After my first meeting with Maya and discussed various things she experienced while living overseas for several years, I decided discuss a tradition called Birthright in which she participated. Birthright is a program offered to Americans that sends people of Jewish heritage to Israel for a ten day trip in which they meet many other Jewish people from many places and learn about their religion.
I have in fact met more than just Maya who went on this trip and have heard people rave about it. Birthright sounds like an amazing experience and one that is very different from other abroad trips that people my take. And the best part about this trip is that it is completely pre-paid by a group of benefactors. The reason it is pre paid is because of the importance the jewish community places on every Jew visiting the holy homeland at some point during their life. Also, with recent opinion of Israel being not very positive with terrorist attacks and holy wars, the benefactors of this trip along with Israel wanted to make sure that young Jewish people didn't feel a separation from their holy land but rather felt an association with it. With Birthright covering every expense of the trip it is possible, regardless of economic status, for every young Jewish person to visit Israel.
This also is interesting to me because of my interest in traveling abroad. I did not have the opportunity to travel abroad at UR, however if my religion offered a trip like this i think it would be a great opportunity. It is a unique and fantastic trip that the Jewish people organize and one that should be participated in my as many people as possible.
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