JNS
Relevant, responsive, ready: Birthright at 19, still growing strong
by Deborah Fineblum
February 22, 2019

For Birthright Israel, 2018 was nothing short of a banner year—a year that accomplished something organizers could only have dreamed of back in 1999. That’s when a few key philanthropists linked arms with the government of Israel and North American Jewish federations to dispatch a busload of college students on the very first Birthright tour of Israel. Nearly two decades later, a record 48,000-plus young Jews from 67 countries (and an additional 8,300 Israelis who travel with them) left everything familiar to spend 10 days connecting with Israel, Israelis, their Jewish selves and each other. And that brings the Birthright total to a whopping 650,000, representing roughly half of all young Jewish Americans. READ MORE