News | News

UNPACKED – Watch: Is Birthright Israel Too Good To Be True?

UNPACKED – Watch: Is Birthright Israel Too Good To Be True? If you’re wandering through the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, you’re guaranteed to run into at least one or two groups of young Jewish tourists from across the world all experienci

Politics | Politics

Victor Rosenthal – Birthright and Jewish Continuity

Victor Rosenthal – Birthright and Jewish Continuity Since 2009, the Jewish Futures Project at Brandeis University has been following participants in the Birthright Israel program to try to see how the program affected their Jewish identity. Since th

Politics | Media Bias

New York Times' Partisan Reporting on Birthright Alternative Tour | HonestReporting

Ever wondered how fringe organizations like IfNotNow and Breaking the Silence wield so much influence on the public discourse on Israel? It's not because

News | Israel & The Jewish Community

The real Birthright: Inheriting our Jewish story | The Jerusalem post

These sleights of hands and oversights rest on a bigger distortion – the barrage of claims that young American Jews are abandoning Israel.

Miscellaneous | Resources

Birthright Israel: Why the Controversy? The real story. | HonestReporting

In recent years, controversy about Birthright-Israel has been making headlines. What is Birthright, why the controversy, and is it accomplishing its goals?

Leftists want to change Birthright because it works. It connects young Jews to Israel, the authentic Israel, and they hate that it destroys their attempts to vilify Israel in these young kids’ minds.

“Birthright participants are more likely to feel a connection to Israel, have a Jewish spouse, raise children Jewish and be engaged in Jewish life, even a decade or more after the trip.

In contrast to reports of “distancing” from Israel among young American Jews, Birthright’s effect on connection to Israel persists and is significant. Most JFP panelists feel at least “somewhat” connected to Israel, and participants report higher levels of connection than their nonparticipant peers.”

Politics | Opinion

NO HOLDS BARRED: The apotheosis of Sheldon Adelson

Where have we seen one of the foremost contributors to politics in the world dedicate his influence to the interests of his people over and above any personal consideration?

Politics | Opinion

An open letter to the participants who left their Birthright trip

These young adults affiliated with IfNotNow chose to feign ignorance. I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I am hesitant to engage with you because a response would give your rhetoric a degree of legitimacy. On the other hand, your rhetoric is so presumptiv

A nice take on pathetic behavior.

History | Culture

Victor Rodack Stowed Away on an El Al Flight and Lived To Tell the Tale

These days it'd be pretty hard to walk without a ticket onto a boarding airplane bound for an international locale. Between the TSA and sniffer dogs, any would-be stowaway would likely see the inside of a jail cell pretty fast. But before September 11, in

Amazing tale of a teenager's ambitious commitment to his birthright.

News | Israel

Itineraries change, but Israel trips go on

Noah Silver, 16, had looked forward to Camp Ramah’s summer trip to Israel for several years; his sister, who went two years ago, raved about it, as did other past participants. But his trip turned out to be very different.

Many youth groups were in Israel when the Gaza conflict broke out. How'd that change their trip?