San Jose State University senior David Goodman went on a Birthright trip to Israel in January, and he can’t wait to go back — after things calm down a bit.
While Goodman described his trip as “amazing” and a “great time,” he said he would not have made the journey if the situation in Israel had been as tense as it is today.
“I would not go, for the peace of mind of my family and because I’d be scared to go,” said Goodman, the SJSU Jewish Student Union president. “I wouldn’t want to be on a high-profile bus.”
Despite the disinclination of even dedicated Jewish campus activists and Birthright veterans like Goodman, Birthright Israel hopes to draw a record 10,000 young Jews this winter on its free trips to the Jewish state.
When Birthright Israel burst onto the scene two years ago, it had to turn away thousands vying for limited spots.
Even a year ago, when registration began for winter trips, it looked like Birthright would repeat its success. The program, which aims to foster Jewish identity among uninvolved Jews ages 18 to 26, attracted 17,000 would-be travelers but had room only for 10,000.
The outbreak of the Palestinian uprising last September, however, made many people skittish. Thousands of registrants canceled and Birthright was able to send only 8,653 people — even after depleting its waiting list.
That was an increase from the 6,041 who went the previous winter but lower than the target number. Another 5,700 young adults went in May and June of this year, down from the 7,562 initially planned.
While ambitious, local Hillel directors who organize the local trips say the attendance goal is reachable.
“The first year, there wasn’t any violence,” said Seth Brysk, the executive director of San Francisco Hillel. “Last year there was, and more students applied.”
To date, no one has been injured by terrorism or other violence while on a Birthright trip. Security measures will be intense, as they were last year. Birthright will review itineraries daily with the Israeli Ministry of Education and will work closely on security matters with the government and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Unstructured free time to explore and shop will be sharply curtailed, particularly in urban centers. Despite the added headaches of security and recruitment, there has been virtually no public discussion of canceling or postponing Birthright trips until the situation calms down.
However, Bay Area leaders contend that Birthright is not a solidarity mission and they would not send local groups into dangerous situations.
“The reason we feel comfortable running this trip is because we have a lot of respect for the kind of work that Hillel International and Birthright do in ensuring the safety of the participants,” said Adam Weisberg, executive director of Berkeley Hillel. “Once they’ve done a full, 360 -degree check, we assume they know more than we do and are equally thoughtful and responsible.”
Added Brysk: “If things get much worse, and continue to get worse, both Hillel International as a movement and our local Hillel will re-evaluate if we want to participate in the trip. At this point I think we will take a wait-and-see attitude, which we did last year as well.”
Canceling trips would have economic consequences for Israel and might be perceived as a betrayal of the Jewish state. When the Reform movement’s Union of American Hebrew Congregations canceled all youth trips to Israel this summer — and when the U.S. delegation to the Maccabiah Games almost canceled — both organizations drew sharp criticism from Israelis and other Jewish groups.
Giving up Birthright trips would “hand Arafat the victory he needs,” said Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, Birthright’s executive vice president in North America. “It would be the final nail in the tourism coffin.”
Leonard Saxe, director of Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Jewish Studies — which has been researching the impact of the Birthright experience — said that Birthright attracted slightly older participants last year compared with its first year; that trend is expected to continue.
According to Saxe, older undergraduates and college graduates don’t rely as much on their parents’ approval and may see visiting Israel now as an adventure. Recalling last year’s Birthright contingent, Weisberg concurs.
“Last year we had a pretty well-weighted group, a mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and grad students,” he said. “But toward the end of the trip, we were a little more heavily weighted to the older age groups.”
Of the 60 Berkeley students selected to go on the last trip, about 18 pulled out. Their slots were filled from a waiting list of roughly 140. Almost every local Hillel sent a full or near-full contingent.
Birthright’s recruitment efforts also may benefit from the recommendations of trip alumni. SJSU’s Goodman encourages fellow students to apply, and Hillel of Silicon Valley has already received several applications, even though the university’s classes just began this week.
“I tell students to take advantage of the free trip,” said Goodman.