Birthright Israel is…
- The largest experiential education platform in the Jewish world.
- Unity within diversity, irrespective of personal background, ideology, political views, religious beliefs and/or practices, sexual orientation or gender identity
- Thoughtful and meaningful dialogues on Jewish concepts and values in a safe space, unlike the social media and campus landscapes
- Interaction and connection between Diaspora participants and their Israeli peers
- A profound lasting impact on identity, family, community, culture and continuity
- A stepping stone for future involvement in local Jewish communities
- A fully subsidized gift, not merely a free trip – from one generation to the next
Birthright Israel has expanded over the years and has become a highly respected brand, with added program offerings that include:
- Birthright Israel Excel – Exclusive 10-week summer internships in Israel for undergraduate students with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups
- Onward Israel – 6 to 10 week internships & volunteer opportunities
Your support enables the following:
Accessibility & Inclusion
Every eligible young adult should be able to visit Israel to experience their birthright. Birthright Israel is pleased to offer approximately ten Accessibility trips each year for participants with a variety of medical, developmental, and physical disabilities. There are also opportunities for young adults with disabilities to join a traditional Birthright Israel trip as an inclusion participant, accompanied by an aide or shadow.
Show Your Pride: LGBTQ2S+
Birthright Israel participants celebrate Israel’s diversity during Tel Aviv’s legendary Pride Parade and week-long Pride celebrations, as part of the international observance of Gay Pride Month in June. The trip allows participants to experience Israel with other young adults who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+) and any additional orientations and gender identities. Participants travel with Israeli peers from the LGBTQ2S+ community. The trip addresses the current issues facing the LGBTQ2S+ community and also takes in the liveliness of Tel Aviv and its thriving LGBTQ2S+ population.
Extreme Adventure
Participants discover Israel through intense outdoor activity incorporated with the core components of Birthright Israel’s original program. On top of touring the mystical city of Tzfat, spending Shabbat in Jerusalem and meeting some incredible Israeli soldiers, participants tour the river valleys of the Western Galilee, climb the volcanic rock of the Golan Heights, explore ancient tunnels in the Judean Hills and navigate through the Negev desert after spending a night under the stars.
Mifgash
The Mifgash — Hebrew word for ‘encounter’– is a unique element of the Birthright Israel experience in which Canadian and Israeli participants spend quality time together as peers. To date, more than 115,000 young Israelis have joined participants from abroad for all or half of their trip and, together, gain a greater understanding of Israel and their shared Jewish heritage. The Mifgash delivers an intimate and highly personal dynamic, providing all participants with greater awareness of complex issues, important insight into Israel’s significance to global Jewish peoplehood, a deeper connection to Israel, and long-lasting friendships that extend well beyond the trip itself. These relationships and face-to-face encounters lay the foundation for lasting bonds between Israel and Jewish communities.
Tel Aviv Days
Birthright Israel created Tel Aviv Days as a way of focusing on and exhibiting the incredible contemporary cultural side of Israel, specifically in Tel Aviv. For the time that participants spend in the modern city, they participate in different types of activities that are specific to the cosmopolitan way of life and allows participants some choice in what they wish to explore such as: fashion, culinary, visual arts, social action and much more.
Holocaust Education
All Birthright Israel groups visit a Holocaust site. The visit is complemented by preparatory sessions prior to the visit followed by post-visit discussions. In addition, BRIFC distributes an electronic copy of a Holocaust Survivor’s memoir to all Canadian participants. The memoir is a gift from the Azrieli Foundation.