I

Wo d

Stephanie
Lowenthal is
0,000th
fight Israel

pant.

Its

Camp Season

Warren Prescriptions
is the place to shop for
all your kids'amp needs.
grand kids

100, 0 0 0 !

Birthright hits a magic
number as it strives
for greater funding.

Chanan Tigay
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

New York

B

irthright Israel could do
a heck of a lot worse than
Stephanie Lowenthal as the
100,000th participant on the group's
free, 10-day, identity-building trips to
Israel.
The 26-year-old New Yorker is attrac-
tive, eloquent and poised — and, as
was evident during a news conference
May 31, she'll do well as Birthright's
public face when the organization cele-
brates this milestone this week in Israel.
"Planning a trip to Israel has been
something I've wanted to do my whole
life, but it has not been feasible until
now:' said Lowenthal, who works in
communications for the NASDAQ
stock exchange. She didn't grow up
particularly observant, though she had
a bat mitzvah and her family is "pretty
Conservative,' she said.
Lowenthal hasn't served as a leader
in any Jewish group and, significantly
here, she's never been to Israel.
All of this, Birthright officials say,
means Lowenthal's background is a
fairly accurate representation of many
of the program participants. Had
Lowenthal waited any longer to sign
up, she would not have been able to
secure a spot on a Birthright trip at all.
That's because the trip is for Jews aged
18-26 — and Lowenthal just makes the

cutoff.
And while she did end up finding a
place on this month's trip — and an
auspicious place to boot — thousands
of other young Jewish adults today
find themselves on Birthright's grow-
ing waiting list. The waiting list, which
Birthright officials say numbers around
30,000 people, is a testament to the
program's popularity and success.
But it's also indicative of the group's
struggle to find sufficient funding for
everyone who wants to go before it's too
late." We have to get a lot bigger quicker
if we hope to stem the tide" of declin-
ing Jewish identity in the diaspora,
said Michael Steinhardt, a founder and
funder of the 6-year-old program and
chairman of the Detroit Jewish News'
parent company, Jewish Renaissance
Media.
According to a 2004 study by
independent researchers at Brandeis
University, Birthright, launched late in
1999 as a five-year pilot project, makes
a profound impact on participants'
Jewish identities. Many become active
in their schools' Hillels when they
return to campus. Some go into Jewish
professional life and between 4,000 and
5,000 of the participants from around
the world now live in Israel, officials say.
Last year, in an effort to ensure its
sustainability, broaden its base of
financial support and accommodate
the explosion in the number of Jewish
young adults interested in taking part,

100,000! on page 30

• Autograph Pillows
• Toiletries
• Flashlights/Batteries
• Toys

• Stationery
• Laundr9 Bags
• Bug Spray
• Back Packs

r--

--

—

-WARREN COUPON-

213% OFF1

Your Total Camp Purchase
of $25 or More

May not be combined with any other offer • some restrictions apply
Expires 07/15/06
Limit 1 offer per family
PLU9000

1011•MINSIMM.

ter.

-

PRESCR

32910 MIDDLEBELT RD.

PT

at 14 Mile •

ONS

FARMINGTON HILLS

(Next to Nino's/Strawberry Hill)

248-855-1177

JN

1127090

June 8 • 2006

29