This is the Forward’s coverage of Taglit-Birthright Israel, a free 10-day trip to Israel for young adults with Jewish heritage.
Birthright
The Latest
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Recipes Culinary Dreams of Israel — Interrupted
I’m going to be honest with you. I signed up for Birthright mostly because I wanted to spend ten days eating Israeli food. When I found out I was chosen for a summer 2012 trip, my daydreams were filled with visions of pistachio-studded halvah, mounds of falafel, juicy shawarma, and creamy hummus. You could say…
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The Schmooze Shimon Peres Meets Zuckerberg’s Little Sister
Arielle Zuckerberg (that’s Mark’s little sister) was all smiles today when she met with Israeli President Shimon Peres for a photo op. The younger Zuckerberg sister (big sis Randi is a reality TV show producer) was on a break from her job with a social media marketing firm for a trip with Taglit-Birthright. Peres, for…
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Opinion Sheldon Tries To Change the Subject
A day after a investigative report raised questions about payments allegedly approved by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson to a Chinese official, it looks like someone is trying to change the subject. Both the Jerusalem Post and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency are running prominent stories on their front pages today about the Jewish billionaire. But neither…
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Israel News Young Jews More Interested in Israel: Poll
Young Jews are now more attached to Israel than the previous generation, almost reaching the level of interest of their elders, a new poll reveals. While Jews 45 and older were rated as having a 40-44 level of attachment to Israel, those between 35 and 45 only scored a 24. Those under 35 got a…
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Life Is Free Really the Way To Go?
At around this time of year the Tel Aviv beaches are filled with foreigners, hotels are booked to the last room, and thousands are floating their troubles away at the Dead Sea. Many programs have brought Jews, specifically those of college age, to Israel. The most popular of these programs, of course, is the Taglit-Birthright…
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Opinion The Benefits of ‘Free’
Recently in these pages, David Bryfman warned about the danger of giving away various things in order to facilitate Jewish continuity in an age of assimilation. The Taglit-Birthright trips, which allow young Jews to go to Israel for 10 days are probably the best-known examples, but Jewish communities are experimenting with numerous other ones. Two…
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Opinion Free Is (Not) for Me
To use a metaphor that young people will surely understand, one could say that the challenge of Jewish educators today is to ensure that the songs they make available will be ones Jews are willing to pay to download. In the music business, some downloads are offered for free because they exponentially increase audience size,…
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Opinion The Communal Cost of ‘Free’
The first ever New York ELI talks, the Jewish version of the now famous TED talks, debuted on May 14 with a provocative and inspired monologue by David Bryfman. Australian born, casually dressed, he took to the stage before a hundred or so invited guests to challenge the conventional wisdom that the best things in…
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