The Taglit – Birthright Israel project, called to acquaint Jewish youth from all over the world with Israel, has crossed the line of 800,000 participants in 23 years of its existence, as stated by its leaders during the annual mega-event at Tel Aviv EXPO. 3,000 young participants, guests and sponsors from 13 countries took part in the event. For the first time since the two-year COVID-19 pandemic it was held offline. Major philanthropist Dr. Miriam Edelson and Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark addressed the audience during the event.
Taglit – Birthright Israel is a ten-day tour for youth with Jewish roots. The goal is to introduce participants to historical Israeli sights, its modern life, youth, students and soldiers, as well as to tell young Jews of the Diaspora about Jewish history and heritage, in order to form or develop their Jewish identity.
According to the Birthright Israel Foundation, participants from over 68 states are participating in the 10-day trip. Among them are the countries of the Euro-Asian region. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress announced its sponsorship of the Taglit project in 2018. Thanks to this decision, hundreds of Jewish boys and girls from Euro-Asian communities were able to visit Israel as part of an educational trip. Many of them visited Israel for the first time.
“As the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, I am glad that we are part of this unique project — the acquaintance of the Jews of the Diaspora with the State of Israel. Taglit participants have an exceptional opportunity to get to know our historical homeland in such a short time. Whether this trip will remain just an entertainment or become something bigger for them is a matter of choice. More important is that in the heart of every Jew, wherever he or she is, there will be a place for this country, for connection with Jewish nation. Often, our unique history and tradition are discovered by Taglit participants for the first time and become kind of a revelation for them – and this is exactly the foundation on which we can build our common Jewish future,” said EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.
Photo: Erez Uzir/courtesy of Birthright Israel
