Birthright Israel

Go at your own risk. No one will do anything to help you if anything goes wrong say your luggage doesn’t arrive. Wouldn’t change the itinerary or even call a cab so my daughter could get a few necessities. It’s a total propaganda trip, and in this case was led by a Rabbi who was a misogynist, responding to questions from males and putting off females.
There is an agenda here, get kids to embrace Israel and after the trip, relentlessly solicit parents for contributions.

I recently attended Birthright this past summer. If you are thinking of attending you should think about the name «birthright» and why it is a free trip to Israel. Taglit has a shameless agenda that they push on you everyday so if you don’t feel comfortable being pressured into moving to Israel to have Jewish babies and support Israel in the Israel-​Palestine conflict, then I would not recommend this trip. Also be aware that you will get minimal sleep, stay in filthy hostels with bed bugs, and not get adequate nutrition. We had two participants leave the trip half way through because of the above-​mentioned issues and many others needed to see a doctor after getting sick. Our basic human needs were not met because the trip only cares about moving you through the regimented schedule like a herd of sheep.

Where to begin well lets begin if you value your childs life dont let
them go with taglit. The group leaders are more dangerous then
the terrorists .My child complained of a swollen leg after being bit
by something. They put her off till it swelled to twice its size. Then
after her third request they took her to a clinic. Where they diagnosed
an infection and gave her antibiotics and sent her on her way. This
was on a monday she was scheduled to leave thursday. If she had not extended her
stay she would of been on a plane with a swollen leg twice its size. Risking an embolism
on a long flight made longer by the fact plane turned back 7 hours into the flight. As luck would have it she had extended her stay and when leg did not improve she took herself to the emergency room where they admitted her to hospital and started her on IVS. At no point has anyone from taglit or taglits insurance provider returned a call or email from me. Please think twice before you risk your child to these idiots

It was free, I was Jewish, why not? And then I went and realized it was one of the most racist experiences of my life. This one guy from University of Oregon totally killed what would have otherwise been a scenic and peaceful jeep ride near the Lebanese border by claiming that the «Lebanese bred like rats.» This was one among many jarring moments that made me question why I was there. I ended up dropping out and those two propaganda free days made the $ 250 deposit worth it. Only for the Zionist or the strong of stomach. If you’re open minded… don’t go. Or go and drink a lot.

Edited to add: just realized this is my 700^th review. Woot! I find it really fitting that my 700^th review is for an organization that made it possible for me to see the world, meet great people, eat amazing food, and then come home and Unilocal about it!
If I were to actually review my birthright provider, this would not be as highly rated a review. However, reviewing the organization and opportunity as a whole, there’s not much negative to say.
Basically, if you don’t know what Birthright is, it’s the opportunity for Jewish youth ages 18 – 26 (they’ll make allowances for 27) to visit Israel for 10 days. It’s free, and yes, it really is no strings attached. I know, I didn’t believe it either, but having just done it, yes, it’s great, and yes, there are no strings or obligations. Why is it 18 – 26? I thought the same thing. Years ago (this organization is in its 13^th year) Jews who were not Israeli were polled to see how connected they felt to Judaism/​Israeli culture. It came back that 18 – 26 year olds felt the least connected to their culture/​faith. Bam. Here comes Taglit.
I will say this: I am… at best… technically Jewish. I wasn’t raised Jewish, I’m not culturally Jewish, I’ll admit it’s a bit of a stretch. But, I was curious about this part of my life I knew next-​to-​nothing about, and curious about an area of the world I knew I wouldn’t see otherwise, most likely. Although you don’t actually apply through Taglit Birthright, they do control the process and it’s painless.
On the trip, Taglit only requires the groups to do one thing, which is visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. Unfortunately, they do have a rather insane set of guidelines, especially since 2 people (idiots) drank themselves to death on the trip last year. As such, future trip-​goers have to sign an incredibly harshly worded alcohol policy, which basically says «buy alcohol, drink alcohol, think about alcohol, and we’ll send you home and charge you for the trip.» It’s incredibly harshly written, and virtually ignored by every trip provider, so, why actually bother? Why not just have us sign a form that says «We’re not responsible, don’t be stupid» and be done with it. For a trip that was mostly people over 24, most people had gotten the crazy blackout days out of the way, but unfortunately we weren’t always treated like it.
Fortunately, that is my only real complaint. Yes, the trip has a pro-​Israeli bias, but that mostly depends on which provider you use, which is not at all related to Birthright Israel as a whole. Yes, they want people to want to be Israeli and use Aliyah to aid in that process. To me that’s not underhanded or hidden; of course an Israeli company is going to want to promote Israel. If that’s not for you, then don’t go. I was incredibly happy to participate in my trip and felt that for a «politically-​motivated» trip, it was unbelievably welcoming, loving, and accepting. You definitely get out what you put in, but it was great for me, and I highly recommend it to others.

I first remember hearing about birthright through a Craigslist ad awhile back and thought t was some sort of scam. I am glad I did my homework and found out I was so wrong. Highly recommended!

A free trip to Israel for Jews between the ages of 18 and 26??? How can you go wrong? I went with EZRA, a Russian organizer in Brooklyn, but everything falls under Taglit/​Birthright anyway.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime. The trip is amazing, the people are amazing, and if you haven’t gone yet, what the hell are you waiting for???