Have you ever wanted to ride a camel? See the sunrise on top of Masada, an ancient fortification that overlooks the Dead Sea? What about floating in the Dead Sea? Israel is the place to do all of this and more.
When traveling to a different country, one of the first things people think about is how much it is going to cost. But what if you were able to get a free trip? For young Jewish people, the option to travel to Israel for 10 days is available and very easy to get your hands on. It’s your Birthright trip.
Taglit-Birthright Israel is an organization that offers free trips to Israel if you have at least one parent that is Jewish and identify as Jewish. You must be between the ages of 18 and 26 and have either never been to Israel, or been to Israel for less than three months since the age of 12. Birthright wants to connect Jewish communities worldwide with Israel. They want their different trips to encourage young people to get in touch with their Jewish identity and create lasting connections. They believe that it should be a major part in every young Jew’s life to have an educational trip to the Jewish homeland.
Birthright provides 11 trip organizers (organizations, institutions and establishments that are approved by Taglit-Birthright Israel to operate trips) with multiple trips provided by the organizer, so participants are able to choose their perfect trip. Each Trip Organizer has a different perspective of experiencing Israel, whether it be cultural, spiritual, religious or even more adventurous.
Once on the trip, you will be on a bus that will have 40 to 50 other Birthright participants from your country, as well as eight Israelis that you will be travelling with. You will explore the different landmarks in Israel, experience the culture through arts and music and take a look at the values of Jewish life.
It’s a trip you’ll never forget. And did I mention it’s free?
Why Birthright?
Alex Amchislavskiy has been to Israel multiple times, five to be exact. It all started when he took his first Birthright trip at a sophomore in college in 2010. Then he was hooked.
“I had such a good time that I knew I had to come back,” says Amchislavskiy. “I don’t know, maybe I subconsciously made a decision that I had to lead a trip.”
That’s exactly what he did. Two weeks after his college graduation, Amchislavskiy was leading his first Birthright trip to Israel. Amchislavskiy takes great pride in Birthright trips and promotes them constantly.
“In my mind, why I take so much pride in it is that it’s a way to connect Jews to our ancestors,” says Amchislavskiy. “You can connect to Jews around the world but it’s the idea that we all have roots in Israel, whether it’s philosophical roots, genetic roots, [or] spiritual roots.”
He explains that it is Israel that allows us to connect with our Judaism and each other, no matter what denomination of Judaism you are.
Your average Birthright trip includes a lot of exciting stuff. Most of the trips include the basics, such as riding camels, exploring Israel’s ancient cities, shopping in shuks (outdoor markets), celebrating Shabbat and much more. Depending on the type of trip you take, you may also be hiking, wine tasting, or traveling in Jeeps. You really get to decide what kind of trip you want to take. You’ll be following your trips itinerary and making memories you will never forget.
Amchislavskiy’s favorite place in Israel is Jerusalem. “There is a lot of Jewish culture [in Jerusalem], but it’s also such an international city,” he explains. “When I’m walking in the shuk in Jerusalem, there are actually physical stones from Roman times, so I really feel like I’m walking the same roads as the people from Africa and Asia and Europe walked through.” He continued to explain that Jerusalem actually means “City of Peace,” and how many traditions say that peace will come through the city.
“Sometimes where you have the biggest clash, sometimes that’s where the most room for growth is,” says Amchislavskiy.
When deciding on whether or not you should go to Israel, you may think of how chaotic the country has been. It’s one of the countries that you think of when you hear about the Middle East conflict. But Israel is different when you’re actually there than what you hear about in the news.
“A lot of times you just read these alarming news headlines,” says Amchislavskiy. “Going there, you’ll see a very different kind of reality.”
When you go to Hebrew school for 10 years, you learn a lot about Israel and why it exists for the Jewish people. You learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how everyone strives for peace, but it’s not always easy to achieve.
Israel is a beautiful place that you may miss out on if you don’t go on Birthright. You would be missing out on an opportunity to experience the land you’ve heard so much about and only seen pictures of.
Ten days isn’t a long time to see all that Israel has to offer. You may have just scratched the surface with your Birthright trip. You did things that you’ve seen so many people do before. But there’s more. If anything, you just get a taste of the country. If you fall in love, you can actually extend your trip and spend as much time as you want in the Holy Land. It will cost you, but not much, and it would be worth it in the end.
Birthright is an experience that all Jewish youth should have. It’s a trip of a lifetime. I mean, honestly, how many times have you been offered a free trip to a place that means so much to your religion? It doesn’t happen very often, and if it does, take advantage of it.
“Birthright at its best is a call to action; at its worst, it is just fun and exciting,” says Amchislavskiy.
For more information, go to birthrightisrael.com.
