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A6
September 18 • 2008
I Editor's
Letter
Birthright's from page A5
they are and what their heritage means.
The Joseph gift dwarfs the $1.5 million
per year that had been budgeted for
post-trip programming, largely through
federations. The gift will build on what's
in place in metropolitan areas that boast
high concentrations of alums.
I like the perspective of Maryland
resident Susie Gelman, Birthright Israel
Foundation's board chair: "We recog-
nized that we needed additional resourc-
es in order to reach out to more alumni
and offer them a wider variety of oppor-
tunities to explore and strengthen their
Jewish identity and sense of connection
to Israel and to the Jewish people
Further Challenges
As amazing as it is that Birthright
Israel has given so many young Jews a
golden opportunity through the allure
of peer travel, challenges remain in
keeping alumni engaged. JTA compiled
a sobering list: finding the human
resources to extend personal attention,
providing original or joint program-
ming that can compete with non-
Jewish activities and interests, steering
clear of immediately seeing alums as
a new donor base, maintaining correct
contact information for a highly tran-
sient demographic group.
Every successful venture that breaks
new ground confronts and overcomes
seemingly endless challenges. That's the
way it works. Success typically doesn't
come painlessly.
Against the backdrop of the Jewish
state's 60th anniversary, Birthright Israel
has much to be proud of in just getting
young Jews to Israel. The program is
known formally as Taglit — Hebrew for
"Discovery'
Taglit certainly should take the extra
step to sustain the excitement for Israel
and for being Jewish among returnees.
But it shouldn't bear the sole responsibil-
ity for that.
If the rest of the Jewish communal
world doesn't also embrace that crucial
next step in assuring compelling follow-
up, Birthright Israel will remain only
a gateway and a portant will not be a
spur for a lifetime of Jewish and Zionist
engagement for a significant number of
alumni, which it has the potential to be
— and which it really should be. [I]
Should Birthright
Israel be more than a
mission organizer?
What role must local
communities play in
engaging alums?