Birthright Israel Trip Review
This is the blog for you if you want to read a review from a person who recently went on a birthright trip to Israel. This isn’t the blog to discuss the various political, ethical, philosophical, or religious reasons about why or why not to go.
My experience on Taglit Birthright Israel
I recently went on Taglit Birthright Israel and had a great experience and want to share my honest review of the trip with you so you can make an informed decision on whether or not to go. The trip was 10 days spent exploring Israel, doing activities with the group, and learning about Jewish and Israeli history.
I will give one perspective, mine, which means it may not apply to everyone eligible for a Birthright trip. I will be reviewing why you go on Birthright, the itinerary, the Israeli motive for the trip, extending your stay, and overall thoughts.
Why go on Birthright
If you are eligible for a Birthright trip (i.e. you have one Jewish grandparent and are between 18-26) and are open minded and flexible, then I think Birthright may be a good option for you. The trip is a ten days with about 20-30 of your American and Israeli peers spent touring Israel and discussing your Jewish heritage, religion, and a lot more.
You should go on the trip if you are interested in and/or comfortable with most or some of the following:
After hiking Masada at sunrise
Are interested in your Jewish heritage
Want to see Israel
Want to meet Israelis
Can go 10 days with little rest or sleep
Can spend 10 days with no privacy, socializing constantly
Are flexible and open to change
Are patient
Are interested in Israeli and Jewish history
Can share a room with 2-3 people
Are physically fit more or less (can spend hours on your feet, hike, raft)
You should not go on the trip if you expect it to be a 10 day relaxing vacation.
You will have little to no free time to explore and the trips itinerary is not up to you. If you want this, you can either go to Israel on you own, or extrend the trip and stay behind to so some more exploration.
View from Yad Veshem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem.
The itinerary
The trips are 10 days and take you throughout a lot of Israel. While a lot of trips follow a similar itinerary, they do vary so this was only my trips itinerary and yours may vary.
3 days in the North (we went to Tiberius)
3-4 days in Jerusalem
1 day in the Bedouin tents and then hike Masada
3-4 days in Tel Aviv.
Throughout the trip you are constantly on the move. In each place we had a jam packed schedule and little to no free time. Some highlights of the itinerary for me included rafting the Jordan river, going out to the shuk in Jerusalem at night, floating in the Dead Sea, And having one last night out in Tel Aviv.
I thought the itinerary was a good slice of Israel to see, however I wished we had more free time to explore Tel Aviv and Jerusalem because we only had a few free hours in each place.
Floating in the Dead Sea.
The Motive
Birthright is controversial as is nearly everything associated with Israel. It was initially created as a reaction to Jewish intermarriage rates outside of Israel, using the trips as a way to reignite Jewish identity (and maybe to play matchmaker with the participants??). Birthright is claimed by many as a propaganda trip to make sure that Israel has support from Jews all over the world. While I understand that argument, I generally didn’t feel that the trip was solely for gaining support, it impacts most participants in many positive ways, not only regarding Israel.
The trip is definitely designed so that by the end of it you have more respect and admiration for Israel. I do think that if you know going in that there is a motive and it will be a one sided view, you can seek out other opinions and try to understand the greater situation. And as you may expect, you will probably leave with slightly or very different opinions on Israel as would happen in visiting any new place.
Extending your stay
The streets of Jerusalem
If there is one piece of advice I’d leave you with it would be to extend your stay. I didn’t get to because I had plans immediately after the trip, but I wish I had given myself even just a few extra days to spend in Tel Aviv alone. The trip is so highly programmed and fast paced that you rarely get any time to explore on your own so you will want to do that.
You can do it easily with your trip provider and tell them how long you want to stay and they book you an alternate flight back (you may have to pay any price difference if there is one from the trips flight back). And if you are going on the trip alone and are worried about staying there alone, it is very likely a bunch of other people will be staying behind to for you to book accommodation with and explore together.
Overall Review
While Birthright can be a controversial, I do think that going to Israel with a group of Jews is really an amazing experience. I have never felt so connected to my Jewish heritage or the people. I learned a lot about Jewish identity, community, and history. While I know the trip isn’t perfect and would have appreciated some changes, I am grateful for its existence and glad I went. If you are interested in connection and want to explore a completely different part of the world, then this is a great option for you.
Go in with an open mind, make friends, enjoy the sights and experiences, and stay hydrated! If you do this, that I bet you will enjoy the trip and leave with some great memories.
