To whom does the state of Israel belong? This question has been asked countless times by countless people in the last decade, and the range of responses is controversial and virtually limitless. But philanthropists Michael Steinhardt and Charles Bronfman believe they have an answer: it belongs to anyone of Jewish heritage, and as such they have the right of birth to visit.
With this philosophy in mind and the support of countless patrons of the Jewish community, Steinhardt and Bronfman began Taglit-Birthright Israel in 2000. The organization was created to send young Jewish adults from all over the world to Israel in order to lessen the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities in other countries. It has continued throughout the past eight years with great success.
"Birthright has opened the doors to hundreds of thousands of people who would not have gone to Israel otherwise, inspiring them to bring Judaism into their lives," said Gordon Dale, program associate at Tufts Hillel. "Contrary to what many people assume, a high percentage of Birthright participants did not grow up with a strong sense of Jewish identity. Birthright gives participants the opportunity to explore their heritage, ask hard questions and connect to the historical homeland of the Jewish people."
The program, which is open to Jewish adults of ages 18 to 26, has provided a life-changing opportunity for many college students who would not be able to afford the expense of traveling to Israel if not for the generous donations of Birthright's patrons.
"[The Birthright program] allows people who have never been [to Israel] a great opportunity to go," sophomore Hillary Rosen said. "They can experience it with peers their own age, and it makes money a non-issue. It's very encouraging and perfectly targeted at college-age students."
Hillel President Nathan Render echoed Rosen's sentiments. "I think the program is very important in terms of engaging students and individuals who have little or no connection to Israel and would otherwise have no connection if it had not been for Birthright," said Render, a senior. "I know of many people whose lives have been completely transformed by their experience, and I think it's invaluable."
Numerous students describe experiences that coincide with Render's attitude, and Tufts has notably embraced Birthright's opportunities to the program's fullest extent. Hillel hosts two trips to Israel each year, allowing students to visit Israel for 10 days without paying a dime.
But with the current state of the economy, this luxury may not be here to stay. Birthright has been repeatedly bombarded with rumors of its deteriorating financial state due to the lessening contribution of donors and Bernard Madoff's well-publicized alleged Ponzi scheme.
Madoff, a prominent investor in the private sector, is believed to have embezzled as much as $50 billion. Much of this money originated from private philanthropic organizations, many of which were forced to close.
The Lappin Foundation and The Chais Family Foundation -- which provides funding for Hillel -- took with them much of the funding for Jewish life in the Massachusetts Bay area.
Because the Birthright program runs on donations as opposed to investments, it was not directly affected by Madoff's actions, but it remains to be seen what will happen to its donors, who are very much affected by the scandal. As it stands today, Birthright admits it will not be able to send as many Jewish youths on trips in 2009. Whereas in 2008, 42,000 students were able to partake in the Birthright trip, only 25,000 are estimated to participate in the upcoming year.
"I hope other people will step in to help, as the program has been threatened so many times before," sophomore Julia Carlson said.
While remaining cautiously optimistic, Dale encourages students to take advantage of the opportunity while they can.
"It is important that students who are thinking of participating in Birthright do so now rather than putting it off," Dale said.
