highlights of taglit-Birthright

Julia Leavitt is the head life guard at the Dwares JCC pool and works in the fitness department. She grew up in Pawtucket, R.I., and is a recent graduate from William Smith College in Geneva, NY. Julia will be attending graduate school in the fall for Social Justice Education.

Julia returned from her Taglit-Birthright trip in the beginning of January. She expressed her thoughts and feelings of this free ten-day trip. “I was surprised how metropolitan Tel Aviv was and how much it looks like Santa Monica, California. It wasn’t until we arrived in Tzafat when I really felt like I was in Israel. It was the architecture and the music; I was absorbed in it.”

“When I was walking through the old city of Jerusalem, I felt like I was going back in time, like I was walking through the Torah.” Julia spent the first Shabbos in the old city. She compared her experience in Jerusalem to her childhood where she grew up with few Jewish friends. “Being at the Kotel (Western Wall) with so many Jews was empowering. I was part of something bigger. It was smaller than I thought, but there was so much dancing and joy. I’ve also never seen so many different types of Jewish people. There were people with different kinds of hats and colored peyos [sidelocks].”

Julia decided to go on Birthright because she wanted to gain more knowledge and appreciation for the religion, culture, and history. Her expectations were fulfilled. Julia is interested in returning to Israel to study about the diversity and the various communities that structure Israel.

Have you heard? Birthright has revised their eligibility rules! If you are a Jewish young adult who has previously visited Israel on a high school program before your 18th birthday, you are still eligible for Birthright. The Jewish Daily Forward wrote an editorial titled, “Birthright’s Second-Time Shift.” In their editorial, they explained why this change came to be. “Those who ran high school programs had complained for years that parents were opting out of paying thousands of dollars because they hoped that their children would be able to go to Israel for free once they turned 18. Problem is, experts believe the longer high school programs are far more effective in creating lasting attachments to Israel and Jewish life.” The Diaspora Affairs Ministry said in a statement, “Taglit has proven itself as a leader in strengthening Jewish identify among young people in the Diaspora and building ties with the State of Israel. Expanding the participation criteria will add to Taglit’s positive influence in the Jewish world.”

INTERESTED IN GOING on your own Taglit-Birthright trip? Registration opened February 19. For more information, contact Elanah Chassen at 401-421-4111, ext. 140, or echassen@jewishallianceri.org.