MESSAGE
| DATE | 2022-12-03 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Birthright Financial problems and the unspoken
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https://www.jta.org/2022/11/21/israel/birthright-israel-to-scale-back-again-slashing-number-of-free-trips-by-up-to-a-third
Birthright Israel to scale back again, slashing number of free trips by
up to a third
Andrew Lapin
4–5 minutes
(JTA) – Birthright Israel is drastically cutting back on the number of
free trips it plans to offer to Jewish young adults, scaling back its
operations by up to a third, the organization announced Monday.
The cuts come amid what the organization said is a mix of financial
pressures, chiefly inflation and heightened travel expenses in a
post-COVID world. It plans to make added appeals to its top donors but
still expects to heavily reduce its Israel trips in 2023 to as few as
23,500 participants, down from 35,000 this year and 45,000 annually
pre-pandemic.
“The significant cost increases of our program mean that we will not be
able to accommodate as many applicants in the coming years,” Birthright
CEO Gidi Mark said in a statement provided to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
However, Birthright’s own fundraising has not been affected. A
Birthright spokesperson told JTA that the organization actually expects
its funding to increase from 2022 to 2023, but that the growth won’t be
enough to compensate for the rise in expenses and inflation.
The group has shown other signs lately of scaled-back operations for its
free 10-day trips to Israel for Jewish young adults. Earlier this year
Birthright said it would lower the maximum age of participation back to
26, after five years of allowing Jews aged 27 to 32 to enroll. The
group’s leadership said at the time that the increased age limit was
backfiring by convincing younger Jews to keep delaying their trips.
Birthright also merged with Onward Israel, another Israel travel program
for young adults, during the pandemic.
The program was founded in 1999 as a means of encouraging greater Israel
engagement among younger generations of Jews, and studies commissioned
in the two decades since have shown that Jews who participated in
Birthright trips were more likely than peers who applied but did not go
to marry somebody Jewish and to feel a deeper connection to Israel. One
such study was released last week.
“Without a major immediate increase in fundraising, we will be
hard-pressed to have the positive effect we’ve had on many individuals,”
Mark said.
The Birthright Israel Foundation, its fundraising arm, is making a large
appeal to donors this year for increased funding. Though it receives
large portions of its estimated $150 million annual budget from the
Israeli government and large donors such as the Adelson Family
Foundation, the foundation’s CEO, Izzy Tapoohi, said it is “a myth” that
“just a few large donors” fund Birthright.
It’s been a difficult period for several of Birthright’s most stalwart
funders, from various legal troubles for founder Michael Steinhardt to
potential sanctions for Russian Jewish philanthropists in the wake of
Russia’s war with Ukraine. Young American Jews have also indicated in
demographic studies that they feel less culturally and politically
connected to Israel than previous generations, and the group IfNotNow,
which aims to end American Jewish support for Israel’s occupation of
Palestinian territories, urged a boycott and other protests of Birthright.
Israel’s recent election that propelled a far-right bloc into government
is widely seen as likely to drive a further wedge between Israel and
many young American Jews.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that
Birthright has suffered a downturn in fundraising. In fact, Birthright
projects its funding to increase from 2022 to 2023, even as it reduces
the number of trips.
--
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