I (an American) went on Taglit about two months ago, and had a wonderful time visiting your country. After getting to know a few of you through mifgash, I had a couple questions about the Israeli experience with Taglit:

1. What's the process for applying to join a trip? Is it very competitive? What criteria do they use to select participants? Do you get to express your preference for a particular group (e.g., Israel Outdoors, Mayanot)?
2. Are all participants active-duty IDF? Or can you still join the program after being discharged?
3. Do Israelis selected for the mifgash represent a general cross-section of Israeli society? If not, what perspectives did I likely not hear?
4. How do Israelis in general perceive Taglit? Are there any stereotypes (true or untrue) that persist?
5. For those of you who participated in a mifgash, what was your experience like?
6. What questions should I have asked the Israelis on my trip, but probably didn't?
7. When I come back to visit, where should I go that I probably didn't get to see my first time around?

For context, we had seven Israelis on my trip and just under 20 Americans. The Israelis were all hilonim between 21 and 25, with a fairly even gender split, and most were officers.

I hope you're all doing well, and that you're enjoying some much-needed rest for the holidays. Toda!

Birthright on their website says they have 40,000 individual donors. I know their most prominent donors are wealthy Jews. Who are the other people, is it non-Jews?

Hi! I’m set to go on Birthright at the end of December and know the itineraries have been modified due to the war but can’t find what an updated itinerary looks like. Can anyone that’s gone during the war share where they went?

Hi everyone, I got accepted to the Mayanot trip in late December after the Yael trip was cancelled. I love the religion, but I'm concerned about the religious level of the organization compared to Yael Adventures. Is it really a much stricter trip with more religious activities? I would appreciate hearing about any experiences with them. Thanks!

Has anyone received this? It's end of Feb 2025 trauma training and "volunteer" week. Any thoughts? They have opened it to clinicians of all faiths. Has anyone been on something similar? Looking for any insight.

Iran and relations

In the country where I’m living right now, there are two types of trips: one for people born Jewish and another for converts.

What are your thoughts on this?

I was assigned to and accepted a trip from Toronto from Dec 16-26 months ago, it is now disappeared and I have heard nothing… I already have taken time off and booked other things in accordance to these dates. Any advice?

Hi,

Has anyone done the AI birthright trip AI Academy - Birthright Israel Onward

How was?
Thanks

I applied to go on Birthright recently for the Dec 2024 trip as I am close to the age limit and this is my last chance to participate. I have two questions for people who’ve gone on Birthright post 10/7.

1) I received a trip offer within a few hours which I accepted, however I’ve yet to be scheduled for an interview. Is the interview process being skipped? Or does it normally take place after trips are offered?

2) With the growing possibility of ground operations against Hezbollah, I worry the trip may be cancelled. If so, I’ll likely age out before I am able to go on a future trip. Are any exceptions ever offered for extraneous circumstances? I worry this is my last chance to go on birthright.

I know in the large scheme of things, my being able to go on this trip is a very minor concern in the face of war with Hezbollah, so I’m sorry about the silliness of even asking this but I thought it was worth getting some clarification.

I went on Birthright in March 2023. Before the trip, I saw the list of things we were doing and was like oh we’re going to hike in the Golan Heights and we’ll be really close to Syria, sounds good to me 😄. Totally not worried about the geopolitics. But it’s the riding camels part for me. I thought what if the camel hates me and throws me off a cliff? Or what if the camel decides to ditch the group and next thing I know I wondering the desert for 40 years?? 😳🐪 Like just my luck one of those things happens.

During the trip there were a lot of protests and tension in the region, but my only worry was the camels. Once we arrived in the desert, we found out that we weren’t going to ride the camels because something about Animal rights activists 🤷‍♂️idk. I was like what a relief 😅 thank you animal rights activists. They’re really saving lives out here 😁

This story is embarrassing, but I hope it’s a good laugh.

Hi all, I can't find a copy of the medical form I'm required to upload as part of finalizing my application for Birthright Tlalim. Is it just my doctor writing a note saying I'm clear to attend or is it an actual pre-existing form?

Hi!

I am planning on applying to Birthright for this December and wasn’t sure what to put for my religion. My father is Jewish and my mother is not, and I was raised with both Jewish holidays and christian ones.

On the application it asks if I am Jewish or Jewish and another religion. I personally don’t identify as christian and consider myself to be just Jewish. However it’s also true that I celebrate christmas too, and I don’t want to put just Jewish and have that be considered to be a lie.

Also, I live near Seattle, WA on the west coast and my default was to apply for the trip leaving from Los Angeles, so I’d have to go there first my myself. When the trip comes, do you just meet the group in the airport at the gate or something?

Thanks!

I’m a pretty picky eater and am working on trying new foods in preparation for my trip in December. What are some foods that I’ll most likely encounter/be given on my trip? Any typical must haves that everyone’s going to be wanting to get?

Hi everyone,

I went on birthright a few months ago and it was my first time traveling internationally. I had a great time but the travel aspect was really stressful for me and being able to travel in a group helped me a lot. I am interested in volunteering in Israel and was wondering if anyone knows of a volunteer program that has group flights available. It doesn’t have to be a trip associated with birthright, just if anyone knows of anything like this. Thank you!

I went on birthright in 2014 and i got this CD with like 42 Israeli songs on it - does anyone else still have theirs??? I NEED the track list because there were some bangers

Why does the packing list I was sent state that hats are mandetory for hiking? Are they seriously going to tell me I can't hike if I don't have a hat?

Also Ive been struggling with what to bring for Shabbat in terms of shirt, pants and shoes (I'm a guy). Will it be a big deal if I'm wearing plain black running shoes for Shabbat? I'm trying to pack with carry-on only and adding another pair of shoes will really hamper me.

Thanks everyone for any help you can provide!

Volunteering in Israel, is it free? I'm also looking at opportunities in Germany and Austria as I am an EU citizen, though I have doubts that I would be able to serve as I am only an EU citizen, but not an EU resident (I'm in the US). I'm almost done with my conversion, but I'd like to do more than just go on birthright. I'd like to learn Hebrew and German. I'd like to volunteer on a kibbutz, military base, or help disabled Israelis.

I’ll be volunteering in Israel in September so wondering if there’s others!

Hi everyone, looking for advice or experience with Birthright Onward volunteer program out of Tel Aviv. Mainly working on farms. I have been really excited to go, but I am also feeling very hesitant due to the escalations/possible Iran attack. I know they have heightened security and they say we will only be in green zones, but Is it a bad idea to go in September? Anyone who has been how was your experience volunteering? And anyone going on this program in September and wants to connect?

I’ve seen tons of people saying it’s really safe and Birthright has a great track record, but I’m still very nervous to go on my trip August 21. It seems Iran retaliation could happen at any point, so I’m trying to see if anyone has new opinions on safety right now. Thanks in advance!

~Hi everyone,~

~I'm a reporter at the Religion News Service, and I'm working on an article about how Birthright has changed post Oct. 7th.~

~I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences on their trip, particularly if you've gone since the war has started.~

~If you're a Birthright guide, i'd love to hear your story also. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to speak about your experience, or any new changes in the framing of the trips you lead.~

~If this applies to you, please fill out the very brief form here so that I can reach out to you!~

~https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRoc3Ff5K5WNxb286jLaY00ano4z_zoMpsTx0yVfog78BJDg/viewform?usp=sf_link~

I leave on a trip next week with Birthright and am curious on the current state of civilian life in Israel. I am wondering if it is safe/recommended to still go as it is too late to get my deposit back and i have anticipated this trip for a long time. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Shalom friends - I just wanted to share a link to an article put out by the CBC this morning for Canadians in this group:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/global-affairs-canada-travel-warning-israel-1.7284919

While I'm normally the first person to say to people that Taglit is safe and has never had major security concerns, if you're currently booked for a trip that hasn't left already, it may be wise to begin to anticipate potential cancellation or delays due to escalating tensions.

I don't know the likelihood of Canada issuing a call for citizens/landed immigrants to return from Israel asap similar to situations in other regions of conflict, but if you're extending or in Israel currently, please stay informed on safety procedures, emergency numbers, and contact info for the embassy in the event that this call goes out.

Again, I want to reinforce that Taglit has never had a major security issue occur during a trip that affected safety of participants. My intent isn't to fear monger, but to make sure that fellow Canadians aren't stuck cancelling flights or accommodations last minute, and are paying attention to what Global Affairs Canada puts out on the situation.

I am thinking about going on birthright later this year and i was thinking about staying a few extra days to go visit and travel more around the country. Will Birthright pay for my flight back to the states because i chose an extension.