You Had Me At Shalom

by JULIA S. CHEN

Swimming in the Mediterranean; hiking through Israel’s deserts, mountains, and valleys; hanging out with young Israeli soldiers—sounds like a fantasy vacation. If you’re lucky enough to be Jewish, you can have all this for free just by going on a Birthright trip.

Taglit-Birthright is the organization which provides 10-day, all-expense paid trips to Israel for Jewish youth ages 18 to 26. This umbrella organization funds trips that are designed and led by more than 20 trip organizers. These trips must all follow the Taglit-Birthright guidelines but differ slightly in certain activities and excursions. While the trips are open to anyone with Jewish heritage, there are specially designed trips that cater to those of the Orthodox or Reform persuasion, or those who just love to hike.

The organization was founded in 2000 and, as of fall 2008, has sent nearly 200,000 young Jewish adults, 70 percent of whom are American, to Israel. The organization aims to encourage participants to form a strong personal connection with Israel, the Jewish people, and with their own Jewish identities.



BIRTHRIGHT: HARVARD EDITION

Of course, Harvard has their own edition of Birthright, known as Harvard Hillel Taglit-Birthright. One aspect of the Harvard Hillel program that distinguishes it from other programs is its partnership with Shorashim, a non-profit organization that strives to bring Israeli and North American Jewish people closer together. Because of this partnership, the Harvard Hillel trip is organized so that Israeli soldiers join the participants for the full 10 days, whereas on most other trips, soldiers are only present for a few days.

“Those guys made the trip very fun and provided an insiders’ look. They lived there, those were their streets,” said Fabian A. Poliak ’11 who went on the Harvard Hillel trip last spring. If it wasn’t for the soldiers’ presence, said Poliak, “it would just be a group of American Jews in an isolated bubble and it would be hard for anyone to penetrate that bubble.” Poliak said he was so inspired by these soldiers that he took to doing 60 push-ups a day after seeing them do their daily 300.

Because Israeli citizens are required to join the army for a minimum of two years when they turn 18, the soldiers who participated on the Harvard Hillel trips were approximately the same age as the students. Anna M. Kamerow ’11, another participant of last year’s trip, said that, of the relationships with the soldiers, “people got very close. [It was] absolutely necessary to interact with people same age and same life.”



KEEPING THE FAITH

The Harvard Hillel program prides itself on creating trips that are uniquely personal and have lasting effects. As the Harvard Hillel Birthright Israel Campus Coordinator, Jason D. Pressberg is dedicated to being personally available to guide participants through the registration process, the pre-departure orientation, and the actual trip, which he helps to lead. In order to perpetuate the trip’s mission, Pressberg encourages participants to develop their Jewish identities when they return from Israel by being active in Hillel and Birthright alumni events.

Pressberg himself went on a different Taglit-Birthright trip several years ago, which he said gave him a distinctive perspective on the organization. Pressberg recalled that when he returned home from his trip, he suddenly had a new network of friends that spanned across the country. The Harvard Hillel program alumni find themselves lucky to have their newfound friends and community right on campus. “When they get back,” Pressberg said, “the community is still there. ... These birthright groups that come back and serve as their own Jewish communities as well and as an extension of Hillel which is really special.”

Kamerow attests to this by recalling that prior to going on Birthright, her involvement with Hillel was non-existent, but that she did become more involved once she returned. Poliak agreed, noting that he now has monthly reunions with friends from the trip.



SHOW ME THE SHEKELS



Because Taglit-Birthright is funded in large part by individual philanthropists, as well as the Israeli government and many local Jewish communities, many of the organization’s supporters were worried that the current downward economy would affect the program’s existence.

A spokesperson for Taglit Birthright explained that while the economy has impacted the program’s funding, the organization is taking precautions to ensure its future by launching a new fund raising campaign. “The frustrating news,” said the spokesperson, “is that there are fewer resources.”

Despite the decrease in resources, the 60th anniversary of Israeli independence in last year caused a massive increase in funding and therefore number of participants on the trip. Despite the changing economy, the number of program participants has steadily increased since the organization was founded. Considering that there is currently a wait list for applicants, it seems like the trip’s popularity and support grows each year. Because the Harvard Hillel program’s funding is separate from the University, it has not been impacted by the decrease in Harvard’s endowment.



ISRAEL, MY NEW FRIEND

According to the Taglit-Birthright spokesperson, the trip attracts applicants “from every walk of Jewish life.” Many of the participants are young Jewish people who have had minimal exposure to religion and Israeli education. Because of this, many of the participants find a new, deeper connection to Israel and their Jewish identities which they might not have known existed before.

“I think that Birthright made clear to me that I did want to spend time working on my Jewish identity and expand my views,” said Kamerow. Poliak agreed, emphasizing that even a year after his trip, he is still impacted daily by what he learned and saw in Israel. As he put it, the trip did not just enable him to build relationships within the Jewish community, but also was “the beginning of a relationship with Israel.”