International Department’s Hilit Ben-Zvi and Uri Barel ready for business in the Givat Haviva information booth during the BIRTHRIGHT-TAGLIT MEGA EVENT held recently near Jerusalem

 

In sweltering heat and only a slight breeze to ease the discomfort somewhat, staff members of the International Department spent hours mingling with thousands of university students attending a Birthright-Taglit Mega Event recently.

In an enclosure that saw booths sporting information and advice on innovative and diverse programs on offer for overseas students in Israel, as well as organizations offering ‘kool’ computer programs to learn Hebrew or gain a deeper insight into Judaism, Hilit, Uri, Lydia and David Mendelsohn spoke to interested students about the Givat Haviva MASA TO THE EAST Middle East Studies program due to start in January 2009.

No less than 7,500 students from a dozen or so countries swooped on the Latrun amphitheatre near Jerusalem for yet another gigantic gathering of the successful Birthright-Taglit project now celebrating 9 years since bringing the first group of students seeking a 10 day Israel experience free, gratis and for nothing – controversial at the time, proven hugely successful since.

A recently published book entitled Ten Days of Birthright Israel: A Journey in Young Adult Identity claims that the Birthright-Taglit initiative is transforming Jewish youth in the Diaspora.

“Israel is the greatest classroom that the Jewish people has at its disposal and Birthright is succeeding in bringing it to life,” Prof. Barry Chazan – one of the books authors and professor emeritus at the Hebrew University’s School of Education – is quoted as saying.

Israel is undoubtedly a fascinating and enriching classroom with gripping lessons to be taught with regard Jewish identity, history, heritage, culture as well as gleaning first hand knowledge of the geographical lay of the land, the beauty of the Galilee and the starkness of the Negev – and of course, a better understanding of Israeli society and the Middle East conflict.

The INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT at Givat Haviva has hosted seminars for thousands of Birthright-Taglit students from across the United States, Canada, South America, Britain, Australia, Poland and other eastern European countries as well as from Holland, Germany and Sweden and more groups are booked for the popular TALK & TOUR seminars in the near future and for later on this year.

Many of the Birthright-Taglit groups are accompanied by five or six serving IDF soldiers – placed with the overseas students in order they should get to know better their Israeli peers and the reality of being that age in Israel.  The INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT seminars usually score high feedback marks – given both by the students and IDF soldiers alike.

We, the INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT staff, truly believe that we are able to provide an educational experience of a different kind that remains an important part of the Israel experience for Birthright-Taglit participants.

Hundreds of former Birthright-Taglit student participants have returned to Israel for further university studies or joined other long-term programs. Therefore we also truly believe that the 5-month MASA TO THE MIDDLE EAST educational journey offering the ability to learn spoken Arabic, Hebrew and general knowledge about the complex past, present and looking to the future of Israel and the region will be an attractive offer hard to refuse.