Wikipedia Deep Dive

Birthright Israel

11 min read

The Billion-Dollar Bet on Jewish Identity

Here's a striking statistic: one out of every five American Jews under 46 has taken the same free ten-day trip to Israel. That's not a coincidence or organic tourism. It's the result of a deliberate, lavishly funded program that has become perhaps the most ambitious social engineering project in modern Jewish history.

Birthright Israel—or Taglit, from the Hebrew word meaning "discovery"—has since 1999 sent over 900,000 young Jews from 68 countries to Israel, completely free of charge. The program costs roughly $4,500 per person, covered entirely by a combination of private donors, the Israeli government, and Jewish organizations. It is, by any measure, the largest educational tourism organization in the world.

But Birthright is far more than a travel program. It represents a calculated response to what Jewish community leaders perceived as an existential crisis: the gradual dissolution of Jewish identity in the diaspora, particularly in the United States.

The Crisis That Sparked a Movement

In 1990, something happened that sent shockwaves through Jewish communal organizations. The National Jewish Population Survey revealed alarming trends: intermarriage rates were climbing, synagogue attendance was declining, and young Jews were increasingly disconnected from both their heritage and from Israel. The data suggested that American Jewry, the largest diaspora community in the world, might simply... fade away.

Two philanthropists decided to do something about it. Charles Bronfman, heir to the Seagram liquor fortune, and Michael Steinhardt, a hedge fund billionaire, conceived of a radical idea in 1994: what if every young Jew could visit Israel for free? Not as a luxury or reward, but as a birthright—something owed to them simply by virtue of their heritage.

The concept was audacious. Most heritage programs at the time charged participants or offered only modest subsidies. Bronfman and Steinhardt proposed to eliminate the cost barrier entirely. Their theory was simple but profound: if you get young Jews to Israel at a formative age, the experience will transform them. The land itself would do the work that sermons and Sunday schools could not.

The first trips launched in 1999. By 2007, the program was sending 20,000 participants annually. Then casino magnate Sheldon Adelson—who would become one of the most influential Republican donors in American history—pledged $25 million to eliminate waiting lists and expand capacity to 37,000. By 2018, the program peaked at over 48,000 participants in a single year.

What Actually Happens on a Birthright Trip

The mechanics of a Birthright trip are carefully orchestrated. Participants must be between 18 and 26 years old (though this was temporarily raised to 32 between 2017 and 2022 to account for delayed adulthood patterns in millennial and Gen Z populations). They must have at least one Jewish parent or have converted through a recognized Jewish movement. Crucially, they cannot actively practice another religion, and they cannot have visited Israel on a peer educational program after age 18.

These eligibility rules reveal something important about the program's purpose. Birthright isn't targeting committed Jews—those people would likely find their way to Israel anyway. It's targeting the ambivalent, the unaffiliated, the young people who might check "Jewish" on a survey but haven't set foot in a synagogue in years.

The trips themselves last ten days, including travel time. Participants visit the expected sites: the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the ancient fortress of Masada, the Dead Sea. But the program's design goes far beyond sightseeing.

Perhaps the most distinctive element is the "mifgash"—Hebrew for "encounter"—a five to ten day period where the group is joined by young Israelis, usually soldiers currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces. The stated purpose is cultural exchange: diaspora Jews meeting their Israeli peers, comparing experiences, discussing identity. But critics note that having participants bond with uniformed soldiers inevitably shapes their perception of Israel's military and security policies.

The trips culminate in "Mega Events," large gatherings where participants hear from Israeli dignitaries—including, at times, the Prime Minister—and popular Israeli musicians. These events are designed to create an emotional crescendo, a collective experience that participants will remember and associate with their newfound connection to Israel.

The Demographics and Logistics

About 80 percent of Birthright participants come from the United States and Canada, with the remainder drawn from Jewish communities across 68 countries. Trips are organized by various accredited organizations—religious movements, universities, Hillel chapters, or specialized operators catering to specific demographics like LGBTQ participants, graduate students, or hiking enthusiasts.

Every group travels with a licensed Israeli tour guide and an armed security guard. El Al, Israel's flag carrier airline, operates most of the flights. The logistical operation is massive: during peak seasons, Birthright participants represent as many as 12 percent of all tourists in Israel.

Does It Work?

Leonard Saxe, a professor at Brandeis University, has studied Birthright's impact since its inception. His research suggests the program achieves its goals in measurable ways. Participants are 16 percentage points more likely to have a Jewish partner than similar non-participants. They report higher engagement with Jewish life. And here's a remarkable finding: one in four Birthright participants ultimately marry another Birthright participant.

A 2020 Pew Research study found that after participating in Birthright, American Jews reported an 85 percent increase in attachment to Israel, a 54 percent increase in feelings of belonging to the Jewish people, and a 160 percent increase in desire to have a Jewish spouse.

These numbers suggest something powerful is happening during those ten days. Whether you view that transformation as authentic identity formation or effective manipulation depends largely on your perspective on the program itself.

Following the Money

Understanding Birthright requires understanding its funding structure. According to the organization's own figures, 67 percent of funding comes from individual donors, 27 percent from the Israeli government, 3 percent from Jewish federations, and 3 percent from the Jewish Agency for Israel.

That individual donor category is dominated by a handful of extremely wealthy philanthropists. Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam gave more than $250 million by 2015—making them by far the program's largest backers. The founders, Bronfman and Steinhardt, have remained major contributors. Other significant donors include Daniel Och of the hedge fund Och-Ziff Capital Management, Lynn Schusterman of the Samson Investment Company fortune, and various members of the Bronfman family.

The program also receives funding from an unexpected source: the German government, channeled through the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which distributes compensation funds for Holocaust survivors and Jewish heritage projects.

By 2016, according to an Ernst and Young study, Birthright had contributed over $1.1 billion to the Israeli economy—$840 million in hotel, tourism, and flight revenue, plus $325 million in participant spending. When COVID-19 canceled trips in 2020, the Israeli economy lost an estimated $200 million.

The Criticism

Birthright has never lacked for critics, and their objections cut to fundamental questions about the program's purpose and methods.

The most pointed criticism comes from left-leaning Jewish groups. Jewish Currents, a progressive Jewish magazine, has described Birthright as "one of the most effective propaganda campaigns on behalf of the Israeli government and its occupation of the Palestinian territories." The Jewish Voice for Peace runs a campaign called "Return the Birthright," urging young Jews to boycott the program and noting the injustice that diaspora Jews receive free trips while Palestinian refugees cannot return to their ancestral homes.

The prominence of Sheldon Adelson—a staunch supporter of both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu—in Birthright's funding has drawn particular scrutiny. Critics argue that accepting hundreds of millions from such a politically active donor inevitably shapes the program's messaging, even if indirectly.

In 2006, Salon.com alleged that Birthright screened out applicants for political reasons—a charge the organization denied, insisting it does not ask about applicants' political views. But the structure of the program itself embeds certain political assumptions: the centrality of Israel to Jewish identity, the legitimacy of the Israeli state, the value of connection with the Israeli military.

In recent years, Birthright has added optional activities involving Israeli Arabs—an acknowledgment, perhaps, that the original program presented a one-sided picture. But critics contend these additions are cosmetic rather than substantive.

The Deeper Questions

Birthright raises fascinating questions about identity, belonging, and the lengths to which communities will go to perpetuate themselves.

Is Jewish identity something that can be transmitted through a ten-day trip? The program's designers believe—and the data seems to support—that immersive experience at a formative age creates lasting bonds. But is that education or indoctrination? The line between the two often depends on whether you agree with the message.

There's also the question of what kind of Jewish identity Birthright promotes. The program explicitly ties Jewish identity to Israel—not to religious practice, not to ethical tradition, not to Yiddish culture or Jewish literature or the long history of diaspora life. Critics from within the Jewish community argue this represents a particular, politically charged vision of Jewishness rather than a neutral transmission of heritage.

The mifgash component—bonding with Israeli soldiers—is particularly charged. Supporters say it humanizes Israelis and creates genuine cross-cultural understanding. Critics argue it normalizes military service and discourages critical thinking about Israeli policies in the occupied territories.

The Imitators

Birthright's apparent success has inspired numerous imitators. Birthright Armenia sends diaspora Armenians to explore their ancestral homeland. ReConnect Hungary targets young Hungarian-Americans. Birthright Greece serves the Greek diaspora. The Domovina Birthright Program connects Croatian descendants with Croatia.

More loosely inspired programs include the CubaOne Foundation for Cuban-Americans and Birthright Africa, founded in 2015 to connect young Black Americans with the continent of their ancestors. In 2022, college basketball coach Bruce Pearl launched "Birthright for College Basketball," taking American teams to Israel for ten-day trips.

These programs share Birthright's core insight: that identity is not automatically transmitted across generations, especially in immigrant communities where assimilation pressures are strong. If you want to maintain a diaspora's connection to a homeland, you may need to actively engineer that connection.

The Current State

Birthright's trajectory has not been uniformly upward. After peaking at over 48,000 participants in 2018, numbers have declined. Only 35,000 attended in 2022, and budgetary cuts meant just 23,500 were anticipated for 2023.

The program has evolved structurally. In 2022, Birthright merged with Onward Israel, a Jewish Agency program offering longer six to ten week stays in Israel for work and study. A post-trip program called Birthright NEXT, launched in 2007 to maintain alumni engagement, shut down by 2015 due to lack of funding—suggesting that the emphasis remains on the initial trip rather than ongoing connection.

A 2010 extension called Birthright Excel offers a ten-week summer program where participants either create ventures or intern with Israeli businesses, attempting to create deeper professional ties to the country.

And in 2023, Birthright had its first second-generation participant—someone whose parent had also taken a Birthright trip. The program is now old enough to be shaping multiple generations.

Notable Alumni

The list of Birthright participants reads like a cross-section of American Jewish celebrity. Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos. YouTuber Casey Neistat. Podcaster Ethan Klein. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki. Actress and comedian Abbi Jacobson. Influencer Montana Tucker. The internet personality known as Doctor Mike.

More solemnly, the list includes Max Steinberg, an American who made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) after his Birthright trip, joined the IDF, and was killed during the 2014 Gaza war. His story has been invoked by both supporters and critics of the program—supporters who see his commitment as inspiring, critics who see his death as a cautionary tale about where heightened attachment to Israel can lead.

The Larger Story

Birthright Israel exists at the intersection of philanthropy, politics, and identity. It represents a massive investment—well over a billion dollars at this point—in a particular vision of what it means to be Jewish in the modern world.

Whether that vision is authentic or artificial, liberating or constraining, wise or misguided depends on perspectives that the program itself shapes. Young Jews who take the trip often come away believing Birthright was valuable. Young Jews who refuse on principle believe they're resisting propaganda. Both groups are certain they're right.

What's undeniable is the program's influence. In a single generation, Birthright has changed the landscape of American Jewish life. One in five American Jews under 46 shares this common experience. Whatever you think of that fact, it is a fact—the result of a deliberate, well-funded, carefully designed effort to ensure that Jewish identity, and Jewish connection to Israel, survives into the 21st century and beyond.