Birthright is back: Diaspora Jews, Israel are better together in times of war - editorial

We welcome Taglit-Birthright Israel’s announcement that it will resume trips to Israel in January after it suspended them due to the war against Hamas – and call on others to follow its lead. While the war is still raging and the country is burying soldiers and praying for the return of the hostages, Israel itself is relatively safe and welcomes visitors from abroad with open arms at this difficult time.

“Birthright Israel’s upcoming trips will operate under strict safety and security standards set by the Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command,” the organization said in a statement issued on Tuesday. It said that from now on, all Birthright groups will undergo a pre-trip orientation, which includes safety and security parameters.

Some 350 participants, students and young adults, the majority of them from the United States, are expected to travel to Israel from the week of January 5, 2024, for a free, 10-day trip, the statement said, adding that by the end of March, it expects hundreds more to follow.

A statement on behalf of Birthright noted that Israeli universities are gearing up to reopen at the end of December and that the government raised limits on gathering sizes on Monday, citing reduced concerns about Hamas rocket attacks.

Birthright CEO Gidi Mark said that while the trips would continue to prioritize the organization’s goals of “positive Jewish identity building,” they will also now focus on the Hamas attack and its impact on Israeli society and Jewish communities around the world.

“Everything is different post-October 7 from an educational perspective. The people of Israel are different and the young adults arriving in Israel are different,” Mark said in a statement. “We are preparing the educational teams to deal with broad discussions and an open dialogue. We believe that participants will come to explore and learn about what happened and what is occurring now, and also share about the reality back home and the rise of antisemitism.”

Mark added: “Alongside a fun and meaningful experience, we want our participants to understand what happened on October 7 and gain meaningful insight into how the events affected Israeli society and Jewish communities around the world, and how our Jewish lives, values, and community help us find hope in these dark times.”

Birthright has brought some 850,000 young Jewish adults to Israel on a free tour of Israel since its launch in 1999 and had canceled trips only once before – during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In November, Birthright announced the launch of its “Onward Volunteer Program,” which runs through February for 18- to 40-year-olds, after it canceled its scheduled trips for December amid security concerns. More than 3,300 of its alumni had applied to volunteer in kibbutzim and other Israeli communities “to harvest crops in the absence of the thousands of foreign field workers,” it said at the time.

Despite war, Diaspora Jews can find a haven in Israel

The importance of young Diaspora Jews visiting Israel during this time of war emphasizes how both Israeli Jews and those around the world need to support each other during these troubling times. Jews in the Diaspora, many of whom have been under attack themselves, can find a haven in Israel – despite the war.

While in Israel, Diaspora Jews will be able to understand, possibly for the first time, how it feels to be a majority in a Jewish State, as opposed to being a minority in their respective countries. Israeli Jews will not only benefit from the assistance and volunteerism but essentially also strengthen their own Jewish identity and sense of Jewish Peoplehood by connecting to Jews who they have never met before; Jews who live on different continents yet have a feeling of mutual responsibility.

Thank you, Birthright Israel participants, for coming, and welcome to your ancestral homeland. We are so much better together. Let’s act so that this sense of unity will last after this terrible war ends.