Welcome to 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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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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The Schmooze ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Makes Fun of Birthright
Apparently there’s been a “Napoleon Dynamite” animated TV show on Fox for a month now, and I had no idea. Well, my ignorance is justified. Writing shortly after the first episode aired on January 15, The New Yorker movies editor Richard Brody argued that “the results are just a pastiche; the cartoons take the characters…
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Life Political Dissonance Among Russian Jews
My boyfriend and I are standing on the downtown B express, hand in hand, laughing over the idle chatter of passengers and metal shrieks of the train car as it scrapes over the tracks beneath it. We are two young Russian-speaking Americans — that much I can say with certainty. To say that we are…
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Opinion Why is Netanyahu poised to OK a ceasefire that’s favorable to Hamas? One word: Trump
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News Why pro-Palestinian groups are being charged with fraud — and could pro-Israel groups be next?
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Fast Forward Trump taps Mel Gibson, actor-director with record of antisemitism, as ‘special ambassador’ to Hollywood
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Fast Forward From the ashes, a forgotten mural — and a new mystery for a Pasadena synagogue
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Yiddish World Psychologist, writer and Yiddish culture activist Michael Fox has died
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