Birthright Israel: It's A Family Affair

birthright israel: It 's a

Each year Birthright Israel Foundation is honored and humbled to receive the support of nearly 40,000 donors. These donors include individuals, families and foundations that make the decision to help sustain Birthright Israel and provide the gift of a lifetime. Each donor supports our work for a di erent reason. Perhaps they are parents of participants and want to help another child experience our homeland. Maybe there was no opportunity like Birthright Israel when they were young, and they feel they missed out on such a transformative experience. Growing up as children or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors may have taught them to have a deeper appreciation for the State of Israel and the Jewish community and a responsibility to protect them.

Regardless of the reason, we at Birthright Israel Foundation are forever indebted to our supporters. As we prepare to turn the calendar on what has been a trying year, we look forward to a year full of hope and promise. A year when Birthright Israel buses are flooding the highways of Israel and our participants are thriving and finding community once again. As we imagine what is to come, we know it will be thanks to our wonderful supporters, including the Gould and Shenfeld families.

Helaine and Fred Gould have been proud supporters of the State of Israel for decades and it is no surprise their daughter and son in-law, Wendy and Steve Shenfeld followed in their footsteps. Wendy serves as a member of Birthright Israel Foundation’s Board of Directors and their son Kyle Shenfeld, a Birthright Israel alumnus, is a member of our Young Leadership Council. Join us and get to know a family that is truly an inspiration to us all.

How did you first learn about Birthright Israel?

Helaine Gould: We were in temple and Marlene Post, a member of Birthright Israel Foundation’s board, who had been the president of our Temple came over to us and said, "Michael Steinhardt and Charles Bronfman have this great idea, they're going to take every Jewish kid to Israel for free." We smiled and we said, "Lots of good luck. We wish you well and of course, we'll be supporters." But in my head, I said, "What a lovely pipe dream." Well, it became much more than a pipe dream.

Steve Shenfeld: For years, our family has given to many organizations, and actually Fred had approached Wendy and me about Birthright Israel and said, "There's a Long Island chapter forming. I think it'd be a good idea for one of the two of you to go and listen to what they're doing, what they're trying to build."

why is supporting israel so important to you?

Fred Gould: Well, we did make a decision early in our lives. Without Israel, we wouldn’t have a Jewish homeland. When a Jew finds it intolerable to live someplace, the only place he can go really is Israel. So, to us, supporting Israel is a high priority.

Helaine Gould: Israel has been a major part of our lives. When I was 29, Fred dragged me to Israel after the '67 War. I was very, very frightened about going. We got there and the first day I said, "I'm not staying," because it was a war zone. And he said, "Stay one day." And we stayed, of course, and the week changed the rest of my life.

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL?

Kyle Shenfeld: From what you can tell of our family, I had Israel instilled in me before, but going on Birthright Israel enhanced my involvement. You feel it. You're like this is important. This is special. So, though I had this love for Israel instilled in me, I did not really connect until I went on Birthright Israel.

Steve Shenfeld: The program is special because young adults want to go. It all begins with an overt expression of interest. They're deciding for the first time in their life, that they want to do something Jewish. And I thought that was part of the brilliance of the organization. From a fundraising perspective, it makes it challenging because people don't perceive that the young people going necessarily need the money to make this voyage. But they're missing the point, because it is free, they willfully choose to go. And once they make that decision to go, they have these special moments. Wendy and I would be in Israel, and talk to the kids, including our own son who just expressed it himself. Just a little exposure is really an awakening.

Wendy Shenfeld: We have met so many young people along the way, people who are now activists and very involved and said they went because they thought it would simply be a fun journey. They actually didn't really care at all about Israel. Many thought, "Oh, free trip, cool. We'll vacation." And it's those people that are most interesting, how they get turned on and how they feel connected and part of something from the 10-day Birthright Israel experience. Many people who we met had one Jewish parent, and others who perhaps weren't raised Jewish at all. And they didn't even know that they were longing for something, but when they landed there, and they were on the ground in Israel, they all of a sudden felt connected and wanted to be part of this.

WHy is philanthropy so important to your family?

Wendy Shenfeld: Because of my parents' generosity, Steve and I were exposed to tremendous people who share our values and have become great friends of ours, some of our best friends, people who are passionate about things that we care about. And it all really stemmed from my parents showing us the importance of being generous, really. If it weren't for them exposing us to philanthropy, we wouldn't know the pleasure of meeting people who care about things like we do.

Helaine Gould: The kids saw the pleasures that we got out of our involvement. The kids were exposed to lots of interesting speakers, very early on in their lives, but they were never, never pushed to be involved. Kyle Shenfeld: I think what my grandma said is right as well. We were exposed early on to interesting Jewish people, Holocaust survivors. We're a very charitable family. Jewish causes are first and foremost as it relates to our charitable contributions. There are other charities out there that just have a broad mission, and sometimes it's hard to wrap your head around it. What Birthright Israel is doing is very concrete.

Fred Gould: We've been blessed, we've been fortunate in life. And giving to Israel and Jewish causes has been part of our family forever. We need more Jews who understand Israel. It is imperative for us.

Our hope for the Jewish future is that Birthright Israel participants one day become grandparents and parents like Helaine and Fred and Wendy and Steve who pass on the lessons of tzedakah and tikkun olam to their children, like they did to their children Kyle, Ricki and Michael. We know the Jewish people are strong because of the value we put on family and philanthropy. Each of us lives out the phrase l’dor v’dor in one way or another. Here, at Birthright Israel Foundation, we are truly blessed to have multi-generational support from families like the Gould and Shenfeld mispacha. We know that your investment today will ensure Birthright Israel participants will become tomorrow's leaders.