Participants, many covered with mud, in the Dead Sea

An information gathering session sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Broward County for Taglit-Birthright Israel will be held Tuesday, February 10, from 6 – 7 p.m., at the Katz UJC Building, 5890 South Pine Island Road, Davie. During the information gathering session at the Katz UJC Building, those in attendance will learn how to choose their trip organizer, apply for the trip, and await their acceptance. They will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the Taglit Birthright Israel experience.

The founders of Taglit-Birthright Israel created this extraordinary program, for Jews ages 18 – 26, to diminish the growing division between Israel and the Jewish communities in the Diaspora (outside of Israel); strengthen the sense of solidarity between Israeli youth and Jewish communities throughout the world; and promote the idea of a trip to Israel for many non-Israeli Jews.

“This extraordinary program brings Jewish young adults to Israel and opens their eyes to the realization that there’s more to Judaism than religion,” said Bennie Cohen, Director of Development-Birthright Israel Initiatives at the Jewish Federation of Broward County. “In so doing, it allows a person to be comfortable being the Jew that that person really wants to be.”  

Although in the wake of the investment fraud scandal involving Bernard Madoff, whose victims included many Jewish organizations and private Jewish Foundations, there was some concern that the Taglit-Birthright Israel program would be significantly diminished or even eliminated. To the contrary, when the financial crisis hit the U.S. economy several months ago, some critics said that by not having an endowment fund – and immediately spending all its donations on free trips to Israel – Taglit-Birthright Israel had been especially vulnerable to downturns in the economy. However, Taglit-Birthright Israel didn’t have any investments with Madoff. (The Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Broward County also had no exposure to Madoff.)

Steve Rabinowitz, who handles PR for Taglit-Birthright Israel, told a reporter for Jewish Week that Madoff was in not involved, in any way, with Taglit-Birthright Israel. “No donors to the program have reported that they are affected by the situation,” Rabinowitz added. “Therefore, Birthright is essentially unaffected by the scandal.”

The Taglit-Birthright Israel program remains open to post high-school young adults who have neither traveled to Israel before on a peer educational trip or study program, nor have lived in Israel past the age of 12. Eligible individuals are those recognized as “Jewish” by the Jewish community (or by one of the recognized denominations of Judaism), or if either of their parents is Jewish and the applicant does not actively practice another religion.
      
Taglit-Birthright Israel official sign-up begins Thursday, February 19, at 9 a.m., on www.JewishBroward.org. To register for the information session on February 10, contact Bennie Cohen at (954) 252-6886 or e-mail bcohen@jewishbroward.org.