So I have my trip starting January 1st. My group was supposed to fly with Lufthansa but the airline just announced that they won't be flying into Tel Aviv until January 31st. Does anyone have experience with Birthright having to change flights within the last few weeks before the trip? I know some people in my group already have nonrefundable tickets to the Chicago airport and some have had their extensions canceled.

Hi everyone!

I am trying to plan a birthright trip for the last quarter of 2025 and need some help with dates!

I am trying to find out when this year's trips were, but there seems to be no publicised record of trip dates this year, and they also don't release trips for the second half of next year until later.

Does anyone know if trips usually run during September/November?

Thanks!

I'm taking a course in the Hebrew University for which I need to propose a project that solves a problem that is important to me. I chose a problem: many olim hadashim, temporary residents and other non-native Hebrew speakers are often unable to understand their doctor because their medical vocabulary is too limited. Now I am at the stage of customer research, and I need to get responses to a survey that I created. So if you are a non-native Hebrew speaker living in Israel and have a few minutes, please respond to the survey. It would help a lot!

https://forms.gle/xGBmku4nAYy2F9mA8

I'm an American and live in NY but I technically have an expired Israeli passport.

I know people like me usually can't do regular birthright and I'm not applying for that.

But what about those mostly funded Onward volunteer trips? They have one and two week long options.

I am going on a trip in mid-late January with Tailor Made. There appears to only be 6 people in my group when I look on the app. I was told enrollment is the highest in the summer and not during the war. That being said, I feel like only 6 people in my group is super small. This is unfortunate because I was hoping for a much larger group.

For those who have went on the trip before: How many people were in your group?

I'm thinking of bringing my skateboard with me, on the classic trip, but I'm wondering if there will be any time to use it? I have heard all the days are very packed, but I've also heard there is free time. I would not like to bring it if it's not going to be used; it will take up a lot of space.

So my question is on the likelihood of there being time to use it? I don't need it to get around, but I like the idea of skating in Israel during the evening.

I’ll be attending a Birthright Onward—Israel Outdoors volunteer trip in the upcoming month for two weeks. Not sure what’s available at the provided apartments / accommodations during the volunteering duration.

Could anyone that has had volunteering experience with Birthright Onward and their accommodations, please advise on the below:

• Bath towels? My assumption is for hygienic reasons, I should probably bring my own.
• Hair dryer?
• Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner)?
• Onsite washer / dryer?

Anything else that I should be aware of or need to bring? How is the $100.00 USD weekly food stipend distributed?

Thank you.

So I (18M) plan on going to birthright around the wintertime, and when I told my mom about it, she got startled, asking me If I'm crazy and not seeing what's the current situation in Israel right now. She said it will only get worse, and that it'd be going against her will if I go. I really want to go- a relative of mine is getting married around the time of the trip. In addition, friends of mine plan to go in that time, and I would prefer going with them. How could I convince her that it's safe; to put her at ease? What should I do?

Title pretty much says it all, just a lil nervous for meeting everyone 😅

And do you get the deposit back if you extend? Also is it safe to extend and sorta backpack/ travel around (based on safe areas) and if so/ if not would it be easy to find a guide? Thanks

like i just don't wanna stop going to the gym for 10 days

Has anybody here done the Birthright Onward Career Passport Program or know anything about it? Thanks.

I (an American) went on Taglit about two months ago, and had a wonderful time visiting your country. After getting to know a few of you through mifgash, I had a couple questions about the Israeli experience with Taglit:

1. What's the process for applying to join a trip? Is it very competitive? What criteria do they use to select participants? Do you get to express your preference for a particular group (e.g., Israel Outdoors, Mayanot)?
2. Are all participants active-duty IDF? Or can you still join the program after being discharged?
3. Do Israelis selected for the mifgash represent a general cross-section of Israeli society? If not, what perspectives did I likely not hear?
4. How do Israelis in general perceive Taglit? Are there any stereotypes (true or untrue) that persist?
5. For those of you who participated in a mifgash, what was your experience like?
6. What questions should I have asked the Israelis on my trip, but probably didn't?
7. When I come back to visit, where should I go that I probably didn't get to see my first time around?

For context, we had seven Israelis on my trip and just under 20 Americans. The Israelis were all hilonim between 21 and 25, with a fairly even gender split, and most were officers.

I hope you're all doing well, and that you're enjoying some much-needed rest for the holidays. Toda!

Birthright on their website says they have 40,000 individual donors. I know their most prominent donors are wealthy Jews. Who are the other people, is it non-Jews?

Hi! I’m set to go on Birthright at the end of December and know the itineraries have been modified due to the war but can’t find what an updated itinerary looks like. Can anyone that’s gone during the war share where they went?

Hi everyone, I got accepted to the Mayanot trip in late December after the Yael trip was cancelled. I love the religion, but I'm concerned about the religious level of the organization compared to Yael Adventures. Is it really a much stricter trip with more religious activities? I would appreciate hearing about any experiences with them. Thanks!

Has anyone received this? It's end of Feb 2025 trauma training and "volunteer" week. Any thoughts? They have opened it to clinicians of all faiths. Has anyone been on something similar? Looking for any insight.

In the country where I’m living right now, there are two types of trips: one for people born Jewish and another for converts.

What are your thoughts on this?

I was assigned to and accepted a trip from Toronto from Dec 16-26 months ago, it is now disappeared and I have heard nothing… I already have taken time off and booked other things in accordance to these dates. Any advice?

Hi,

Has anyone done the AI birthright trip AI Academy - Birthright Israel Onward

How was?
Thanks

I applied to go on Birthright recently for the Dec 2024 trip as I am close to the age limit and this is my last chance to participate. I have two questions for people who’ve gone on Birthright post 10/7.

1. I received a trip offer within a few hours which I accepted, however I’ve yet to be scheduled for an interview. Is the interview process being skipped? Or does it normally take place after trips are offered?

2. With the growing possibility of ground operations against Hezbollah, I worry the trip may be cancelled. If so, I’ll likely age out before I am able to go on a future trip. Are any exceptions ever offered for extraneous circumstances? I worry this is my last chance to go on birthright.

I know in the large scheme of things, my being able to go on this trip is a very minor concern in the face of war with Hezbollah, so I’m sorry about the silliness of even asking this but I thought it was worth getting some clarification.

I went on Birthright in March 2023. Before the trip, I saw the list of things we were doing and was like oh we’re going to hike in the Golan Heights and we’ll be really close to Syria, sounds good to me 😄. Totally not worried about the geopolitics. But it’s the riding camels part for me. I thought what if the camel hates me and throws me off a cliff? Or what if the camel decides to ditch the group and next thing I know I wondering the desert for 40 years?? 😳🐪 Like just my luck one of those things happens.

During the trip there were a lot of protests and tension in the region, but my only worry was the camels. Once we arrived in the desert, we found out that we weren’t going to ride the camels because something about Animal rights activists 🤷‍♂️idk. I was like what a relief 😅 thank you animal rights activists. They’re really saving lives out here 😁

This story is embarrassing, but I hope it’s a good laugh.

Hi all, I can't find a copy of the medical form I'm required to upload as part of finalizing my application for Birthright Tlalim. Is it just my doctor writing a note saying I'm clear to attend or is it an actual pre-existing form?

Hi!

I am planning on applying to Birthright for this December and wasn’t sure what to put for my religion. My father is Jewish and my mother is not, and I was raised with both Jewish holidays and christian ones.

On the application it asks if I am Jewish or Jewish and another religion. I personally don’t identify as christian and consider myself to be just Jewish. However it’s also true that I celebrate christmas too, and I don’t want to put just Jewish and have that be considered to be a lie.

Also, I live near Seattle, WA on the west coast and my default was to apply for the trip leaving from Los Angeles, so I’d have to go there first my myself. When the trip comes, do you just meet the group in the airport at the gate or something?

Thanks!

I’m a pretty picky eater and am working on trying new foods in preparation for my trip in December. What are some foods that I’ll most likely encounter/be given on my trip? Any typical must haves that everyone’s going to be wanting to get?

Hi everyone,

I went on birthright a few months ago and it was my first time traveling internationally. I had a great time but the travel aspect was really stressful for me and being able to travel in a group helped me a lot. I am interested in volunteering in Israel and was wondering if anyone knows of a volunteer program that has group flights available. It doesn’t have to be a trip associated with birthright, just if anyone knows of anything like this. Thank you!

I went on birthright in 2014 and i got this CD with like 42 Israeli songs on it - does anyone else still have theirs??? I NEED the track list because there were some bangers

Why does the packing list I was sent state that hats are mandetory for hiking? Are they seriously going to tell me I can't hike if I don't have a hat?

Also Ive been struggling with what to bring for Shabbat in terms of shirt, pants and shoes (I'm a guy). Will it be a big deal if I'm wearing plain black running shoes for Shabbat? I'm trying to pack with carry-on only and adding another pair of shoes will really hamper me.

Thanks everyone for any help you can provide!

https://preview.redd.it/a26pfasitnld1.png?width=1053&format=png&auto=webp&s=55ec33a1dafd8f22859c0b817a010bda58f3841b

Volunteering in Israel, is it free? I'm also looking at opportunities in Germany and Austria as I am an EU citizen, though I have doubts that I would be able to serve as I am only an EU citizen, but not an EU resident (I'm in the US). I'm almost done with my conversion, but I'd like to do more than just go on birthright. I'd like to learn Hebrew and German. I'd like to volunteer on a kibbutz, military base, or help disabled Israelis.