Journeys #11 - December 2019

JOURNEYS

ISSUE 2019 ISSUE 10 11 · AUGUST DECEMBER 2019

THAT LAST A LIFETIME

TABLE OF CONTENTS 02 LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN OF

THE BOARD & OUR PRESIDENT 03 THEN & NOW: JASON COHEN 05 GOING HOME: MY BIRTHRIGHT

ISRAEL STORY BY SARA ARMET 07 REGIONAL ROUNDUP: SOUTHEAST 09 TIKKUN OLAM: BRINGING

LIGHT INTO DARKNESS 10 FROM TRAIL TO TABLE 11 THE IMPORTANCE OF ZIONISM,

THE NEGEV & DAVID BEN-GURION

ON BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL 13

SAVE THE DATE: BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY GALA HONORING CHARLES BRONFMAN

14 SAVE THE DATE: 20TH

ANNIVERSARY MISSION TO ISRAEL

EDITOR IN CHIEF: PAMELA L. FERTEL WEINSTEIN CONTENT COORDINATOR: ANDRIA K. AYLYAROV JUNIOR EDITOR: ALEXANDRA R. GLUCK GRAPHIC DESIGNER: PERRI A. GINSBERG

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DEAR FRIENDS, 2019 has been a busy year for us at Birthright Israel Foundation. Following a record level of fundraising in 2018, we were truly inspired by the outpouring of support for our mission - to raise the necessary funds to send each and every eligible Jewish young adult on Birthright Israel. While the year has not closed just yet, we are proud of all we have accomplished and are taking advantage of every day left on the calendar to reach our goal.

Because of you and your commitment to the Jewish future, we have sent more than 700,000 participants from 68 countries on Birthright Israel.

While this is a tremendous accomplishment, our job is far from over. We truly believe it is the birthright of every young Jewish adult to receive the incredible gift of Birthright Israel and we remain laser focused on growing our campaign, enhancing our partnerships with donors and building brand awareness to make this dream a reality.

Hearing our alumni share their Birthright Israel experiences is extraordinarily powerful and a reminder of why we do what we do and why your support is so vital. This year we have spent a great deal of time speaking to our alumni about their experiences. We’ve laughed, cried and celebrated as we cultivated over 100 unique personal alumni stories. Our website is now home to these testimonials and showcase the imprint Birthright Israel is leaving on young Jewish adults everywhere. We invite you to get to know these alumni by reading their stores at birthrightIsrael.foundation/blog.

Additionally, we have selected nearly 30 alumni to be part of our new Alumni Speakers Bureau. This cadre of alumni will work with us to pay their gift forward by sharing their stories in Jewish communities across the country.

We hope you will be able to attend one of our events so that you too can hear how this gift has changed their lives.

As we look towards our 20th Anniversary year, we hope you will consider joining us at our 20th Anniversary Gala honoring our co-founder, Charles Bronfman, on May 4, 2020 in New York City. Additionally, we invite you to join us for our 20th Anniversary Mission to Israel in June. For more information visit: birthrightIsrael.foundation/travel.

We are confident this issue of Journeys will inspire you as you learn about how your gift has impacted so many lives. We hope we can count on you to continue to support this very important effort.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season and 2020.

Warmly,

THOMAS D. STERN CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

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IZZY TAPOOHI PRESIDENT & CEO

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After I graduated from Hofstra University, I decided to move back to my hometown of Wilkes-Barre, PA. I was able to begin pursuing my broadcasting career with my hometown television station. However, there was an emptiness and a longing to connect with my Jewish community on an adult level. Hofstra Hillel was a warm and caring community, and I was looking for a way to continue this connection. I began to reengage myself with my Jewish community I left a few years earlier.

I balanced my work life by volunteering with the Jewish Community Center and my former Hebrew school, United Hebrew Institute. Eventually, the Jewish community recognized my efforts and asked me to join the board of directors of the Jewish Community Center. I happened to join the board at a crucial moment in the history of the WilkesBarre Jewish community. The Jewish population was shrinking, and the board needed to find a way to reengage the Jewish community.

To make a long story short, I was a part of the process of consolidating our Jewish agencies and creating a new Jewish campus facility. This process took about ten years. I also have been teaching Hebrew school at the reform synagogue since 2009. At some point, I also began to help with the local BBYO chapter to help advise our Jewish teens since 2011.

It is so rewarding to help other Jewish children and teens find their voices as they are trying to navigate their Jewish journey.

My own ultimate personal test came in May when my mother passed away after a brief battle with lung cancer and pneumonia. Faith, family, and friends have been the source of comfort during this period. My mother taught me the values and the proper way to live a good life while growing up.

I personally chose to explore my Jewish options in college.

Birthright Israel, along with the help of Hofstra Hillel, helped to illuminate the beauty of our Jewish heritage, which I hold dear to this very day. Judaism and the power of community is a force that cannot be denied. I am always drawing inspiration from the world around me based on Judaism. I am eternally grateful for my Birthright Israel experience, which helped to reignite and propel my ongoing Jewish journey.

Dear Birthright Israel Foundation, Thank you so much for sharing with me the letter I had written twenty years ago reflecting on my Birthright Israel trip. College was a very special time in my life, and I am still forever grateful for the Birthright Israel experience. I love sharing the fact that I was a part of the first round of students to participate in the inaugural trip. I still firmly believe that Birthright Israel helps to create space to acknowledge our Judaism while journeying through our homeland, which helps to help make our religion come alive.

Judaism is the central focus of my life. Birthright Israel helped to cement my connection for Judaism, but at the time, I felt how can I translate this experience to post-college?

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Thank you again, twenty years later, for providing this lifechanging experience. It came at the perfect time in my life when I found myself questioning everything. The primary lesson about Judaism and my journey is that twenty years later, I still find myself questioning everything. May we go from strength to strength as one Kehilla together.

Sincerely,

Jason Yale Cohen October, 2019

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GoingHome: MY BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL STORY

BY SARA ARMET

Every year during the High Holidays, our rabbi would paint the picture ‘next year in Jerusalem’ Israel was so farfetched. Traveling to Israel with Birthright Israel at age 23 came at the right time. Accompanied by my twin sister, Julia, we were the first members of our family to visit the homeland. And for me, I got it.

IMMEDIATELY. As I sit here on this Empire Service train from Manhattan to Syracuse, New York, I pull out my Birthright journal to prompt my memory on one of the most pivotal experiences of my life. It brings me back to that cold, rainy evening at Ben Gurion airport in January 2012. Our Birthright Israel Experience group picked up our luggage, camped out on the airport floor eating our paper bag dinners, and joined our Israeli counterparts. I locked eyes with an Israeli soldier (my twin will vouch for me on this one – she whispered in my ear ‘DO NOT!’).

My newfound friend sat with me on the bus that night as we rode in the darkness to the Galilee (he barely spoke a word of English, I absolutely do not speak Ivrit), and the rest is history...

This is not what you are thinking. Yes, I met a soldier, as most boy-crazy 23 year old girls do, but this is not a story about falling head over heels for a young officer from the IDF. My soldier, Netanel, instilled in me great lessons on service, paying it forward, and Tikun Olam, repairing the world. He recognized a curiosity and a light in me; he took me by the hand to share his love for his country, and he told me that this beautiful place that had remained a figment of my imagination for so long belonged to me too!

From the first day in Tzfat, the magic rising from the soil, I knew this was home.

Birthright Israel consecrated an unrealized dream that seemed intangible for so long. I grew up as a reform Jew, a fourth generation American, in a predominantly Irish Catholic community. Looking back, I think we were culturally Jewish out of respect for my grandmother.

Both my sisters and I went to Hebrew school on Sundays and Wednesdays, which concluded with our B’nai Mitzvot (note: the backdrop of my Jewish upbringing took place at a church and a hotel, rented space where our small congregation persisted in planting roots).

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That initial trip to Israel, all the sites and attractions -Independence Hall, Yad Vashem, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Western Wall – have become a bit foggy and faded over time. However, Netanel sent me back to New York with something tangible to hold on to forever… a reminder of my connection and my commitment to Israel, his navy seal, his first hat from the army, a testament to his strength and pride in his country. This keepsake, one of my most prized possessions, represents the responsibilities I have as a Jew living in the Diaspora.

Birthright Israel was the gift of a lifetime; the generosity of major donors who made the journey possible… the message of service instilled in me through the IDF. I knew that when I was fiscally responsible to give back, the securing of the future of Israel would be part of my life’s work.

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THEN & NOW: JASON COHEN 5

Dear Birthright Israel, Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be a participant in the Birthright Israel 2000 experience. The trip has left an impression on me, which will last a lifetime. How can I summarize this experience to you in just a few short paragraphs? This challenge is impossible.

However, I would like to share some insight into my Jewish background and how this trip translated into a fulfilling and meaningful experience.

As the trip came to a close, I realized there was a tremendous amount of information I needed to process. The sights, sounds and smells of Israel had inundated my senses for two weeks. Family and friends asked the same question, “Jason what was your favorite part of the trip?” How could I possibly answer this question in one sentence? The problem is I cannot just isolate one of the experiences and say it was the most fulfilling. Every situation had a lasting impression, no matter how small the detail.

One special element I brought to this trip was my Jewish education and background. I was raised in a conservative household and attended United Hebrew Institute in WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania from Kindergarten until eighth grade. It offered me a secular and Hebrew curriculum. When I reached the high school level of my education, I left the routine of studying Hebrew until the year of my Conformation. On the extra-curricular level I participated in Jewish Center Youth.

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This program ran through the Jewish Community Center of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. During my senior year, I served as a teen representative to the Board of Directors. However, when I reached college, my Jewish comfort zone seemed miles away. How would I be able to stay connected to a Jewish community? Hofstra Hillel was the answer to my question.

Hofstra Hillel has met my Jewish expectations, yet I see my Jewishness on a new level. The older I get, the more I need to assess my Jewish values and adapt to the constant challenges life presents. Birthright Israel 2000 came at a time in my life when I questioned the meaning of my Jewish existence. I needed to find a way to reinvent myself and recall previous systems of belief. The sights, sounds and smells of Israel helped to translate 20 years of education into a tangible reality.

Your vision has helped to shape the life of a young Jewish student ready to embark on life’s journey. Jewish education is crucial to the future of the Jewish faith.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for playing an important role in my Jewish education. You have touched me deeply!

Sincerely,

Jason Yale Cohen January, 2000

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Almost a decade later, I am fortunate to call Jewish National Fund my home away from home in New York City. It is a privilege to work with like-minded lay leaders and young professionals who share a love for Israel. I sit on the local board for JNFuture as Affinity Groups Chair, as well as on the national board. Through my involvement with Jewish National Fund, I have been back to Israel multiple times, visiting places I could never have gone on my own, where I am able to make an impact and get my hands dirty alongside partners and projects on the ground. I recently planted a forest in memory of my grandmother and led a ‘Food, Wine, and Culture’ boutique mission to Israel. Other personal highlights: I introduced the Israeli Olympic Judo Team at a major donors event in NYC, fulfilled my dream of becoming a fashion designer developing tee shirts for JNF store, shut down Central Park Zoo with a group of my friends for the ultimate Shabbat dinner, the list goes on. What’s next? I will be chairing Jewish National Fund’s 2020 National Conference in Israel, October 2020!

Throughout my involvement, a beautiful discovery about young philanthropy in New York City that continues to reveal itself, is something I have dubbed cross-pollination. Young donors who give to one organization understand the importance of giving to multiple organizations. Whether its $1 a day ($365 a year), we all have the capacity to do a little bit more. In addition to my work with Jewish National Fund (my connection to Israel), I volunteer with UJA Federation of New York Young Leaders (my connection to the Jewish community in NYC), as well as Chabad of the Upper East Side (my connection to faith and spirituality) and The Jewish Museum (my connection to the arts). Together, we are stronger. Together, we can do anything.

My whole story points directly back to Birthright Israel. Today, Netanel, my soldier, and I remain the closest of friends. Two years ago, he brought his wife, Shira, on their honeymoon to New York City where I served as their guide one night, taking them to dinner at a kosher restaurant on the Upper West Side and a walking tour of Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle. This past May, on my most recent trip to Israel, I got to visit with Netanel, Shira, and their newborn son, Ido. We spent an afternoon together at Tel Aviv Port. While I held baby Ido, Netanel informed his three-month-old, ‘this is your Doda Sara, you now have an American Auntie.’ As the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea that day, I felt humbled and grateful for the stolen moment with friends who became family and the circle of life…L’dor v’dor…from generation to generation. Birthright Israel and Birthright Israel Foundation: the gift that keeps on giving.

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Regional Roundup

SOUTHEAST

The scientific definition of donor is "an atom or molecule that provides electrons in forming a bond."

Just like this donor provides assistance in forming bonds, our nearly 40,000 annual donors provide the spark young Jews need to form the strongest bonds with the State of Israel and their Jewish identity.

The investment donors make in Birthright Israel Foundation is the key to building everlasting connections to Israel and the Jewish people. We cannot reflect on twenty years of this extraordinary program without thanking each and every one of them for sparking this connection and allowing our participants to be the primary carriers of our collective future. We invite you to learn why a few of our supporters in the Southeast invest in Birthright Israel on the next page.

Did you know Birthright Israel Foundation has offices across the United States? If you are looking to connect with a local representative and learn how you can be part of our growing group of supporters, visit, birthrightisrael.foundation/contact.

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Meryl &RonGallatin We are very committed to and support Birthright Israel, because of the incredible opportunity given to collegiates and young adults to learn more about their Jewish heritage and values. It is an amazing experience as the educators weave these two elements together with Israel as the backdrop engaging their minds and souls.

At Ben Gurion Airport we watched Birthrighters leaving Israel for “home”; gathered together exchanging contact information, hugging each other, not wanting to leave, tears of excitement. Their energy was contagious! We witnessed the same exuberance from those we saw, first- timers at the Kotel, experiencing the awe of the upcoming Shabbat singing and dancing together.

BRI makes it possible for our children to have an exceptional educational, cultural and motivational experience that they will never forget. We deeply believe in Tikkun Olam and live our lives trying to make our world better. BRI points the next generation in that very direction by helping them to understand their role in the Jewish community. We know they will “pay it forward” and become tomorrow’s philanthropists, influencers and insurers of our Jewish future."

Ron Eichel

BOCA RATON

"I had the pleasure of witnessing the excitement of the young adults and meeting participants on their trip last year... you get a sense that they are experiencing real change. They walk away affected having had this life-changing experience, so to see it in person is very heartwarming; I felt so proud. Most of all, though, Birthright Israel has reignited my Jewish identity, and I'm so thankful."

ATLANTA ATLANTA

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TIKKUN

OLAM Bringing Light into Darkness In Judaism, it is our duty as human beings to perform mitzvot, or acts of kindness. These acts of kindness elevate us, drawing us closer to G-d and to the purest and most authentic versions of ourselves. When we contribute to the well-being of society and strive to be the best versions of ourselves, we are practicing an act known as Tikkun Olam. The phrase Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “world repair”) is a concept in Judaism where we aspire to behave beneficially and shed light on a dark world.

Tikkun Olam is one of the many significant themes of a Birthright Israel trip. One of the most meaningful aspects of the trip is to teach and instill the values of this concept in the young Jewish generation. Regardless of a participant’s Jewish background, Birthright Israel aims to create opportunities for everyone on the trip to contribute to the vibrancy of the Jewish people worldwide. Birthright Israel endorses unity and through the concept of Tikkun Olam, connects these young Jews to their community – their Jewish community at home as well as the Jewish community at large.

I had so many conversations with Israeli’s about what this meant to them, and experienced so many stories about the amazing things being done in the country with the intentions of repairing our world. It is humbling to realize that miles between people mean nothing when connected through a common bond.”

Birthright Israel encourages participants to take what they learn on the trip and spread the ideas of working to repair the world wherever they may go in life. The world we live in is full of suffering and deeply in need of healing and a greater commitment to selflessness. With the proper tools and education, participants can help make the world a better place.

The Jewish people are a nation. We may live in other nations, but above all we cherish our Jewishness.

Birthright Israel aims to ensure the solidarity of the Jewish people by teaching our future Jewish leaders about the ideas of Tikkun Olam.

Birthright Israel alum, Garrett, says “Before Birthright, I had more of a theoretical understanding of Tikkun Olam, but being in Israel gave me a first-person experience with the physical nature of this concept.

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Trail Table From

To

On a Birthright Israel trip, participants can see Israel’s unmatched agricultural proficiency in person and lunch on fresh produce they handpick on the Salad Trail. The Salad Trail is a unique touch-and-taste farm in the northern Negev where participants experience the land firsthand by seeing how real vegetables grow and tasting some of the best vegetables in the world. Participants see Israel and witness how land in a desert can still bloom. While exploring the Salad Trail, participants not only discover the history of Israel, but the flavors and aromas as well.

After visiting the Salad Trail, participants develop a love for fresh and flavorful Israeli salad. And we have the perfect Israeli salad recipe for you!

What You Need • • • • • • • •

2 plum tomatoes, seeds removed and diced 1 bell pepper, diced 1/3 cup minced onion (optional) ½ cucumber, diced Lemon juice ¼ cup chopped parsley 2-3 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper (to taste)

What You Do

• Add all your veggies to a large bowl.

• Toss with lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper.

• Voilà! There you have it… enjoy!

Best served fresh at room temperature. If you’d like a more refreshing salad, you can also refrigerate and serve chilled.

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THE IMPORTANC THE NEGEV & DAV ON BIRTHRIG Birthright Israel is an opportunity to discover one’s Jewish roots in a place that has been the root of the Jewish story for 3000 years. And one cannot tell this 3000-year-old story without mentioning the idea of Zionism, a return of an indigenous nation to its homeland, and of course Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Essential to the Birthright Israel experience is taking part and exposing participants to the meaning of this return home, and how as a Diaspora Jew, no matter one’s beliefs, views, or denomination, the value of the land of Israel is integral to their personal Jewish story. This is why we’ll be diving into how the Negev is essential to this story, both the past, present, and future, and how it meets the educational requirement of a Zionist heritage site.

Understanding the Zionist narrative is a key educational element for each Birthright Israel group. The learning does not stem from merely visiting a Zionist heritage site, but from what insights are gained and how those insights add value to a participant’s personal Jewish journey. For example, participants may visit Sde Boker in the Negev, Ben-Gurion’s home.

David Ben-Gurion believed without the Negev, most specifically populating it, the State of Israel simply could not survive. The story goes that while he was on the road on the way back to the center of the country after a visit to Eilat, he saw a group of young pioneers building a new community, which was to become Kibbutz Sde Boker.

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Inspired by their vision and work, Ben-Gurion decided that such pioneering was key to the building of the new country, and if he did not follow these pioneers lead, how could he expect others in the country to.

So, he resigned as Prime Minister, left his home in Tel Aviv, and moved to Sde Boker to live out the Zionist idea of pioneering and building a country from the bottom up. While he was called back to be Prime Minister a year later, his permanent home remained Sde Boker until he died in 1973, where he is buried today with his wife, Paula.

Visiting Ben Gurion’s home and Sde Boker projects the importance of the Zionist story in the story of Israel and Jews in the Diaspora. It helps Birthright Israel participants conceptualize Jewishness in the context of a Jewish country as opposed to how many may identify Jewishly outside of Israel. But this insight of visiting the Negev, and most specifically Sde Boker, where one is exposed to Ben-Gurion’s personal example of Zionism as mentioned in the story above, embodies values that any Jew can relate to in today’s world.

When Birthright Israel participants visit Sde Boker, it is as if Ben-Gurion himself is speaking to them. Participants see the example he set by giving up his own ambitions and individual needs, like stepping down as Prime Minister, to set an example for the people of Israel.

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CE OF ZIONISM, AVID BEN-GURION GHT ISRAEL It demonstrates how, even in the craziness of life, it is important to commit to something bigger than oneself and how that gives us a greater personal meaning.

Even more so, Ben-Gurion’s move to the Negev shows the importance of taking Jewish destiny into your own hands.

The Negev, over 55% of the landmass of the country, populated by less than 10% of the population, is vital for Israel’s security and economic future. A secure Israel means a secure Jewish future for all Jews, wherever they may live, for generations to come. Knowing that Israel, in all its amazingness and complexities, is there for Jews no matter where they are is key to the Zionist story, and recognizing the pioneering work of the Zionist movement before the establishment of the modern State of Israel through the achievements of the Start-Up Nation today, the story of the Jewish people, past and present, is a crucial insight gained by Birthright Israel participants.

our participants to not only learn about Zionism but to appreciate the essence of the Jewish people’s determination to build their own destiny in their ancestral homeland. A visit to Sde Boker while on Birthright Israel is one small way this happens – a chance to bring young Jews together on personal journeys in the miracle that is Israel.

The experience of Birthright Israel includes many aspects to touch on the fundamental values, narratives, and settings of the story of the Jewish people. But it is not so much in seeing the sites as it is for participants to gain insights into how their personal story fits into this larger picture.

That is why every Birthright Israel participant travels to a Zionist heritage site while in Israel and why we, as educators of Jewish young adults believe these sites allow 12

DAVID BEN-GURION

THE FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL

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20 BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL

FOUNDATION

BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY GALA HONORING

CHARLES BRONFMAN

FOR HIS VISION & PASSION TRANSFORMING THE JEWISH FUTURE

SAVE THE DATE MAY 4, 2020 NEW YORK CITY

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Join

Birthright Israel Foundation on an unforgettable

June 21-25, 2020 For more information visit: birthrightisrael.foundation/travel

NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 1090 NEW HAVEN CT

CONTACT US FOUNDATION MAILING ADDRESS Birthright Israel Foundation P.O. Box 21615 New York, NY 10087

FOUNDATION MAIN OFFICE (212) 457-0036

BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL TRIP HOTLINE (888) 994-7723

FOLLOW US birthrightisrael.foundation birthright Israel Foundation @brifgiving @birthrightisrael_foundation