The Birthright Challenge

by The Editors

The first long-term study of the impact Birthright Israel has had on participants who made the trip five to eight years ago was released this week and bears thoughtful review and discussion. (See story, page 1)
Among its most dramatic findings was that 72 percent of wedded alumni are married to Jews, compared to 46 percent of married young people who applied for the trip but did not go, primarily because the trips were over-subscribed. And 51 percent of single participants said they believe it is “very important” to marry a Jew, compared to 35 percent of non-participants. Participants also were more apt to feel connected to Israel and the Jewish people. But there was little difference between the two groups when it came to religious observance, communal involvement and connection to the local Jewish community.
It is unfair to expect Birthright to provide a panacea for all the problems facing an American Jewish community that is aging, not replenishing its numbers and drifting away from its traditional institutions, affiliations and organizational life.

The very fact that Birthright has provided free trips to more than 200,000 young people as it approaches its first decade is proof enough that it represents the most exciting major innovation in Jewish life in many decades. What other Jewish group or project has long waiting lists and remarkably satisfied consumers? (Seventy-three percent of the participants surveyed said the Birthright trip was a “life-changing experience.”)

Among the lessons we can learn is that, contrary to conventional wisdom, a creative project can change the course of Jewish history. If Birthright is able to achieve its goal of having more than half of all diaspora Jews between the ages of 18 and 26 visit Israel in the next five to seven years, it can reach a tipping point where such visits become normative for young Jews. That would be a remarkable achievement with long-lasting implications.

At the same time, the findings of the Birthright study, by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, presents a challenge to the community on at least two fronts. One is to produce the funds necessary so that 20,000 applicants won’t be told “sorry, we’re filled,” as happened this year. Surely the federation system can allocate more than 1 percent of its funding for a program that is having a major positive effect on young Jews. And even though Birthright is a gift, charging participants as little as $100 for the 10-day trip would bring in several million dollars and still be the bargain of the century.
Second, having seen that an innovative educational program can make a difference, our community must do more to inspire the next generation rather than berate young people for not joining our institutions. Birthright has shown us what can be accomplished with the right concept, commitment and support; now it’s up to the rest of us to follow suit.

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