When Jewish philanthropists established birthright israel, they knew that young Jews who visited Israel and had a positive experience were more likely to identify strongly with their Jewish heritage and choose to live their lives as Jews than those who did not make the trip.
They also realized that for many Jewish families, the cost of an Israel trip was prohibitive, so they sought a way to overcome this obstacle.
It was their dream to provide a free meaningful peer-group experience in Israel for every Jewish young adult. They invested heavily in their idea and recruited the Jewish Federations of North America (formerly United Jewish Communities) and the State of Israel as their partners, and launched birthright israel. During summer and winter breaks from college, the program brings thousands of young Jews to Israel for two weeks of immersion in Israeli culture, Jewish history and social interaction.
The program has become so popular that on the day registration opens for the next set of trips, all the slots are filled and many students are put on waiting lists. Some students have tried to sign up for birthright israel several times, but have not yet succeeded. Currently 60 percent of people who register for the program are turned away for lack of space.
For summer 2010, Partnership with Israel’s Central Area Consortium, which includes Louisville and 15 other communities working with the Western Galilee region of Israel, has put together a special life-changing trip for 22-26 year olds from those communities who meet the regular birthright criteria (see www.birthrightisrael.com); and the consortium will guarantee them a space on the bus (up to 40 participants).
There are many special advantages to this trip; a visit to Eilat (unlike most other birthright trips), stay overnight in Jerusalem’s Old City, travel with your peers from our Central Consortium cities of Partnership with Israel, and a unique visit to the Western Galilee to connect with Israeli peers from our Partnership region.
The exact dates of this trip will be announced in March. If you are signed up but can’t make it, you will get a full refund for your down payment.
The official birthright sign-up deadline is February 17, but the consortium needs to know the names of those interested in this trip as soon as possible. To get a spot on this trip, eligible young adults must contact Regan Wagh, The Network Director, Dallas’ Under 40 Jewish Connection Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, rwagh@jfgd.org or (214) 615-5259 before February 17.
Partnership with Israel is a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federations of North America promoting people-to-people relationships between American communities and communities in Israel. The Central Area Consortium partners with the Western Galilee on cultural, social, medical, educational and economic programs.
Central Area Consortium communities include Louisville and the Jewish communities in Akron, Austin, Canton, Dallas, Dayton, Des Moines, Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Indianapolis, Northwest Indiana, Omaha, San Antonio, South Bend, Toledo, Waco and Youngstown.
For more information about the Partnership between the Western Galilee and the Central Area Consortium, go to www.westerngalilee.org.il.
Partnership with Israel receives support from the Jewish Community of Louisville’s Annual Campaign.
