Taglit Birthright Israel is a bit like your crotchety old uncle. He has a certain way he wants his coffee made (lots of milk and sugar), his pajama pants folded (with the seam turned inward) and his paper delivered (on the porch, not on the lawn). Well, so does the Birthright system.
At first it sounds pretty simple. Assuming you're eligible (that is, you haven't lived in Israel when you were twelve years or older, you haven't spent a year there, haven't served in the army and didn't travel there on an organized program) you are offered the opportunity of a lifetime. You get a free ten-day trip to the Holy Land!
But that's before they mention the providers.
Who, you ask, are the holy and sanctified providers?
Why, they're all the different people who run the trips. There's not just one Birthright program, oh no. There's Hibba, Maayanot (Chabad), Israel Outdoors, Sachlav and all sorts of other fun program-runners. Then there's the Anonymous Jewish Organization's program, which is entitled 'Israel Free Spirit.'
What makes the Anonymous Jewish Organization's program unique and different from any other program? For that, you'd have to check out their nifty Facebook page which uses alliteration and acrostics to illustrate the awesome that is our program.
Anyway, we obviously want to make people aware of our program and the benefits that it has. So I volunteered to hand out flyers at NYU to prospective participants. Urban campus, fun people and diversity? I'm so there.
So I carefully dressed myself as a student (white Hollister sweatshirt, casual grey skirt and sneakers), threw on a backpack and took the train down there. Started out at the Bronfman Center, where I met all the folks leaving after Shachris, including quite a few people whom I knew. They recommended hanging out outside the library (it's called Bobst, which made me smile a lot) and going to Weinstein, which houses the kosher cafeteria. So that's exactly what I did.
Things you discover when you stand for five hours handing out flyers:
-Many more non-Jews than Jews find the idea of a trip to Israel to be fascinating
-There are nice people (petite, with spiked black hair, wearing an apron and black jeans) who offer you free haircuts when you offer them free trips to Israel
-There are people who respond to your question, "Want to go to Israel?" with "I wanna go to class" and just make you laugh
-Just outside Bobst is the official smoking area so I was scented with the wonderful aroma of cigarettes for the rest of the day
-Friendly people tell you they've already been to Israel and they wish they were eligible to go again
-One person gritted his teeth and glared at me and spat out "Palestine" when I asked him if he wanted to go on a free trip to Israel
And then for the conversation that takes the cake.
Me: Do you want to go to Israel?
He: Can you still go if you convert?
Me: (starts laughing)
He: No, I'm totally serious. I really love Judaism and want to convert.
Me: Then yeah, I think you can go if you convert. But you shouldn't convert just to get a free trip.
He: Where do I go?
Me: For what?
He: To convert.
Me: Um...well...have you heard of the Bronfman Center?
He: No.
Me: Well, why not start by going to 7 East 10th Street and meeting with Rabbi Sarna? You can see how things go from there.
He: Great, thanks!
All in a day's work.
At first it sounds pretty simple. Assuming you're eligible (that is, you haven't lived in Israel when you were twelve years or older, you haven't spent a year there, haven't served in the army and didn't travel there on an organized program) you are offered the opportunity of a lifetime. You get a free ten-day trip to the Holy Land!
But that's before they mention the providers.
Who, you ask, are the holy and sanctified providers?
Why, they're all the different people who run the trips. There's not just one Birthright program, oh no. There's Hibba, Maayanot (Chabad), Israel Outdoors, Sachlav and all sorts of other fun program-runners. Then there's the Anonymous Jewish Organization's program, which is entitled 'Israel Free Spirit.'
What makes the Anonymous Jewish Organization's program unique and different from any other program? For that, you'd have to check out their nifty Facebook page which uses alliteration and acrostics to illustrate the awesome that is our program.
Anyway, we obviously want to make people aware of our program and the benefits that it has. So I volunteered to hand out flyers at NYU to prospective participants. Urban campus, fun people and diversity? I'm so there.
So I carefully dressed myself as a student (white Hollister sweatshirt, casual grey skirt and sneakers), threw on a backpack and took the train down there. Started out at the Bronfman Center, where I met all the folks leaving after Shachris, including quite a few people whom I knew. They recommended hanging out outside the library (it's called Bobst, which made me smile a lot) and going to Weinstein, which houses the kosher cafeteria. So that's exactly what I did.
Things you discover when you stand for five hours handing out flyers:
-Many more non-Jews than Jews find the idea of a trip to Israel to be fascinating
-There are nice people (petite, with spiked black hair, wearing an apron and black jeans) who offer you free haircuts when you offer them free trips to Israel
-There are people who respond to your question, "Want to go to Israel?" with "I wanna go to class" and just make you laugh
-Just outside Bobst is the official smoking area so I was scented with the wonderful aroma of cigarettes for the rest of the day
-Friendly people tell you they've already been to Israel and they wish they were eligible to go again
-One person gritted his teeth and glared at me and spat out "Palestine" when I asked him if he wanted to go on a free trip to Israel
And then for the conversation that takes the cake.
Me: Do you want to go to Israel?
He: Can you still go if you convert?
Me: (starts laughing)
He: No, I'm totally serious. I really love Judaism and want to convert.
Me: Then yeah, I think you can go if you convert. But you shouldn't convert just to get a free trip.
He: Where do I go?
Me: For what?
He: To convert.
Me: Um...well...have you heard of the Bronfman Center?
He: No.
Me: Well, why not start by going to 7 East 10th Street and meeting with Rabbi Sarna? You can see how things go from there.
He: Great, thanks!
All in a day's work.
