Published in print and online
By Jennifer Corr
Photos- Hampton Synagogue and Sylvie Rosokoff
Eighty young adults from Suffolk County will soon be touring Israel, funded by the $250,000 raised by congregants of The Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach. The Birthright Israel Foundation, the U.S. funding arm of Birthright Israel, launched a synagogue campaign to support trips for young Jewish adults across the United States. It’s first partnership was with The Hampton Synagogue.
Birthright Israel, according to the foundation’s website, “seeks to ensure that every eligible young Jewish adult around the world, especially the less connected, is given the opportunity to visit Israel on [an] educational journey.”
Since Birthright Israel was founded in 1999 by a group Jewish philanthropists, led by Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, the Birthright Israel Foundation has sponsored 700,000 trips.
“It’s really a gift to the Jewish community, to the next generation,” said the head of strategic partnerships at the Birthright Israel Foundation, Daniel Kraus.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, the founding rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue, said he believes that Birthright Israel has “transformed the Jewish community.”
The trips to Israel range in themes, including active, professional, culinary, spiritual, arts and culture, and LGBTQ themes. The Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Jordan River and Tel Aviv are just some of the sights that can be seen on the 10-day trips, which are free of charge for those who go on them.
According to Rabbi Schneier, between the costs of airfare, transportation and other accommodations, the cost to fill a bus with 40 people would cost $120,000.
“[The Birthright Israel Foundation] came up with the idea to identify 10 synagogues, 10 congregations across the country would each adopt one bus,” Rabbi Schneier said. “They asked us to be the first. Typically, when it comes to this kind of philanthropy, congregational philanthropy, we are the first, and we not only meet the challenge, we kick off the challenge.”
On a Saturday morning on July 13, the Birthright Israel Foundation launched the campaign at The Hampton Synagogue. Congregants heard from Birthright Israel Foundation President and CEO Izzy Tapoohi and Vice Chairman Stephen Siderow, who is also a congregant at the synagogue. Birthright Israel alumna also discussed the impact the trip had on them.
Hampton Synagogue benefactor, activist and writer Erin Schrode called on the Jewish community to support Birthright Israel and to “invest in the future of Jewish communities.”
In response, $250,000 was raised, supporting 80 people who will go to Israel.
“In a very dramatic appeal on that Saturday morning, I believe it was under 10 minutes, not only did we raise funds for one bus, we raised funds for two buses,” Rabbi Schneier said. “It was an outpouring, it was an overwhelming response within the Hamptons congregational family.”
Rabbi Schneier said that The Hampton Synagogue has the largest congregation in Suffolk County, attracting 800 people on a given Saturday morning, with some traveling from Montauk or New York City. He added that he was especially pleased that young, Jewish adults from Suffolk County will be able to take advantage of the Birthright trip.
According to a study from the UJA-Federation of New York called “Jewish Community Study of New York 2011,” Suffolk is the only county that has experienced a Jewish population loss, 4 percent, and a Jewish household loss of 12 percent. As of 2011, 85,700 members of the population are of Jewish faith.
The study also found that 50 percent of the participants said that they had a low “Jewish engagement level” and 21 percent had a high “Jewish engagement level.”
“Two buses will be reserved for young people from Suffolk County,” Rabbi Schneier said. “It’s very disappointing that Suffolk County has the highest rate of Jewish assimilation of any region in the [New York] metropolitan area.”
A member of The Hampton Synagogue, Nicole Katz, went on a Birthright trip eight years ago. Since then, she has returned to Israel twice a year.
“That trip really opened my eyes to so many beautiful things, especially being Jewish and coming from a deep-rooted Jewish family,” she said.
Ms. Katz’s favorite memory was when she and her Birthright group brought in Shabbat, Judaism’s day of rest, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the only remains of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and a sacred site, especially for those of the Jewish faith.
“I remember the sun was setting and my Birthright group, our soldiers, various families and so many beautiful people came together and we were all in a big circle, singing beautiful Israeli songs and we were all united as one,” Ms. Katz said. “The energy that day was so beautiful, and it was an unforgettable moment that will always remain in my mind and in my heart.”
Her parents, Bonnie and Bruce Katz, are congregants and benefactors of the synagogue. Ms. Katz said that she is happy that the future participants will get the opportunity to have the experiences that she did.
“At the end of the day, the state of Israel, the Jewish state, is your country, is your Sabbath, it’s your people, it’s your heritage, it’s your lineage, it’s your history,” Rabbi Schneier said. “And you can read about that in the United States, but there’s nothing like experiencing it. You go through a whole transformation.”
Comentários