Birthright Israel aims to ensure a vibrant future of the Jewish people by strengthening Jewish identity, Jewish communities and connections with Israel via a trip to Israel for the majority of Jewish young adults from around the world. 

Apply for our July season here!

Birthright Israel began with a bold idea—offering a free, life-changing trip to Israel to young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 26 and, in doing so, transforming the Jewish future. 

Birthright Israel has not only become one of the largest and most formative experiences of Jewish identity in the diaspora, but it has also demonstrated over and over again that it has a positive impact on participants at the moment in their lives when they are making major decisions about the kind of life they plan to lead.

Birthright Israel participants come to the trip with a diverse set of backgrounds, beliefs and biographies. No two are alike. Some are deeply connected to the Jewish community and to Israel, and also religiously observant and day school-educated. Some are barely connected to the community and say Jewishness describes their ancestry but nothing else about them. 

Since its inception in December 1999, over 750,000 participants have taken part in Birthright Israel, over 100,000 of which are Israelis. 

While trips are operated by different Trip Organisers such that each trip differs slightly, all trips focus on three core educational areas: 

Narratives of the Jewish People – Participants visit a Jewish heritage site, a Zionist heritage site, a contemporary national heritage site, a “natural” heritage site, and a Shoah (Holocaust) heritage and learning site. 

Contemporary Israel – Through visits to different organisations, institutions, and businesses, participants explore Israeli geopolitics, society, and statehood; arts and culture; and innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology. 

Ideas and Values of the Jewish People – Group members celebrate Shabbat together, form a Kehilah (community) with mutual responsibility, and engage with Talmud-Torah and Beit Midrash and Hebrew as a living language. – Participants visit a Jewish heritage site, a Zionist heritage site, a contemporary national heritage site, a “natural” heritage site, and a Shoah (Holocaust) heritage and learning site.