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I learned from my friends and the Israeli soldiers about the different perspectives on spirituality, Jewish history, and living in Israel. I grew to understand the significance that Israel, a Jewish state in the historical homeland of the Jewish people, has to all Jewish people. I saw the commitment and dedication the Jewish people have to create and maintain our homeland.

—TALI DARDASHTIAN, Alum

Birthright Israel taught me all about the life history of the country and always show kindness and give back by making a difference, such as making donations to the less fortunate and, more importantly, loving and respecting your family.

I learned that no matter how different I may seem from my fellow Jews, how different our religious education (or in my case, lack thereof) was, and how different our upbringings were, I am connected to all of my fellow Jews through Israel.

By the end of the first day, it seemed like everyone in the group had known each other for years. There is so much more I could say about my Birthright experience, but bottom line, I am truly beyond grateful for finally getting to take this incredible opportunity. Birthright is truly an experience I will never forget and I cherish every memory, every step, every bus ride, every bite, every song, every photo, every friend, every activity, and every day that I got to be with my group.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to staff a Tel Aviv Pride trip which was one of the most transformative experiences in my life. I took a cohort of 25 people who identified as LGBTQIA+ and showed them just how special and accepting Israel truly is! Often times LGBTQIA+ have difficulty meshing their sexuality with religion, and I was able to show how seamlessly they can pair!

Thank you so much for this amazing unreal opportunity to visit the holy land. I gained so much from this unique experience. Every place we visited, every sight we saw, every piece of new information we heard about our heritage and history was the most amazing thing. I am really fortunate to have been given such a gift. May Birthright be able to continue doing this very special thing for Jewish youth and to always meet much success.