Largest Birthright Group Breaks Record at Kotel

by Mendel Super – chabad.org

Birthright-Israel: Mayanot made history recently when a record 1,127 participants spent Friday night together at the Western Wall. A few days earlier another record was shattered when almost 800 college students from around the United States landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport. It was the largest group of college students to ever touch down in Israel on a single day, according to officials from Birthright-Israel and Mayanot.

The previous record group from abroad was in 2017, when the Federation CJA of Canada brought 900 people who arrived in Israel on different days as part of its centennial celebration.

For the young Jewish adults from 22 of Mayanot’s Birthright-Israel trips who traveled together to the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem on Friday, May 19, welcoming the Shabbat together was an unforgettable experience.

Joined by thousands of Jews of every background from Israel and around the world, the 18- to 26-year-old students and young adults traveling with Chabad on Campus chapters from around the United States spent time in joyous prayer, dancing and song. Many were accompanied by their Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries from their campuses back home, making the Shabbat even more meaningful.

“Praying at the Western Wall during Shabbat was extraordinarily special to me,” said Lindsay Cruz, a 22-year-old student at the University of Miami. “I feel that it connected me to G‑d as never before,” she told Chabad.org.

The gift of a Birthright Israel trip has become a rite of passage for many, with recent Pew data putting the percentage of American Jews participating in the trip at around 20 percent. It is an opportunity of deepening their Jewish identity and appreciating their heritage and connection to the Holy Land. Behind it all is Birthright Israel, which partners with accredited organizations, such as Chabad-Lubavitch’s Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies, to lead the trips. In 2023, Mayanot is projected to bring nearly 2,500 young adults to Israel.

Creating Meaninful Jewish Experinces in the Holy Land

Mayanot has become one of the largest trip providers in recent years, thanks in great part to the success of Chabad centers on college campuses and communities across the world in connecting young people with their roots, and evoking a desire to learn more about themselves and their heritage. While the potential is much larger, Birthright Israel recently announced a decrease of 30 percent in offered trip spots due to higher cost per participant and need of additional funding.

“We are proud of Mayanot’s role in fulfilling Birthright Israel’s vision of connecting as many young Jewish adults as possible to their Jewish identity, community and to their homeland—Israel,” said Josh Bacon, director of Birthright Israel trips at Taglit-Birthright Israel.

A highlight of Mayanot’s Birthright trips is going beyond the surface and getting to know the people of the land.

“My highlight was going to one of our Israeli soldier’s homes for dinner,” said Jess Sobel, 22, a recent graduate from the University of Florida. “I am extremely grateful for how much I connected with the soldiers on my trip, and it was incredible to meet one of their families and experience a traditional Israeli dinner. Her family let 40 of us into their house and welcomed us as their own. It was a nice change of pace from everything else we’d done on the trip and was definitely one of the most meaningful parts of my time in Israel.”

According to Rabbi Levi Margolin, director of Mayanot’s Birthright division, that’s exactly what the trips are intended to accomplish. “We are all about creating meaningful Jewish experiences,” he said. “Our Birthright Israel trips, in partnership with Chabad on Campus, allow us to introduce our students to the crossroads of their Jewish past, their Jewish present and, most importantly, their Jewish future. We introduce them to the people and give them the tools that can help them write their own story and create their own memories.”

For Allie Hartman, 19, a student at The Ohio State University who just completed the trip, Mayanot’s Birthright experience has helped her develop a deeper understanding of her faith.

“I grew up not really having a religion,” she explains. “Both of my parents aren’t religious, so I didn’t learn much about Judaism. I knew I was ‘Jewish’—we celebrated Chanukah and had some family dinners for Passover—but I never understood the importance of them. I wanted to go on Birthright to learn more, hoping I would learn about my roots more and gain a bigger understanding about all Israel has to offer. From the first day, I fell in love with Israel and never wanted to leave. I explored, made new friends, had new experiences and even had a bat mitzvah party, which I never had! None of this would have been possible without Birthright, and I don’t want the learning to stop. I hope to possibly study abroad in Tel Aviv or visit again soon.”