By Leni Reiss , Special to JTNews
By now, Cody Solomon is back home on Bainbridge Island and has delivered the message in person that he asked me to convey to his parents, Julie and Robert, on his behalf: “Mom and Dad, you have to come. I’d fly you here if I could. I want you to experience Israel, too.”
Cody was one of 40 young men and women from the Seattle area who visited the Jewish State last month, courtesy of Birthright Israel, the program that provides free 10-day trips to young Jews, ages 18 to 26, from around the world.
I met Cody, who is entering his senior year at the University of British Columbia this semester, in Tel Aviv one afternoon where he and the others in his Birthright group were extolling the trip, explaining how it has opened them up to the land, people and state of Israel, and to each other.
That’s the idea behind Birthright, launched almost a decade ago by a small group of American mega-philanthropists, and joined by the Jewish Federations of North America and the State of Israel in a $100-million-a-year project that to date has brought more than 220,000 young people to Israel.
Beyond showing young adults the sites, the organizers are seeking to strengthen the sense of love of Israel, support for the state of Israel, and commitment to Jewish peoplehood among the participants, most of whom are visiting the country for the first time.
“My younger and older brothers were here and lived on kibbutz for a time,” Cody told me, “but now it is my turn, and this is a lovely and intense experience.”
Cody’s enthusiasm is echoed by everyone with whom I spoke. Lindsay Goldberg, 24, a graduate student in environmental studies, appreciated that the tour lacked “dogma” and allowed participants to think for themselves.
“They give us the groundwork,” she said appreciatively.
Goldberg said she planned to stay in Israel for several weeks and visit kibbutzim in the south that teach about the environment. Lindsay’s father is Jewish, her mother is Catholic.
Troy Bannister, another University of Washington student with whom I spoke, is also the child of an interfaith marriage. Indeed, Birthright officials say that a substantial number of participants now are in that category. As a result, these young people, many with little Jewish identity, are given the opportunity to choose a Hebrew name for themselves during the trip, and some have Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies during which they pledge to commit their lives to the Jewish people.
Troy, a college junior, lives on Mercer Island with its sizable Jewish population. He says his Catholic father, Jeff, and Jewish mother, Candace, have given him the option “to make my own [religious] choice.”
“This is a very interesting time for me,” he says. “It is having a real impact. I am proud of Israel and proud to be connected to its history.”
Ariel Winger, a graduate of the University of Washington from Port Angeles, said she initially came on the trip because she “heard good things about it — and it’s free.”
She said that her mother, who is Jewish, has “a big, strong, Jewish cultural connection,” and this experience is making Ariel “want to learn more about and share this part of my heritage.”
A key challenge for Birthright remains follow-up programs to keep enthusiastic Birthright participants connected to Jewish life.
Josh Furman, who helped to staff the trip, is associate director of JConnect, the Seattle social network program that serves approximately 1,500 people, ages 24 to 32, about one-third of whom have been Birthright participants.
He said the program broadens young people’s Jewish horizons, from spiritual pursuits to cooking classes, and credits Birthright with opening up a sense of Jewish interest among many of its participants.
Now approaching its 10th anniversary, with plans for a gala reunion in the works, Birthright is proving to be “the most positive Jewish experience anyone can have,” Birthright CEO Gidi Mark tells me. “It is the only Jewish programming in the world with a waiting list.”
Thanks to Birthright, he said, “this is the first generation where more young people have been to Israel than their parents.”
The challenge, Mark said, is not only to continue to fund the ambitious project during a time of serious recession, but to inspire former participants to give back with their commitment, ideas and financial support because, he says, “it’s essential for the future of the Jewish people.”
Leni Reiss is the American Jewish Press Association’s liaison to Do the Write Thing, a journalism project for Jewish collegians.