bironic: Neil Perry gazing out a window at night (Default)
[personal profile] bironic
Has anyone ever gone on or know someone who's gone on one of the Birthright Israel trips, or know anything about the program(s)? I'm looking over the dozens of options while procrastinating on numerous other important things, and the choice is frankly overwhelming; plus it's hard to get a sense of the flavor of each program when most of them provide similar descriptions. Just wondering. So far I only have the recommendation of one friend, whose travel tastes are not quite my own (e.g. he likes clubbing). I'm thinking about going next summer before I'm too old to qualify, and hopefully finding a way to extend the trip a little while to visit some cousins and [livejournal.com profile] roga. (I dreamt last night that I was on a birthright trip in Israel and found out that I couldn't stay longer without the tour or the something-or-other police would find and arrest me and I'd never get home, heh.)

ETA: I am strongly attracted to the March of the Living Poland/Israel trip, being focused as it is on the Holocaust and in historic and contemporary Israel under that lens, although (or perhaps because) I think it is different from the other Birthright trips in what it discusses and the places it visits.

Comment #1:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 04:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 05:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
Completely coincidentally, my sister is on Birthright right now, with a group of 24-25 year olds. She returns tomorrow, so I can ask her about her experience with that age group. I did Birthright as a soldier with a group of mostly 19-21 year olds, so I'm guessing my kids were a bit wilder then hers are...

Okay, to start off: I think that Birthright is an incredible opportunity, simple as that. Even if you don't enjoy every single aspect of it - even if it feels crowded, or if it takes you a while to mingle, or you end up not loving all the people, the pros outnumber the (possible) cons. You're getting a free 10-day trip to Israel. You travel all around the country - and I mean all around, border to border, seeing the sites with good guides, without having to worry about any of the logistics you would otherwise, like transportation and hotels. And you do all this both with American Jews your age, and with a group of Israeli soldiers, who aren't there for security purposes but merely to travel along with you guys. For soldiers who are chosen for the program, Birthright is a treat.

I really enjoyed being on Birthright, and this despite the fact that I am ten times less of a party person than each of the other participants (Israeli and American). And I know all the Americans enjoyed themselves. Some of them even extended their stay in the country (and no, you will have no problems with that whatsoever) to visit family or just to travel. One of the girls I befriended stayed for a month, spending a few days at my house. She's the only one I actually kept in touch with, and when I was in the US last year I spent a weekend at her house in Westchester and we had hours-long conversations about whether or not Dumbledore was really dead and whether Snape was evil, all thanks to Birthright :-)

There are two programs, the winter one and the summer one, but I recommend the summer one if only for the "mega event". It's a huge event, where all the Birthright groups in the country gather in one place for a big show/concert, and I couldn't care less about the performance, but the event itself is amazing. There are groups from all over the world - 5000 people from over 40 different countries, places you never even imagined: south African Jews and Venezuelan Jews and Australian Jews and Irish Jews and dozens of other countries. I just stood there and took in all the flags and accents with awe.

As for the clubbing aspect, here's what I have to say: there are a few nights of going out to clubs in the itinerary. And other than that, the drinking age in Israel is 18, so you can guess how the Americans took advantage of that: some of them bought and finished an individual bottle of cheap wine every night, which was quite the culture shock for me. But - and again, I'll ask my sister when she returns - I'm guessing an older (post-21) crowd won't be nearly as immature. And despite all that, I had a lot of fun - I just hung out with the people who didn't drink, the ones who sat and talked while others danced at the club. Wherever you are, you'll probably find people who are like you (and are willing to discuss Severus Snape...)

And seriously, it's almost free. If I had a trip like Birthright to anywhere else on the planet, regardless of its religious/sentimental value, I'd take it.

If you have any more questions at all, ask away, even though I don't know how the logistics work from the US. To conclude: Come! And extend your stay! I even have an apartment this year!

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 05:32 pm (UTC)
ext_2047: (Default)
From: [identity profile] bironic.livejournal.com
Awesome. Awesome. Thank you for writing all that out. It's good to know that being a non-party-person and a slow burner when it comes to socializing will not ruin the experience. (And I am definitely giving preference to programs open to 22+ or 25+ for some of the reasons you've covered.) And it's good to know that trip extensions are fairly common.

The mass concert sounds cool. I'm definitely looking to go in the summer. If I don't end up in school next year, then that winter is open, too, if this round doesn't work out.

And seriously, it's almost free. If I had a trip like Birthright to anywhere else on the planet, regardless of its religious/sentimental value, I'd take it.

That's pretty much what it boils down to, isn't it? It's a wonderful opportunity.

I will doubtless have questions if/when I get further in my research and closer to applying for specific programs, and would love to hear what your sister thought of her trip. Do you know which program ran the Birthright program you went on, or doesn't it really matter in the end?

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 06:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
I shall keep you updated! I know that since she's traveling with an older group, the accompanying soldiers are all officers, also around the same age or younger (except her, but she was a fluke).

I don't know if it matters or not... my program was run by Oranim (which is run by a guy called Momo, whose motto for Birthright is the funny/creepy/he actually is serious "Guys: we're here to make Jewish babies!"

So I had a really good time with them, but I don't know how it is relative to any of the others.

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 06:16 pm (UTC)
ext_2047: (Default)
From: [identity profile] bironic.livejournal.com
Cool. Oranim is actually on my first-pass list, along with Mayanot (has a 22-26-year-old trip), March of the Living, Israeli Experts (the one my friend went on), Israel Experience (the one his sister went on), and Routes. Maybe after visiting all their websites I'll get a better idea of how (and whether) they're different from each other, other than March of the Living, which is distinctive.

"Guys: we're here to make Jewish babies!"

To which you respond by laughing nervously? :D

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 06:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
And, apparently, making a t-shirt. Which I think I've lost.

The Israeli/American relationships are interesting, though: the Israelis (guys and girls) are drawn to the Americans because they're different and exotic and Israelis love America, however much they try to deny it - and from the other end, the Americans are drawn to the Israelis because they're soldiers and therefore different and hot. Even if they're not, you know what I mean. So a lot of the time everyone just wants to hang out with one another because they think the other's cooler.

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 07:14 pm (UTC)
ext_2047: (Default)
From: [identity profile] bironic.livejournal.com
That ought to be part of the Birthright motto / ad slogan: "Come to Israel -- People Will Think You're Cool Here!"

That is interesting, though. Foreign = different = hot is so true. And while I personally do not have the drool reflex many people do when it comes to soldiers, I do admire their (your) bravery; if someone tried to conscript me into military service, I'm pretty sure I would run away screaming.

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 07:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
I could write an epic here right now about why you shouldn't sell yourself too short, but the gist of it is:

-If you were raised in an environment where mandatory military service was the norm, you'd look at it entirely differently.
-Many people here don't actually run away screaming, but they sure feel like it at first; they get over the feeling quickly enough.
-Most military jobs are about as exciting as brushing your teeth. I spent most of mine in the office.

So, in short: don't underestimate yourself, and don't overestimate us :-)

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 25th, 2007 12:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
Tiny eta: my sister came back today, and said she had a great time, one of the best times she's had in her entire service. And my sister likes the army :-)

She said the group, which was indeed older than mine, did enjoy partying in the evening, and did drink - but they didn't get 'shitfaced', as it were. (Well, most. There are always exceptions.) And during the day, they actually cared about where they were going and listened to all the explanations. She said that one of the girls there, for whom it was a second Taglit, noticed the difference: her first one had been 100% pure fun, the second was fun but taken more seriously.

Hope that helps :-)

Re: Comment #2:

Date: Dec. 25th, 2007 12:32 am (UTC)
ext_2047: (Default)
From: [identity profile] bironic.livejournal.com
It does, thank you. I am hoping that choosing the March of the Living option -- since you can only apply for one Taglit program per season -- and if not that, then one of the 22+ or 25+ groups, will weed out some of the pure fun-seekers in favor of the somewhat more interested/reflective. Not that the whole trip should be a somber event, but there's fun and then there's "fun."

Comment #3: (hey, you were the one who added an ETA!)

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 06:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roga.livejournal.com
I hadn't heard about March of the Living, but I would definitely put it at the top of my list. I think both in terms of what you'd gain from the experience, and the type of people who'd choose that program over the 100%-fun-packed Birthright trips, it's worth more than the alternatives. Especially considering the timing: I don't know about March of the Living, but Poland trips usually involve being accompanied by a survivor at some point, and that opportunity is truly limited to the next couple of years. I went on a Poland trip with my high school, and it's an amazing experience. Plus, I remember your bookshelf :-)

(And on a slightly unrelated note, I see on their website that the winter Birthright also have a mega event, so I was wrong about it being a summer thing earlier.)

Date: Dec. 22nd, 2007 07:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-drifter.livejournal.com
I haven't gone on any Birthright trips, nor I have I done serious research on them. From having spoken to people who have gone on the "classic" Birthright: Israel trips, one thing that makes me hesitate is the political slant of the trips -- they're a lot more strongly Zionist than I am (I'm not actually sure you could call me Zionist at all), and some people who hold fairly pro-Palestinian views have received very negative reactions from the people orchestrating the trips. I've also met a few people who ended their Birthright trips by purchasing a later plane ticket on their own dime and going on Birthright Unplugged, and they really spoke highly of doing both.

However, I don't know what your political feelings about the situation are, and I do know many people who've gone on Birthright trips, loved them, and come back feeling their lives were completely changed. So I encourage you to go for it. :)

Tags

Style Credit