked on Bernie Sanders ’s 2020 presidential run before joining Fetterman’s campaign in 2021. Calvello was Fetterman’s first staff hire in the Senate after the then lieutenant governor beat Republican television grifter Mehmet Oz in a nail-biter election for Republican Pat Toomey ’s seat, giving Senate Democrats a one-seat majority. In the year after Fetterman was sworn in on January 3, 2023, Calvello and chief of staff Adam Jentleson, formerly a senior aide to ex-Senate majority leader Harry Reid, were fixtures alongside Fetterman on Capitol Hill. They kept the public abreast of his recovery when Fetterman was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for chronic depression following the stroke he suffered on the campaign trail, and pushed back against institutional naysayers when Fetterman bucked Senate tradition by wearing hoodies and gym shorts to work around the Capitol complex.

But then, in January 2024, Fetterman abruptly ditched the entourage of aides who had accompanied him through the halls of his first year in the Senate, an unusual move for any member of Congress, but particularly one who is so vocal and recognizable. Carrie Adams, a former public policy staffer at Meta who has worked for Schumer and former House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi , replaced Calvello as Fetterman's communications chief in April. And the self-described “ogre” has since roamed the tunnels alone.

Pablo Manríquez

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This Passover, Jews will pray, 'Let my people go' as hostages remain captive in Gaza

Israel and the jewish people want to live in peace, but peace requires a partner, one who doesn’t seek to deny your right to exist and who openly calls for your annihilation and destruction..

Rabbi Mark Schiftan is the rabbi emeritus at the Temple.

On Monday night, Jews, throughout the world will participate in the most ancient communal celebration we have in the nearly 6,000 year-old history of our people: the quest for freedom, the celebration of our liberation from bondage, our release from Egyptian captivity, and the fulfillment our divine promise of being led to our promised land.

For Jews this is a celebration focused on our painful past, but which also steers our gaze toward the hope of the future. We are to place ourselves in that moment, on that journey, as if we ourselves taste the bitterness of captivity and the sweetness of being set free.

Passover is the earliest recorded holiday among all of humankind that is dedicated to the importance of human freedom. While the story is uniquely our own, it holds true as our aspiration for all peoples. Our particular prayer on this Passover is still that aspiration for our freedom, for our right to live, as the Jewish people in the Jewish homeland, is also respected as a fundamental right, in a neighborhood of others who are already have enjoyed their freedoms for centuries.

Another view: Six months after Oct. 7, Israel craves peace and return of the hostages from Hamas

A Seder reminds us that all suffering peoples deserve not to be hungry

At the Passover Seder table, the youngest child will begin by looking around the table at the comfort in which we enjoy our meal. He or she will ask questions about why this experience is so unique among the history of our people: to sit in comfort, to recline in the security of freedom, these have been rare moments in the Jewish past.

Then we will issue the invitation for all who are hungry to come and eat. We take this invitation , this commandment most seriously, and we are grateful that the Palestinian population of Gaza is now getting increased supplies of food, food supplies that can now be guaranteed to reach their in to reach their intended target, now that Hamas no longer is able to steal most of the food intended to relieve the hunger and suffering.

We hope the hostages are being fed as well, but we do not know.

Further along in the narration of our story and our march toward freedom we will remind ourselves twice of the suffering of our enemies and the need to maintain our humanity. Then participants at the Passover Seder will remove 10 drops of wine, from their wine cups, a symbolic reminder that our joy is lessoned even by the suffering brought upon our enemies in our quest for safety and security later on we will be on the loss of life of the those who saw to pursue us in our march toward freedom, in our journey to the land of Israel.

Over and over again, we remind ourselves that in the face of inhumanity, we are challenged and commanded to maintain human decency and human dignity.

Can we say the same of those being held in captivity today by Hamas, the men, women, children, the young, the old, Holocaust survivors among them, as hostages, hundreds of them for more than six months now?

Much like their ancestors, the hostages of Hamas deserve their freedom

We have seen image after troubling image of innocent Palestinians, who have suffered under a brutal Hamas regime, and who have unfortunately suffered, even more, as Israel has tried to defend itself, against an enemy that ties itself and its weapons of war in schools, in masks, in hospitals, in civilian houses, and even right under the headquarters of United Nations relief agency.

What we have not seen, of course , at all, are the images of those hostages held underground day after day separated from their families, their loved ones, their communities, their people. Where are those images, those photos, and videos that highlight their suffering? They remain unseen, but among those hostages who have been released, the stories of their terror and their torture have been well told and well documented.

Ultimately, Jews will recite the same words that have been recited at every Seder gathering for centuries, words of hope in the determination of a God and of the Jewish people, words from the book of Exodus that are familiar to each and everyone of us:

“... then the Lord said to Moses: Go to Pharoah, and tell him: thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: let my people go, that they may serve me. (Ex 8:1)

Let my people go!

Those words echo still within us:

Let my people go.

Let the hostages go.

Let them be set them free.

Let them return to their homes, to their loved ones. Let them live, in peace, at last, in the land promised to them as an everlasting inheritance.

Is it too much to ask?

How we end the Seder is so meaningful today

At the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus said: Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Maybe so. But Jesus was a Jew, and a proud Jew at that. Were he living in Israel in our day, he might be a hostage of Hamas right now…or worse.

Israel and the Jewish people want to live in peace. They echo the aspirations of Jesus in that regard. But peace requires a partner, one who doesn’t seek to deny your right to exist and who openly calls for your annihilation and destruction.

We end every Passover Seder with the words “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

Well, we are back. We have returned. And we are not going anywhere.

University of Michigan students set up tent encampment, demand divestment from Israel

About 8:30 p.m. Monday night, the Islamic call to prayer echoed through a speaker across the Diag, the center of campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Arabic words recited by observant Muslims reverberated off the historic academic buildings as Palestinian flags tied to flagpoles fluttered in the wind.

"Allahu Akbar," God is the greatest, a leader said as Muslims lined up near him, facing the direction of Mecca. "La ilaha illallah," There is no god but God. A few rows of men soon filed behind him and a row of women stood behind them as they performed at sunset the Maghrib prayer. In front read banners that said: "No $ For Genocide" and "Fund Our Education, Not the Occupation."

The scene at the heart of Michigan's largest university was part of the first day of an encampment of students calling for the university to divest from Israel over its military actions that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. About 25 tents were spotted by the Free Press on Monday night in the square in front of Hatcher Graduate Library. There were eight Palestinian flags flying from poles and a tree branch around the square with various banners and signs bearing messages in support of Palestinians. Two large banners read: "Encampment For Gaza! Divest Now!" and "Long Live The Intifada (uprising)." One banner strung up between branches on a tree read: "Liberated Zone."

A Michigan official warned the protesters they don't have the right to disrupt university activities.

The encampment copied a similar encampment last week on lawns at Columbia University in New York City that led to police arresting more than 100 students, according to media reports and the Columbia Daily Spectator , a student newspaper staffed by undergraduates. The Columbia clash led to similar protests erupting at Yale, MIT and now the University of Michigan.

The protest on Monday was organized by the Tahrir Coalition, reported student paper The Michigan Daily. The group has been organizing demonstrations on campus in support of Palestinians in recent months, including one last month that shut down an annual honors ceremony. A message sent to the Tahrir Coalition was not returned Monday. The group wants the university to divest, which may be difficult in Michigan since a law enacted in 2017 forbids state contracts with anyone who supports divestment from Israel. Jewish groups have been releasing statements criticizing some of the protests, including the one that started Monday.

During the protests Monday, University of Michigan police officers and some Michigan State Police troopers quietly observed from vehicles around the Diag at a distance. There did not appear to be significant encounters between police and demonstrators.

Some Jewish students who oppose Israel's military actions also took part Monday in the Diag protests and were scheduled to hold a Passover Seder, a religious dinner observant Jews hold during Passover, which started Monday night. Inside the encampment, a poster read: "Apartheid isn't Kosher, Jews Demand Divestment!!" Underneath, it said in chalk on the pavement: "UM (University of Michigan) Funds Genocide." There were also Muslim and Jewish prayers at the encampment at Columbia.

There was also a small group of counter-protesters waving Israeli flags who said some of the slogans of the pro-Palestinian protesters were antisemitic.

A spokesperson for the University of Michigan, Colleen Mastony, said in a statement to the Free Press that on Monday morning, "20 tents were placed on the main quadrangle, known as the Diag."

Mastony, the university's assistant vice president for public affairs, said "students are able to engage in peaceful protest in many places on campus," but added that "the university has a responsibility to maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and academic success."

"No one has the right to substantially disrupt university activities or to violate laws or university policies," the university spokeswoman added. "We are working to minimize disruptions to university operations – most especially with classes ending tomorrow and the study period beginning before finals. Safety is always a key priority and, as such, we have increased security on campus. We are carefully monitoring the situation and remain prepared to appropriately address any harassment or threats against any member of our community."

Regarding calls for divestment, Mastony said "the university has had a policy in place for nearly 20 years that shields the university's investments from political pressures. Much of the money invested through the university’s endowment, for example, is donor funding given to provide long-term financial support for designated purposes. The Board of Regents reaffirmed its position earlier this year."

Other pro-Palestinian protests continue to be held in metro Detroit. Last week, Detroit Police stopped a caravan and ticketed several protesters who were reportedly headed to the Ambassador Bridge and may have been attempting to shut it down, reported WXYZ-TV. Detroit Police said in a statement they ticketed 38 people who took part in the caravan, impounded five cars and arrested four people. On that same day, April 15, protesters shut down access to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Chicago O'Hare Airport. Detroit Police said they had been monitoring the protesters when they started their caravan from Dearborn. Video footage shows a significant police presence stopping the vehicles, questioning passengers, and making at least one arrest.

At about 10 p.m., a group of Muslims gathered again in the Diag to perform nightly prayers known as Isha. They lined up on the opposite site of where they held sunset prayers. A movie played on on a screen on the steps of the Hatcher library as they prayed.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: [email protected] or X @nwarikoo .

Israelis grapple with how to celebrate Passover, a holiday about freedom, while many remain captive

Shlomi Berger sitting in his 19-year-old daughter's bedroom in Holon, Israel

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Every year, Alon Gat’s mother led the family’s Passover celebration of the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt thousands of years ago. But this year, Gat is struggling with how to reconcile a holiday commemorating freedom after his mother was slain and other family members abducted when Hamas attacked Israel.

Gat’s sister Carmel and his wife, Yarden Roman-Gat, were taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack. His wife was freed in November, but his sister remains captive.

“We can’t celebrate our freedom because we don’t have this freedom. Our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers are still in captivity, and we need to release them,” Gat said.

On Monday, Jews around the world will begin celebrating the weeklong Passover holiday, recounting the biblical story of their exodus from Egypt after hundreds of years of slavery. But for many Israelis, it’s hard to fathom a celebration of freedom when friends and family are not free.

The Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, while about 250 were taken hostage. About half were released in a weeklong cease-fire in November, while the rest remain in Gaza, and more than 30 of them are believed to be dead.

From left, Danya, 21, Gabriel, 21 and Borden, 17 all refugees from Odesa, Ukraine help to deliver bags with food to needy people during preparations for the celebration of Jewish Passover at the Chabad Jewish Education Center in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 7, 2022. Rabbis and Jewish organizations are working round the clock within Ukraine, Eastern Europe and other parts of Europe to make sure that Jews who remain in Ukraine and refugees who have fled as far away as Israel are able to celebrate Passover. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

World & Nation

For Jews fleeing Ukraine, Passover takes on new meaning

Jews in war-torn Ukraine, as well as those fleeing the country, are preparing to mark Passover on Friday. It has been a challenge, to say the least.

April 12, 2022

For many Jews, Passover is a time to reunite with family and recount the exodus from Egypt at a meal known as the Seder. Observant Jews avoid grains, known as chametz , a reminder of the unleavened bread the Israelites ate when they fled Egypt quickly, with no time for dough to rise.

But this year many families are torn about how — or if — to celebrate.

When Hamas attacked Kibbutz Be’eri, Gat and his wife, 3-year-old daughter, parents and sister hid for hours in their rocket-proof safe room. But fighters entered the house and killed or abducted everyone inside, except for Gat’s father, who hid in the bathroom. His mother was dragged into the street and shot.

Gat, his arms and legs bound, was shoved into a car with his wife and daughter. During a brief stop, they managed to flee. Knowing he could run faster, Roman-Gat handed him their daughter. Gat escaped with the child, hiding in a ditch for nearly nine hours. His wife was recaptured and held in Gaza for 54 days.

Passover this year will be more profound as freedom has taken on a new meaning, Roman-Gat said.

“To feel wind upon your face with your eyes closed. To shower. To go to the toilet without permission, and with the total privacy and privilege to take as long as I please with no one urging me, waiting for me at the other side to make sure I’m still theirs,” she said in a text message.

Still, Passover will be overshadowed by deep sorrow and worry for her sister-in-law and the other hostages, she said. The family will mark the holiday with a low-key dinner in a restaurant, without celebration.

CLAREMONT, CA - APRIL 06: Muslim students and faculty staff offer Maghreb, evening prayers, after having a specially prepared halal meal for Muslim students fasting in the month of Ramadan, at Harvey Mudd College on Thursday, April 6, 2023 in Claremont, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- MARCH 22, 2024: Worshippers listen to a sermon about the suffering in Gaza during Dhuhr afternoon prayers in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, Israel, Friday, March 22, 2024. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

The war in Gaza reshapes Ramadan into a somber ritual in Jerusalem’s Old City

As Ramadan fasting ends amid the Israel-Hamas war, Palestinian Muslims in Jerusalem’s Old City are somber, skipping festivities in sympathy with Gazans’ suffering.

As hard as it is in times of pain, Jews have always sought to observe holidays during persecution, such as in concentration camps during the Holocaust, said Rabbi Martin Lockshin, professor emeritus at Canada’s York University, who lives in Jerusalem.

“They couldn’t celebrate freedom, but they could celebrate the hope of freedom,” he said.

The crisis affects more than the hostage families. The war, in which 260 soldiers have been killed, casts a shadow over a normally joyous holiday.

The government has also scaled back festivities for Independence Day in May in light of the mood and fearing public protests.

Likewise, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan , capped by the three-day Eid al-Fitr feast, was a sad, low-key affair for Palestinians. More than 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced by the fighting, and many are facing starvation . About 34,000 people have been killed in Israel’s air bombardment and ground attacks on Gaza, according to local health authorities.

The scenes of suffering, devastation and hunger in Gaza have received little attention in Israel , where much of the public and national media remain heavily focused on the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack.

Palestinians carry a wounded girl after being rescued from under the rubble of buildings that were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. In just 25 days of war, more than 3,600 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry. The advocacy group Save The Children says more children were killed in Gaza in October 2023 than in all conflict zones around the world combined in 2022. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Israel’s media mostly keep Gaza’s human toll out of sight

Civilian deaths in Gaza have fueled global outrage. But many Israelis, still raw from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, have scant interest in the war’s toll on Palestinians.

Jan. 24, 2024

After several months of fits and starts, negotiations on a deal to release the remaining hostages appear at a standstill — making it unlikely they will be home for Passover.

The pain has reverberated around the world, with some in the Jewish diaspora asking rabbis to say prayers specifically for the hostages and Israel at this year’s Passover services. Some created a new Haggadah, the book read during the Seder, to reflect the current reality.

Noam Zion, the author of the new Haggadah, has donated 6,000 copies to families affected by the war.

“The Seder is supposed to help us to relive past slavery and liberation from Egypt and to learn its lessons, but in 2024, it must also ask contemporary questions about the confusing and traumatic present and, most important, generate hope for the future,” said Zion, emeritus member of the faculty of Jewish studies at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

The revised Haggadah includes excerpts from hostage families urging people not to hate, despite their pain. It offers a guide for navigating mixed feelings during the holiday, while posing existential questions about the Jews and the state of Israel.

Some families say it’s too painful to celebrate at all.

The girlfriend of Nirit Lavie Alon’s son was abducted from the Nova music festival. Two months later, the family was informed by Israel’s military that Inbar Haiman, a 27-year-old graffiti artist, was dead, her body still in Gaza.

“It’s impossible to celebrate a freedom holiday,” said Alon. Instead of being with family this year, she’s going to spend a few days in the desert. There will be no closure until all of the hostages are back, including the remains of those who were killed, she said.

Ahead of Passover, some families are holding out hope their relatives will be freed in time.

Shlomi Berger’s 19-year-old daughter, Agam, was abducted two days after the start of her Israeli army service along the border with Gaza.

Videos of her bloodied face emerged shortly after the Hamas attack: one showing an armed man pushing her into a truck, another showing her in the vehicle with other hostages. The only proof of life Berger has had since was a call from a released hostage, wishing him happy birthday from Agam, whom she’d been with in the tunnels, he said.

Still, he refuses to give up hope.

“The Passover story says we come from slaves to free people, so this is a parallel story,” Berger said. “This is the only thing I believe that will happen. That Agam will get out from darkness to light. She and all of the other hostages.”

Mednick writes for the Associated Press.

After Hamas killed his mother, an Israeli man chooses peace over vengeance

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FILE - In this April 2, 2006, file photo, a traditional Passover seder plate is seen at Congregation Beth El in Tyler, Texas, on the first night of Passover. For some Jews this year, Passover Seder will connect the exodus story with today's global refugee crisis through special recitations and rituals _ and refugee guests from around the world. The foods on the plate are symbols, and help tell the story of the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt as told in the old Testament of the Bible. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman, File)

Opinion: This Passover, have room in your hearts for Israelis and Palestinians

April 22, 2024

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- APRIL 2, 2024: Protesters holding flags, banners and lit candles march through central Jerusalem, Israel, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Thousands of demonstrators surged through Jerusalem demanding that the government reach a cease-fire deal to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza by Hamas militants, hold early national elections and argued in favor for all draft-aged religious ultra orthodox to join the military. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

Letters to the Editor: I am an 83-year-old Jew who celebrated Israel’s creation. Now, I am outraged

April 7, 2024

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: Protestors are detained by LAPD officers who were trying to clear the USC campus during a demonstration against the war in in Gaza Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

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Pro-Palestinian protesters hold up signs while occupying a building on the campus of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in Arcata, Calif., Monday, April 22, 2024. Students at the university used furniture, tents, chains and zip ties to block entrances to an academic and administrative building on Monday. University officials closed the campus through Wednesday. (Andrew Goff/Lost Coast Outpost via AP )

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FILE - Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. According to the Global Report on Food Crises released Wednesday, April 24, nearly 282 million people in 59 countries suffered from acute hunger in 2023, with war-torn Gaza the territory with the largest number of people facing famine. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

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Canceled Classes, Arrests and Calls for Jewish Students to Go Home: Protests Over Israel-Hamas War Boil Over on Campuses

Pro-Palestinian protests have paralyzed a handful of the country’s most elite campuses, where political free speech is pitted against a spike in antisemitic attacks that are leaving Jewish students saying they feel unsafe on campus.

Protests Boil Over on College Campuses

Mary Altaffer | AP

Police in Riot gear stand guard as demonstrators chant slogans outside the Columbia University campus, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in New York.

The country’s most elite schools were flashpoints for national political protest on Monday over Israel’s offensive in Gaza and the U.S. support of it, with in-person classes canceled at Columbia University due to safety concerns, dozens of students arrested at Yale University and the closure of Harvard University ’s main lawn to the public in anticipation of demonstrations.

The announcement that classes and even exams would be held virtually at Columbia followed days of intense protests and mass arrests fueled by growing resentment over the war in Gaza , raising safety concerns for the New York City school’s roughly 5,000 Jewish students.

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Rabbi Elie Buechler, who is involved with Columbia University’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, told more than 300 mostly Orthodox Jewish students that they should return home and remain there due to safety concerns.

“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” Buechler wrote, adding that the university has “made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety.”

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik is set to work this week with deans, administrators and faculty to try to bring the crisis to a resolution.

“I am deeply saddened by what is happening on our campus," she said in a statement. "Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm.”

The chaos unfolded on the heels of Shafik’s testimony before Congress last week. She was grilled over the school's response to antisemitism on campus but seemed to evade the landmines that befell the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania , both of whom resigned due to mounting political pressure in the wake of their testimony before Congress on the same issue in November.

When asked whether calling for genocide violated the school’s code of conduct, for example, she did not hesitate or mince words: “Yes, it does,” she said. And when asked whether a Columbia professor who described the Oct. 7 attacks as “ awesome ” would be removed from a leadership position, she said yes.

Meanwhile, back on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, pro-Palestinian students organized an encampment in the center of campus with dozens of tents and vowed not to leave until the school divest itself from businesses with ties to Israel. The encampment swelled as hundreds of students and other individuals not affiliated with the university joined, prompting campus safety officials to seek help from the city’s police department, whose officers arrested more than 100 protesters and dismantled the encampment, as a large crowd shouted “Shame!”

Shafik acknowledged that the move was an “extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances” and described the encampment as a “clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University.”

While New York City Mayor Eric Adams backed the decision, saying that protesters do not “have a right to violate university policies and disrupt learning,” legal groups, defenders of free speech and some faculty members slammed the decision.

Complicating the dynamic, Congress passed a long-stalled foreign aid bill over the weekend, which is set to send $26 billion to Israel to aid it in its war on Hamas, including $4 billion dedicated to replenishing Israel's missile defense systems.

President Joe Biden on Sunday condemned antisemitism on college campuses in a holiday greeting celebrating the Jewish holiday Passover, which commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in biblical Egypt.

“This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country,” he said about harassment and calls for violence against Jewish people, without naming Columbia or Yale.

Speaking directly to the campus protests, White House press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement, “While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous.”

National attention has focused on Columbia, but the unrest has spilled over to other elite college campuses too: Yale police arrested at least 47 of the hundreds of students hunkered down in a makeshift encampment on campus on Monday morning, according to a statement from the school. The encampment was erected last week, with students demanding that the university drop its investments in military weapons manufacturers. And Harvard, expecting mass protests, closed the main lawns of its campus to the public.

The turmoil has been building since the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which killed roughly 1,200 Israelis, including children and elderly and attendees of a music concert. The surprise attack prompted a massive airstrike campaign by Israel that leveled Gaza, killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and caused a humanitarian crisis that’s been criticized by the international community.

The issue has paralyzed a handful of the country’s most elite campuses – mainly those with sizable enrollments of Jewish students – as it pits the rights to political free speech against a spike in antisemitic attacks and threats and outcry from Jewish students who say they increasingly feel unsafe on campus.

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A Free Trip to Israel
This summer, Join over 850,000 participants Birthright Israel invites you to travel to the center of Jewish history for a once-in-a-lifetime 10-day journey. Alongside a diverse community of Jewish and Israeli peers, we'll experience the ancient allure of Jerusalem, take in the stark beauty of the Negev Desert, and channel the innovative spirit of Tel Aviv.
Birthright Israel
Birthright Israel. 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 ...
Israel For Free? Here's How to Do Birthright
Birthright Israel is a nonprofit foundation that sends up to 40,000 young Jewish people to Israel every year for free. While the program's stated goal is to help Jewish youth explore their identity and build stronger ties to Israel, it doesn't have a religious agenda and accepts Jews of all denominations.
Israel Progams & Scholarships
Short-term programs for College Students and Young Adults. Birthright Israel. Free 10-day trips to Israel for college students and young adults who have not previously traveled to Israel on a peer trip. **Please note that Jewish Federation Israel Experience Savings Funds and Scholarships may not be used for Birthright Israel**.
JUF : Birthright Israel : The Trip
Since Taglit-Birthright Israel began in December 1999, the program has sent over 300,000 Jewish young adults to Israel from 60 countries, all 50 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and from nearly 1,000 colleges and Universities. This gift connects Jews 18-26 around the world to the history, people, and culture of Israel and Judaism. The gift is made possible thanks to the generous support ...
Birthright & Beyond
Birthright & Beyond is a two-week trip to Israel in which students explore their Jewish identities, commitments, and communities. The trip is composed of two week-long programs, a classic seven-day Birthright trip and Harvard Hillel's unique seven-day extension program, Beyond (formerly known as Trekstension). Next trip: May 15-29, 2022.
Birthright is resuming its free trips to Israel for the first time
Birthright Israel has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999. The organization had previously canceled trips only once before, during ...
JUF
About the Trip. Since Taglit-Birthright Israel began in December 1999, the program has sent over 650,000 Jewish young adults to Israel from 67 countries, all 50 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and from over 1,000 colleges and Universities. This gift connects Jews 18-32 around the world to the history, people, and culture of Israel and Judaism.
Birthright is resuming its free trips to Israel for the first time
Birthright Israel has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999. The organization had previously canceled trips only once before, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing financial woes, it has scaled in the years since. PJC
Birthright Israel FAQs
The Harvard Hillel Birthright trip pushes Jewish students to engage, think, ask questions, and expore an Israel of th multiple truths that hold these charactaristics together. The Birthright trip is a FREE ten-day journey during which students will travel throughout Israel alongside a handful of Israeli peers.
Birthright to resume free trips to Israel for first time since October
Birthright Israel has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999. The organization had previously canceled trips only once before, during ...
Tours to Israel
TOUR ISRAEL WITH US IN 2024. Jewish National Fund-USA is currently running much-needed volunteer missions in Israel for variety of ages and groups, from teens to adults. JNF-USA Volunteer in Israel Missions are your opportunity to build Israel now and make a difference for the future. Spend 4 meaningful days with us providing hands-on support ...
Travel to Israel
Birthright Israel offers a variety of free 10-day educational Israel tours for Jews age 18-26. Honeymoon Israel offers subsidized Israel trips for newly married couples in which at least one partner is Jewish. The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project offers subsidized Israel trips for Jewish women who are not religiously observant and who have ...
Birthright is resuming its free trips to Israel
Birthright Israel has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999. The organization had previously canceled trips only once before, during ...
Tours That Bind
New York University Press, 2010. View on Amazon. Since 1999 hundreds of thousands of young American Jews have visited Israel on an all-expense-paid 10-day pilgrimage-tour known as Birthright Israel. The most elaborate of the state-supported homeland tours that are cropping up all over the world, the free trip to Israel tour seeks to foster in ...
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Since 1999, the organization Birthright Israel has offered all-expenses-paid trips to Israel to Jewish people around the world between the ages of 18 and 26. Yes, you read correctly: This really ...
Birthright to cut up to a third of its free trips to Israel for young
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9 Day Jewish Heritage Israel Tour
Our 9 day Jewish Heritage Tour of Israel will provide you with an up-close and unforgettable experience with the Land of Israel. From visiting places of ultimate religious significance and importance such as Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, and Masada, to highlights of modern day Israel such as Tel Aviv and modern Jerusalem, iconic natural wonders such as the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, and ...
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For international customers: The center is staffed and provides answers on Sundays through Thursdays between 7AM and 14PM Israel time Toll Free number 1-800-448-9291 Telephone +972-3-761-9056 Fax ...
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Israel Education Center : Travel to Israel
Taglit-Birthright Israel provides the gift of first time, peer group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26. The founders created this program to send thousands of young Jewish adults from all over the world to Israel as a gift in order to diminish the growing division between Israel and the Jewish communities around ...
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