Birthright

What a new play gets right about ‘Birthright’ and our anguished Jewish conversation - opinion

Jonathan Spector’s “Birthright,” now at MCC Theater, uses the free Israel trip as the starting point for decades of wrestling with Israel, Judaism and friendship.

|ByTORI GREENE/JTA
In "Birthright," on stage at the MCC Theater in New York, friends reconnect over the years and confront their differences over Israel and Jewishness.
New immigrants from North America arrive at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport on March 25, 2026.

Undeterred by war, North American Jews continue to immigrate to Israel

“My worry was, how could I get there as fast as possible?” said Deluca, 39, who arrived in Israel on March 9, just eight days after the war with Iran began.

|ByPETER EPHROSS/JTA
Participants on a Birthright Israel program.

Birthright travelers look different after October 7, but the effect remains the same, study shows

“Many of the applicants live in communities where they hear frequent criticism of Israel,” a Brandeis University researcher said. "Their perspective on the conflict lacks context.”

|ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Kikar Hamusica: View of Jerusalem’s Music Square with its various restau rants and outdoor music performance spaces.

Saved by a square: A rainy-day miracle at Jerusalem’s Hebrew Music Museum

When rain shut down Dead Sea plans, the Hebrew Music Museum turned a Birthright setback into an unforgettable Jerusalem experience.

|ByHOWARD BLAS

Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship kicks off summer program

Birthright Israel Excel welcomed 64 international college students to their fellowship program this week.

JUNE 20, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Birthright Israel Excel 2023

Major UK Jewish group to require approval for trips over Israel's Green Line

UJIA's new policy on travel beyond the Green Line - including to the Kotel - raises fresh challenges and triggers diverse responses within the UK's Jewish community.

JUNE 18, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
View of the Dome of the Rock, the western wall and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City on November 16, 2022.

18 facts about Israel every 18-year-old American needs to know - opinion

These 18 facts about Israel are designed not to give American Jewish students the tools to defeat the campus anti-Israel movement, but to know the truth about Israel.

JUNE 11, 2023ByURI PILICHOWSKI
RESTING AND water sports at Ein Gev on the shores of the Kinneret: If your knowledge of Israel came from the media, you’d assume Israel has been a war zone for all its 75 years, says the writer.

Human rights in childbirth - opinion

A country that enshrines civil equality and also proudly holds the title for the highest birth rate of all OECD countries – must treat its women with the utmost respect.

MAY 14, 2023ByHAYUTA GOREN
ON PAPER, every woman in Israel has the right to choose to give birth in a hospital, at home or in a birth center, says the writer.

Birthright Israel sees 40% drop in Diaspora participants

Budget cuts, Covid-19 and the "government's attitude towards Birthright Israel" have resulted in a dramatic change in participation.

MAY 8, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
BIRTHRIGHT PARTICIPANTS gather in Jerusalem for a mega-event in 2017.

Birthright Israel: Making trips accessible for Jews with disabilities

Thanks to the committed efforts of many players, Birthright is becoming increasingly accessible to any Jewish young adult who wants to experience the country.

APRIL 11, 2023ByMAYA ZANGER-NADIS
THE BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL group of challenged young adults arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport in Feburary.

Birthright Israel's contract hasn't been extended by Israeli gov't

The Diaspora Affairs minister is typically in charge of Birthright on behalf of the government, but the current Minister, Amichai Chikli, hasn't received this mandate yet.

MARCH 26, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
Birthright participants and IDF soldiers during a visit to Israel before the pandemic.

US orgs meet to aid educational trips to Israel

The diverse group included representation from dozens of organizations, from Birthright-Israel to Chabad on Campus International to the Christian Passages organization.

FEBRUARY 19, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
Eric Fingerhut introduced a meeting of the IETA with Minister Amichai Chikli.

Birthright Israel considering canceling all camel rides during Israel trips - exclusive

The often highly-anticipated tourist activity of riding camels may come to an end for Birthright Israel participants.

JANUARY 31, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
A CAMEL enjoys a salad in the Negev’s Ramat Arad vineyard.

First Ukrainian Birthright group since war arrives in Adelson private jet

For some of the participants, it is the first time they have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

JANUARY 24, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
Dr. Miriam Adelson and Gidi Mark with the group, right after landing at Ben Gurion International Airport.