Up to 80 percent of young Jews wait-listed for Birthright-Israel trips fail to sign up again if they miss out the first time around, Gidi Mark, CEO of Taglit-Birthright Israel, said recently.

According to Mark, more than 13,000 young, mostly unaffiliated Jews from around the world were turned away from the free, 10-day trip to Israel this winter due to lack of space, while 8,000 were accepted. Research undertaken by the organization suggests that the vast majority will never reapply, putting them at higher risk for assimilation.

Mark said that last year the organization brought some 40,000 young Jews to Israel. — jpost.com