Toronto celebrates 10,000th Taglit-birthright israel participant

Since the inception of Taglit-birthright israel in 1999 over 130,000 young adults aged 18 to 26 – including 10,000 from Toronto - have traveled on this unique and exciting ten day, educational trip to Israel.

The birthright israel initiative - funded by the Government of Israel, Jewish communities around the world including UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and private philanthropists – continues to positively impact the lives of our future Jewish leaders.

Taglit-birthright israel’s co-founders, Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, created the program in order to send young Jewish adults from around the world to Israel – for no charge - to connect them with their Jewish identity and the State of Israel; strengthen solidarity among Jews worldwide; and ensure that Jewish traditions and Jewish heritage continue throughout the 21st Century.

“Those ten days spent in Israel gave me a lot of what I had unknowingly been searching for,” says past birthright participant Leah White. “Growing up, I attended Hebrew day school, and participated in activities through a youth organization and my synagogue. While I had all the tools, I really was lost when it came to using them and bringing them all together as I begin my life as a young adult. And then I was given the gift of birthright israel.”

Taglit-birthright israel alumni are emerging as leaders on university campuses and in Jewish life in general. At UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the majority of young adults involved in community life are alumni, and in fact, many even serve as madrichim (counselors) on current trips – taking time off from work and school to pass on their passion and knowledge to the current crop of birthright participants.

In the past 12 months, there have been nearly 50,000 birthright israel applicants from North America alone. However, only 29,000 will be able to participate due to funding limitations. “We are working to significantly increase fundraising in the community for Taglit-birthright israel,” says Michael Bregman, Chair of the birthright israel Foundation Canada. “Additional funds are needed to reduce the wait list and ensure that all young adults can claim their birthright in a timely fashion.”

To invest in the future of Jewish life by making a gift to Taglit-birthright israel, please contact Andrea Freedman at 416.631.5819 or by email at: afreedman@ujafed.org

Thornhill couple’s birthright babies

What do you get when you send thousands of Jewish young adults to Israel together? Jewish children who will one day hopefully follow in their parents’ footsteps.

Boaz and Esther Willinger are one of a number of couples who met through Taglit birthright-israel and have since started families.

Married within a year of their December 2001 trip, the Thornhill residents are now parents to a 21-month-old daughter named appropriately enough, Aliya, and a son, Ethan, who is almost three months old.

Taglit-birthright israel “really did change the direction of my life,” says Boaz. “I grew up in St. Catharines, a small town with few opportunities to meet Jewish girls. Then I went to Israel and met Esther, and now we have a family and are raising our kids in a Jewish home.”

The Willingers are “involved with the Sephardic Kehila Centre, with which Esther’s family has strong ties to, and Chabad at Flamingo,” he continues. “Aliya, who will be starting nursery next year at Chabad, watches Oy Baby DVDs, which is a sort of Jewish Baby Einstein, and says ‘shabbat shalom.’ When we light the shabbat candles and my wife covers her eyes, Aliya covers her eyes.”

In some ways, the Willingers’ life in Thornhill seems worlds apart from the disco dance boat on the Kinneret where they first met, but both are part of this story of Jewish continuity.

“Although I’d gone to Jewish schools and had Jewish friends, I wasn’t meeting other Jewish people at that point in my life,” remembers Esther, of the social opportunity Taglit birthright-israel offered her. “Like a lot of people in the age group that the trip caters to, I was in university and working and had already developed my circle of friends. If I hadn’t gone to Israel, I don’t know how – or if – I would have met Boaz. Taglit birthright-israel gives you an opportunity to connect with other Jews in a Jewish environment. We met and as a result were able to bring more Jewish people into the world.”

Cooper family funds gala in memory of Andy Bronfman, z"l

On June 5th, over 600 students and young adults on birthright israel programs took part in a unique gala event planned by Canada Israel Experience (CIE) in memory of Andy Bronfman.

Andy, the late wife of co-birthright founder Charles Bronfman who passed away following a tragic accident just over a year ago, was committed to strengthening Jewish identity and invoking values of leadership, tzedaka, and tikun olam. Bronfman was particularly passionate about and committed to Jewish youth, the arts, education, and, of course, birthright israel.

The event, made possible by a generous gift by Toronto’s Sydney and Florence Cooper, commemorated Andy by celebrating her love of the arts. Hosted by Mini Israel, in addition to viewing the models of the country, participants created art projects at various stations and workshops set up throughout the site. In a letter from the Coopers read by Lorne Klemensberg, director of CIE and emcee of the event, the Coopers welcomed all the birthright participants from Canada and North America.

A look inside the diary of Taglit-birthright israel's 10,000 Torontonian, Dave Stein

6:30 am – The phone rang with our wake up call. Although I was really tired from yesterday, I eagerly got up to start another new and exciting day.

7:15 am – Breakfast today was great as usual. The Kibbutz served a typical Israeli breakfast with vegetables, breads, cheeses, yogurts and fruits. The food in this country is so good. I eat enough at breakfast to last a full day!

9:00 am – We got off the bus on top of Mt. Arbel. What an amazing view! This hike was remarkable. After all the learning it was break time! Having studied art in school, I felt especially connected to Tzfat, which is known for being an artist’s heaven. With the rest of my free time, I ate lunch and did some shopping. I was determined to get 5 Mezuzahs as a wedding gift for my sister. I knew they’d be extra special for her if she knew they were not only from Israel but from Tzfat.

3:00 pm – We arrived at the Jordan river to go rafting. It was marvelous. We had 7 people in our boat and floated down the river with a boat on either side of us each filled with 2 soldiers. This was a great end to our activities of the day because it gave us a chance to cool off in the water.

5:30 pm – We arrived back at the Kibbutz for our Shabbat preparations.

6:30 pm – We all met and did Kiddush together. We then discussed the meaning of wine and challah and talked about how we can make Shabbat our own. Shabbat on Taglit-birthright israel was very special for me because at this point we had already been together for 8 days and were like family. Celebrating Shabbat in Israel with 40 new friends, 2 madrichim, 8 soldiers and a guide is just so special. It’s not something you can really explain with words but something you feel in your heart.

10:00 pm – A huge party unexpectedly erupted on the kibbutz. The kibbutz was celebrating all the people who had lived there their entire lives. There were over 1,000 people there and being able to join in and dance and talk with the kibbutzniks was wonderful. Even people who no longer lived on the Kibbutz came out to this party.

What a great time! This has truly been an incredible day. But, boy, I have to get some sleep now!