Birthright

The building block of Jewish identity for young adults


Birthright-Israel is an organization that provides a free 10-day trip to Israel for Jewish people ages 18–26. Birthright believes that the experience of a trip to Israel is a building block of Jewish identity, and that by providing that gift to young Jews, we can strengthen bonds with the land and people of Israel and solidarity with Jewish communities worldwide. 

We at The Birmingham Jewish Federation believe this also, which is why we fund this important organization through our annual campaign.

​The idea of providing the gift of a trip to Israel was initially endorsed by the philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, who shared the belief that it was the birthright of all young Jews to be able to visit their ancestral homeland. Since its inception in December 1999, Birthright Israel has sent over 400,000 Jewish young adults to Israel. They come from 66 countries, all 50 U.S. States and Canadian provinces, and from nearly 1,000 North American colleges and universities.

​The gift of a Birthright Israel trip is made possible thanks to the generous support from many sources, including parents of trip participants, alumni of the program, the program’s founders and other philanthropists, the State of Israel, the Jewish Federation system and Keren Hayesod, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and thousands of individuals donors from around the world who believe in Birthright’s mission.

Interested?

​If you are interested in applying to Birthright-Israel, we at The Birmingham Jewish Federation are happy to be a resource. Please contact us and we will help you with the process.