If you have spent any time traveling in Israel, there’s no doubt that you have witnessed a Taglit-Birthright Israel group touring the land for the first time. You may have even made friends with the participants or danced with them at the Kotel. For those unfamiliar with Birthright mission, the trips seek to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people while giving young Jews a sense of connection to their Jewish identity and land at no cost to the applicant. During a ten-day experience, participants tour all over Israel, learning about Jewish history and discussing national themes such as Shabbat, community, and Torah study.
Advisors on Taglit-Birthright range in religiosity and nationality; on the American programs, there is at least one American and one Israeli advisor. These Birthright trips, funded by private donations and the Israeli government, are generally targeted at non-religious and non-affiliated Jews. However, there are also modern-Orthodox trips, sponsored by the Orthodox Union’s Israel Free Spirit, targeted to participants who affiliate with Orthodoxy but never received the chance to tour the land.
Previously, for participants to be eligible for the free trip, they had to be aged 18-26, identify as Jewish, have at least one Jewish parent, and have never toured Israel as part of an organized program. This year, Taglit-Birthright Israel has changed its eligibility requirements. Now participants who have toured Israel in the past with an official group can apply to Birthright or Israel Free Spirit Trips, as long as they were under eighteen during the time of their visit. In other words, even someone who attended a summer program such as Mach Hach Ba’Aretz or BBYO but did not spend a year in a yeshiva or seminary is eligible to apply.
According to Corrine Malachi, an intern at Israel Free Spirit and a sophomore at Stern, the new eligibilities will greatly expand the applicant pool. She has heard many people say that they have been excluded from applying to Taglit-Birthright because they previously attended a BBYO Israel trip, but with the new broadening eligibility requirements, they are now able and excited to apply.
Ari Ziegler, Gamification Associate at the OU, encouraged Malachi to spread the word to Stern and Yeshiva College students about the new requirements. Malachi, who interviews applicants for Taglit-Birthright, has already noticed a wide number of Stern and YC students who are applying. According to Ziegler Israel Free Spirit intends to accommodate this new demographic this summer with a bus specifically for Yeshiva University students.
Take Rivka Lubin, a junior at Stern who did not spend a year studying in Israel and always wanted the chance to attend Taglit-Birthright. She was unable to participate in programs in the past because they coincided with school, but now, she is excited to apply to the summer trip as part of the YU bus. Lubin chose to apply because she has not been to Israel since she was eleven, and she wants to “learn more about the land and grow closer to it. [She] wants to gain greater knowledge and really understand [her] roots.”
Likewise, Daniel Shemen, a freshman at YU, did not spend a year in Israel and is looking forward to a Taglit-Birthright experience this summer. Although he has family who lives in Israel, every time that he visits he “finds a new place that [he has] never been to.” Shemen applied to Taglit-Birthright because he “thought it would be a good way to get to know Israel a little bit better, and it’s a great way to spend part of your summer.”
Beyond these two YU students, the applicant pool within Orthodox circles is already expanding. The new Yeshiva University bus is a great opportunity for students like Lubin and Shemen to take advantage of everything Israel has to offer, and considering the new requirement changes, many other Stern and YC students will benefit as well.