Like most first time travelers to Israel I expected some sort of spiritual epiphany to happen when I stepped off the plane. I expected to hit in the face with so much spirit that I would cry my brains out and kiss the floor as if it were my wife on our wedding night. That never happened, in fact when facing the Kotel on birthright, all I could think of- was its just a wall I don’t understand what the big deal is, and yes I placed my note inside its soggy note laden walls and asked for brachos for myself and my family- but I didn’t feel anything. Maybe I didn’t feel anything because I was expecting this beautiful event and all I got were wet feet and hunger pains.
That is not to say that I did not have a good time, I had a great time, in fact I wonder how anyone of age could not go on birthright, it’s a FREE trip to Israel, this is not a free concert in the park. This is the real deal, the whole shebang, the whole megilla, etc… and you can just stay forever afterwards, extend your flight go to yeshiva, join the army, live in caravan with a women who doesn’t speak English, stay on the beach, eat marzipan and get fat for a year, whatever you want- and still I meet people who just didn’t have the time- 10 days that is- to eat and stay for free- and its not even Holiday Inn.
The downsides of the trip had nothing to do with Birthright itself, it had to do with my lack of research, I probably shouldn’t have went with Hillel of University of Rochester- I just didn’t fit in, it was a bunch of wealthy secular kids from Long Island and yes they were very materialistic and Jappy- for instance many girls would not go into the dead sea because “eww its disgusting”- welcome to Long Island folks, some girls wouldn’t do the mini archeological dig either- but they did climb the Masada so at least I’ll give them that.
I have a lot of respect for Birthright, I don’t believe for a second that Michael Bronfman is an Atheist, to me its all for attention- for controversy which people love so much. Atheists don’t do what he’s doing, this project, this insane far reaching project is one of of the greatest in Kiruv around- unless he himself is an Atheist but wants others to become religious, which is what Birthright undoubtedly does, it makes people culturally and religiously aware- while at the same time it makes Long Island Jappy girls realize that they can play in the dirt and it wont be that bad.
So what I remember most from my birthright trip are several things. I do remember this one dude from Colorado who was my roommate, thinking that I was shooting up heroine because he had never seen tefilin before, I also remember the food- the food was amazing and although they didn’t let us roam Jerusalem- which sucked by the way, my buddy Mermal came to pick me up and show me around the cool parts of town- I had to leave a speech being made by Ariel Sharon to do that- but it was well worth it.
We ate all these crazy meals at random Kibbutzim- and if for nothing else, I would go back for the food. I had no spiritual connection to the land and that bothered me immensely, I think that it may have been that way because I was on secular trip- we really didn’t do anything of religiousness, we went to the Kotel, only after all these girls refused to put on skirts- which I found ironic because everyone was so “liberal” and “tolerant” but still they felt it was demeaning to women or shall I say “womyn”.
Other highlights of the trip were shabbos in Zichron Yaakov of all places- random I know. The dead sea of course, some hot springs up in the Golan, Zfat- by far the coolest town in Israel- besides Chevron maybe.
I did get my spiritual epiphany a few years later when I went to Ohr Someyach for 6 months, but that’s for another time. It was enough to make me realize that I would like to live in Israel some day in the near future- and that feeling never died. For all of you birthright alumni who are thinking of making aliyah, I just found out that Nefesh B’Nefesh is offering increased grants for birthright alumni- now that is cool- because most of the folks I know that made or are going to be making aliyah- most of them went on birthright at some point- and now they can get more moola for doing so.
43 responses so far ↓
1 abandoning eden // Jun 4, 2008 at 9:53 am
when did you go on birthrite? I ask cause when I went Ariel Sharon gave a speech as well, so maybe it was the same trip
I went in January 2001…
2 Oy Carumba // Jun 4, 2008 at 9:56 am
And another sneak ad attack.
3 heshman // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:13 am
You know I think I also went in January 01
4 Meg // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:55 am
“I do remember this one dude from Colorado who was my roommate, thinking that I was shooting up heroine because he had never seen tefilin before…”
This reminds me of a totally random story: I was flying on a plane from America to Italy. It was a long flight and, at some point, I had to take my meds. I’m chronically ill; there are a lot of them. So I was sitting in my seat taking the 8-10 I’d need out of prescription bottles so I could have them before dinner. The lady across from the called the flight attendant because she thought I was deliberately ODing. I spent twenty minutes trying to explain to my flight attendant that no, I wan’t a druggie, etc.
/random
5 heshman // Jun 4, 2008 at 11:07 am
Random is good- thanks for that funny story.
6 s(b.) // Jun 4, 2008 at 12:27 pm
ae’s not a jappy girl from long island. funny geography, there. and very smooth, Hesh; you make it look easy.
7 KissMeI'mShomer // Jun 4, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Heh - on Colarado a similar thing happened. The bus driver warned our group that she wouldn’t tolerate any drugs on the bus; she had heard from the guy who drove the bus the day before that some peopel were shooting up. We were completely stumped at first.
8 Yochanan // Jun 4, 2008 at 1:00 pm
“for instance many girls would not go into the dead sea because “eww its disgusting””
Like ohmygosh they’re totally not appreciating their homeland.
9 Anita // Jun 4, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I went on an all girls br. Was the greatest thing. Free trip to Israel, with glatt-kosher food included!
When I came back I told alot of my friends they should totally go. ONe was like “its not my thing”
Whats not her thing? She always wanted to go to Israel, its free, and frum/kosher.
The trip was so much fun. :-). I’m remembering the fun I had!!!
10 Shevers // Jun 4, 2008 at 2:50 pm
BR is honestly amazing. I went on a Mayanot trip and stayed for sem after.
It’s funny because I was trying to convince a girl to go from my university and she said “Well I dunno, I don’t really want to, I’m saving for a trip to Spain….”
Excuse me I don’t care how “liberal” you are it’s a free-freaking-trip to Israel!
11 heshman // Jun 4, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I think the concept of free is so lost- because NOTHING is free. My man Milton Freedman used to say “theres no such thing as a free lunch” and so everyone probably thinks there is something attached- or they think they will be proselytized to.
12 Shevers // Jun 4, 2008 at 3:04 pm
True. They’re afraid someone will lock them in a room until they don tefillin or sign a contract to be Shomer Shabbos.
13 JoeSettler // Jun 4, 2008 at 3:48 pm
My man Robert Heinlein used to say “TNSTAAFL”! But Freedman is cool too.
14 Heterim are for Hippies // Jun 4, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I hope you put tefillin on your roomy.
These trips make people frum like nobody’s business. Or at the very least prevent intermarriage.
Imagine how many jewish kids would not be born if some frei yiden never went on this trip and decided to marry goyim.
On a very much unrelated tangent, check out this guy’s story: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/06/04/2008-06-04_black_hasidic_jews_winning_essay_offers_-1.html
15 abandoning eden // Jun 4, 2008 at 4:38 pm
ha, well s(b) I didn’t go with the long island trip, but there were thousands of people on the trip the same time I was. I went with Hunter College Hillel, and we traveled around with Brooklyn college and Queens college.
Speaking of shooting heroin, birthrite was the first time I smoked certain things (which my roommate got from some random person..she also smuggled coke on the plane, in her bra, or so she claimed)…and the first time I got really really drunk (at mike’s place on ben yehudah street). Also the first I got a piercing (besides the just one in each lobe- I got a bellybutton ring in tel aviv). That was a crazy trip.
16 chanief // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Timely post - some people I know just got back from a birthright trip. I wish this program would have been around when I could have taken advantage of it, it sounds amazing!
Just so ya know, I had the same, no spiritual experience in Israel the first few times I visited.
On my last trip there I had a more spiritual one, despite not traveling around much. the pervasive Jewishness of the country just got to me and made me think “Hmmm, I could live here one day.”
But shhhh don’t tell my husband because he would pick up and move there yesterday and I am FAR too spoiled to live that life ;o)
17 chanief // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I hate typos. That should say NON spiritual, not no spiritual… sheesh!
18 mazeartist // Jun 4, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I went on Birthright in 2004 with the Brooklyn College Hillel, a perfect group that comprised a cross-section of the Jewish people. This was better than going with an excusively Orthodox or Reform group.
I was so inspired, I put on tefilin at the Kotel. As I struggled with the prayers, the group left. It was supposed to be only a five-minute pilgrimage, followed by more museums, holy sites, and clubs. I quickly unrolled my tefilin, and an officer got me back on the bus.
Two years later, I returned to Jerusalem for a journalism internship, covering a war. I was excited to be able ot return to this city, and actually be able to complete my prayers.
19 jesse // Jun 4, 2008 at 11:06 pm
well, i do agree with the fact that BR is the best trip ever. But i have to one up everyone and say that I go to go twice, and yes both times where for free. The second was last August and I was one of the American leaders on the trip, all i had to do was sign up 15 people who had never been before. So needless to say that birthright was the best time of my life twice, and I also frummed out bc of it.
20 Lion of Zion // Jun 5, 2008 at 12:29 am
HESH:
“this insane far reaching project is one of of the greatest in Kiruv around”
please qualify this statement. what exactly is so great about it?
21 jesse // Jun 5, 2008 at 10:02 am
well to answer you lion, i think far reaching can be explained that as of last august 2008, 150,000 kids had been sent on birthright since 2000. And by the end of this summer the total will be close to 190,000 kids being sent to israel for free. I also agree with Hesh that it is a great Kiruv because everyone person i know who has went on birthright now has a better connection to yiddishkiet. Now they might not have become frum but they at least have a better jewish identity, and a love for the ertz hakodesh. Just to share a short story I know a handful of girls who where on different birthright trips. When they left they where dating goyim, and within a week of their return they werent. So I believe that qualifies the statement.
22 heshman // Jun 5, 2008 at 10:07 am
Thank you Jesse
23 Shevers // Jun 5, 2008 at 10:55 am
Jess Kaufman!! I was on your trip!
24 jesse // Jun 5, 2008 at 12:59 pm
thanks for calling me out,
25 Shevers // Jun 5, 2008 at 1:02 pm
What? No problem sir.
26 jennthejewess // Jun 5, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I kinda think its rude since Im FFB and can afford to pay to go- even tho it wouldnt be EASY and Ive been to israel 4 times (not for sem or organized group)- i feel like im takiing advantage….i do want to go tho
27 Lion of Zion // Jun 6, 2008 at 2:08 am
JESSE:
1) as long as we are trading anecdotes, i know a lot of people who went on birthright and they have the same connections to yiddishkeit as beforehand. one example: half my class is jewish and about half them have been on birthright. yet they have no problem coming to school on yom kippur, so please define “kiruv” and a “better connection to yiddishkiet.”
2) i have not heard of any decrease in intermarriage rates in that age cohort.
3) a lot of people who are already religious or otherwise active in the jewish community go on birthright. this is a waste of money.
4) the question should be of quality, not quantity. i’d rather see steinhardt et al. send 20,000 kids to day schools than 200,000 to israel.
don’t get me wrong. i’m all for encouraging kids to visit israel. i just don’t think that this cause is a worthy way to spend communal funds or a solution to the jewish identity and intermarriage crisis.
28 heshman // Jun 6, 2008 at 9:03 am
Ari your right- but Mr Bronfman the Atheist wants to spend his money in this way. There are loads of Jewish philanthropists who do not give their money to anything Jewish- so this is better then nothing. Just pick up Lifestyles or Moment magazines to see how many wealthy Jews give to Jewish causes- they would rather support a dearth of causes with nothing Jewish then send a kid to day school.
29 Heterim are for Hippies // Jun 6, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Lion of Zion,
Just because you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened [decrease in IM rates]. First of all, Birthright has not been around for a very long time. More importantly, only in the last couple years has it been sending kids in the numbers that it has. If 20,000 kids go and one of them happens to marry a jew who otherwise wouldn’t, then every single penny was worth it.
I know for a fact the stuff is effective. As it happens a frei friend of mine [from life before frumkeit] just got back from birthright. Her [that's right it's a she] first words to me when she got back were “I’m moving there.” This from a girl that was terrified of most things Jewish before the trip. I don’t know if she will actually move there before Moshiach comes but barring some huge change I can assure you she will marry Jewish.
Another friend of mine about a year ago fell in love with not just the land but Yiddishkeit. Upon returning and graduating from University in the States he enrolled in yeshiva in Yerushalayim. He’s just informed me that he’s returning for a second year in September. This from a guy who before the trip didn’t know what Moshe Rabbeinu or Alef Beis is.
Just two examples from my own experience and I am sure there are many many more. Obviously I’d rather hte money be spent on sending kids to yeshiva. But this is way way better than throwing it away on some theatre or secular university.
30 mother in israel // Jun 7, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Ari –You don’t think it’s important for FFBs to visit Israel?
31 abby // Jun 8, 2008 at 9:20 am
i went on br in 2002 and trace being bt back to that. someone asked me recently why i’m bt so that’s what i told her. and she said that a trip to israel doesn’t usually do that, usually it’s something like a personal connection to a particular family. so i shrugged my shoulders. so it’s really interesting to see that there are other people br makes frum.
32 Lion of Zion // Jun 11, 2008 at 9:29 am
MOTHER IN ISRAEL:
“You don’t think it’s important for FFBs to visit Israel?”
of course it is important, but . . .
a) it’s not important enough that this should be paid for by the community at large
b) FFBs going to israel has nothing to do with the mission of birthright
33 Lion of Zion // Jun 11, 2008 at 9:45 am
Heterim are for Hippies :
“Just because you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened [decrease in IM rates]”
and just because you say it has happened, doesn’t mean it has happened.
“If 20,000 kids go and one of them happens to marry a jew who otherwise wouldn’t, then every single penny was worth it.”
this is purely romantic and not responsible accounting. of course it is not worth it. the $ could be better spent in a way that would save even more jews.
“I know for a fact the stuff is effective.”
i think you misunderstand what a “fact” is. you citing some anecdotal cases in no way constitutes a “fact.” as i wrote above, i know of plenty of cases where birthright’s effect was, at best, superficial and ephemeral.
“this is way way better than throwing it away on some theatre or secular university.”
100% true, but this still does not mean that this is the panacea that deserve millions of dollars.
34 Lion of Zion // Jun 11, 2008 at 10:12 am
“Mr Bronfman the Atheist wants to spend his money in this way.”
the problem is that it is not just bronfman and steinhardt who fund birthright. their great publicity has gotten others to donate, including (already committed) private philanthropists, the israeli government, ujc, jewish agency, etc. people are giving $ to birthright because it is the hyped-up “in thing,” sapping money from what could be more effective.
“There are loads of Jewish philanthropists who do not give their money to anything Jewish . . .”
that’s true.
http://agmk.blogspot.com/2006/07/tuition-crisis.html#links
” they would rather support a dearth of causes with nothing Jewish then send a kid to day school.”
steinhardt is actually trying to start a (non-religious) jewish-oriented charter school in brooklyn. his spokesperson was stressing that this is not a religious schools and that there would be no objection if a majority of the students weren’t jewish. i wonder if really feels this way or if it is necessary to say so in preparation for the inevitable legal battles.
35 heshman // Jun 11, 2008 at 10:30 am
Good word usage- panacea- love it!
36 heimish in bp // Jun 11, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I spent some time in isreal learning and touring, and never felt a connection to the country. I say it every day in my prayers and really doesnt mean anything, I doubted my yiddieshkiet for not feelign anything. So when people ask me my views on Isreal, i am very bland or disinterested. Sadly, to me its just another country that has a very big concentration of jews, so I have more concern of the whereabouts of the country but thats it, I Never felt anything, and I went from rosh hanikrah all the way down to the Valley of the Kings (shh no one knows i went, the coolest place ever!!!).
As to BR, alot of my classmates went and are going now. One group inspires another to go, and as the saying goes, “Hamekayim nefesh achas b’yisrael, K’ilu kiyam col ha’olam kilo” so do it for whatever reasons you want, if it worked, my hats off to you
37 s(b.) // Jun 11, 2008 at 5:05 pm
heimish, is there any place in the world to which/where you find you feel a spiritual connection of any sort? Just curious. It takes courage and honesty to write what you did. I can appreciate that.
38 Heterim are for Hippies // Jun 11, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Heimish,
Do you feel very spiritual when you put on tefillin every morning? If you do you are a bigger tzaddik than I give you credit for.
I know that when I put on tefillin it is just leather straps and boxes that I feel at first. But that is a part of golus - that the Elokus inside of those boxes is not misgale. So I do my best to reveal it by davening barichus (when I can) and with as much kavanah as I can muster.
At least for me, ruchnius is what you make of it. The experience you had with with eretz hakodesh could apply to just about anything in frumkeit it seems like. It all depends on your attitude.
39 s(b.) // Jun 11, 2008 at 9:42 pm
stop the presses; I agree with heterim are for hippies.
40 heimish in bp // Jun 12, 2008 at 9:33 am
s(b.), spiritual connection? No not really, I mean I am a little of a history lover, and I really appreciate historical places and love to learn as much as possible of what a place used to be like or to get a clearer picture of what life was like in the past.
Especially when it has some Jewish heritage to it, it brings the meaning of my Orthodoxy to higher level, or it substantiates my beliefs a bit more, like when they discover old artifacts, like the dead sea scrolls and stuff like that, it makes me feel more connected somehow or it authenticates my belief somehow, that I am not a total wacko for strapping leather and boxes to my head.
But I am not really sure what you mean spiritual, I mean when I went to the grand canyon, or every time I go to Niagara Falls, or every time I see something magnificent, I am in awe, and try take in every drop. I can stand there for hours and just feel moved somehow. When I went to the Kotel, I wasn’t amazed by it, until I went on the underground trip and saw those humongous pieces and my mind was racing, trying to figure out, how they built it, without any modern technology, I don’t think they even had explosives then to break those boulders loose, that’s what amazed me not the kedusha part. I tried picturing Kohanim walking around, doing the avodah, it didn’t work, for me.
And yes I know we are in gulus and therefore I don’t feel anything, and that’s why I don’t feel anything, but two points, first of all I do feel spirituality in some other parts of yiddishkiet, like davining, (sometimes) and Yomim Tovim, (sometimes), and second, if you talk to a big chunk of the orthodox community, and you mention Israel, they start gushing about it, and they go on and on about it, how amazing it is, and how they would love to live there. Even when Hesh talks about it like that, like when he spoke about the candidates, his most important factor of determining who to vote for is the politicians’ bogus stance on Israel, and not if the candidates are willing to strip you of every liberty our constitution promised us. These people talk about it as if it’s an integral part of their existence and belief. And I don’t have that in me. Oh for vacation, except for the long flight, it’s great, minyan and kosher wherever you go it’s a pleasure. Nowhere is it more convenient to go for a nice getaway, but to go kevorim hopping etc. doesn’t really pull me there. Sad? Yeah, I am missing something, but at least I know I am missing it.
41 BirthrightAin'tSoBad // Jun 17, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I’m leaving for my BR trip later this month, and based on what I’ve encountered I think the trip’s overall effectiveness to create more observant young Jews is directly related to what group you travel with.
I am going with Aish HaTorah, an orthodox organization as I’m sure you know of, and they use BR as a way to ease us kids into Jerusalem Fellowships, considering yeshiva, and also moving there.
I would never go with Canada Israel Experience because I kind of want a trip that goes beyond night clubs and binge drinking.
Of the half of the trip members I’ve met so far (the other half live in other cities), most of them are extending their trips for yeshiva.
I would, too, if I could afford it right now. But I’m going to do women’s yeshiva studies in a couple years when I scrape together the funds.
In fact, I just completed the Maimonides Fellowship course this past winter, and it alone has inspired me to consider becoming frum. I didn’t need a trip to Israel for that. The rebbetzin was a G-d send and guaranteed me a spot on this summer’s trip so I could finally break free of my secular upbringing and see what the all the fuss is about down yonder in the Holy Land.
If it weren’t for organizations like Aish, and their numerous Israel travel-study programs, I don’t know if I would have even considered a religious life.
And sure, maybe I sound inexperienced and naive, but I have always felt a connection to Israel and I thank G-d every day that I was given this opportunity. Especially considering my father is not Jewish, and I was raised in a Christian environment (I’m not baptized, of course).
And yet, I feel accepted by my peers in the Jewish community. I’ve even stayed in the home of the rabbi who started Maimonides Fellowship for a shabbaton, and I didn’t feel awkward at all. They treated me like any other Shabbos guest — with kindness and respect.
Sure, they’re not about to marry me off to one of their sons, and that’s OK. I want to marry another BT, anyway, and I’m cool with that. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be a healthy interaction between the two, or even marriage for others.
The vast majority of BT’s I know through Aish are just regular people who want to get in touch with their yiddishkeit. They’re not ex-druggies or hookers who need G-d to lift them up from some “troubled past.” And even if some of them were, we can never know whose blood is redder.
People are so quick to judge the FFB/BT, but I have faith these programs do in fact exist to enrich the lives of otherwise lost Jews.
And if they don’t enrich as many as hoped, at least the community has tried to educate people on what they’re rejecting before they do so.
Last time I checked, we were given free will to accept or deny H-shem.
42 Shalom Beck // Jun 17, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Never went on birthright because I made Aliyah in 1995 )And then again in 1998).
43 Lion of Zion // Jun 18, 2008 at 9:53 pm
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on the topic of free . . . if anyone needs a free crib, let me know:
http://agmk.blogspot.com/2008/06/free-crib.html#links
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