Taglit Birthright Israel is facing a major challenge right now: trying to get Jewish young adults to come to Israel on Birthright trips.
Just a few years ago, in 2018, a record 48,000 young adults went on Birthright trips. But since then, Birthright Israel has faced challenges. COVID complicated all travel, including for Birthright. Then, in 2022, philanthropist Miriam Adelson announced that her family foundation was slashing its contributions to Birthright. As a result, Birthright began offering significantly fewer free trips to Israel.
Birthright participation dropped by 40% in 2023, according to a Forward article from before Oct. 7. A more recent Forward article from May 2024 estimates that North American participation numbers have halved since then. Much of that decline is due to students, many of whom are not signing up because of their concerns over safety.
So how does Birthright Israel, and local Hillel partners, entice people to travel to Israel at a time when travelers are worried about safety and the country’s public reputation is hurting?
The short answer is that they are struggling, but they are working toward making people feel more comfortable with the prospect of going on Birthright.
For local Hillel staff members who promote Birthright trips, their work has been significantly harder due to the presence of on-campus protests. This has led some Hillels to stop hosting Birthright-themed tables at student events.
Safety has been most prospective travelers’ primary concern, said Danielle Baron, who serves as director of Israel and engagement at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Hillel.
“During the month of September [2023], we had eight students signed up to go on Birthright in January,” she recalled. “Shortly after Oct. 7, that number started dropping one by one, until we were down to two students. I sat down with those two students and they still expressed concerns for their safety. We also had two students signed up for this summer, but they were also concerned.”
In addition to safety, Baron noted that some students feel that they may not be able to get the full Birthright experience if they go now. Birthright Israel has been taking steps to avoid traveling in certain regions that are experiencing conflict, as well as increasing security for travelers. A student who goes on Birthright now would likely not be able to experience everything that prior Birthright travelers could, like Jeep tours through the Golan Heights or trips to border communities like Sderot.
Baron added that she does not blame anyone for not traveling to Israel right now, and she hopes that they will be able to schedule a trip for January 2025.
Other Hillels, like the one serving Johns Hopkins University, have experienced more success in recruiting students for upcoming Birthright trips.
“As recruitment for the 2025 winter trip has just opened, it seems like interest and excitement about the trip has increased and we are looking forward to filling all our allotted seats,” said Monica Davis, executive director of Johns Hopkins Hillel. “Students are really eager to participate and seem to be much more comfortable with the idea of traveling to Israel than they did immediately after Oct. 7.”
Birthright participation numbers being down has not stopped people from traveling to Israel altogether, though. Synagogues and Jewish organizations are still holding mission trips, including ones specifically focusing on the Israel-Hamas war that travel to areas in the Gaza Envelope. Baron had the opportunity to travel there as part of a Hillel International initiative called Sipurium (“stories” in Hebrew), which saw Israeli locals telling stories about their own Oct. 7 experiences.
“The locals would physically come up to our group and thank us for coming to Israel, which was really cool. I felt the warmth of the people,” she said. “A lot of the people who had to escape because of the terrorist attacks are planning to come back within the year and rebuild their communities. And that was really meaningful to hear.”
Davis anticipates that future Birthright trips will put more of an emphasis on the events of Oct. 7, perhaps with additions like speaking with survivors and witnesses, visiting affected communities in the Gaza Envelope and volunteering.
“Israel is incredible and being able to see and experience the people and the culture for yourself is a privilege that not everyone gets,” she said. “Especially during these hard times, feeling the resilience and sense of togetherness that is pulsating through Israeli society is incredible.”
