Free Trip to Israel

Parent Cafe
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<p>Okay, I don’t know if you guys have heard of this but if you are Jewish and are 18-26 you can go to a free trip to Israel. The Jewish people think there is a birth right to the trip. I could go on a free 10 day trip this summer and I would be 18 this summer. Websites include:
[Taglit-Birthright</a> Israel: Homepage](<a href=“http://www.birthrightisrael.com%5DTaglit-Birthright”>http://www.birthrightisrael.com)
[Trip</a> Eligibility | Mayanot | Taglit Birthright Israel](<a href=“http://www.mayanotisrael.com/eligibility.asp]Trip”>http://www.mayanotisrael.com/eligibility.asp)</p>

<p>It states, “b) Where either parent is Jewish and the applicant does not actively practice another religion”</p>

<p>I have grown up Catholic and I consider myself Catholic. However, My father is Jewish and I haven’t been to church since May of 2010, but I did go twice in France in July if that counts. So, I am not a practicing Catholic. I consider myself an agnostic Catholic personally. However, my nana thinks that since I’ve been baptized, had my first communion, and confirmation I wouldn’t qualify. But I do not actively practice any religion. I still consider myself Catholic though even though I am not actively practicing. I think I would feel uncomfortable practicing Jewish rituals. However, it says you do not have to do it. It would just be weird being around it as I’ve only ever been to Catholic mass, not even other Christian denomanations. I’ve only been to temple when I was very little (under 5). I went to a Jewish preschool and hated it and then I went to a Protestant one and liked it better haha. I am very open minded. My parents said I just wouldn’t tell them I’m Catholic; however, I could still consider myself Catholic and go since I don’t actively practice it. I have a Jewish last name if that helps. Although, many people here have no idea. I could always lie and just say I have no religon, but I don’t think I would have to because like I said I don’t practice it. </p>

<p>Safety is another concern as we all know, Israel isn’t the safiest country. What do you think? Do you think I qualify? My parents said not to bother to ask if I do because I could always just not tell them I grew up Catholic. On facebook, it says I am because I still am haha. I just do not practice it. My mother would feel better with me going with my nana then a group.</p>

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<p>Personally I agree with your Nana. You have been christened with both first communion and confirmation in the Catholic faith and you attended church until May 2010. BUT whatever…go ahead and apply. BUT be honest on the application.</p>

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<p>It’s bad enough that people try to figure out how to bamboozle the admissions office in order to get in-state tuition for a school in a state where they don’t live and look for ways to hide income in order to get more financial aid, but now I’ve heard everything.</p>

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<p>I’m not trying to hide anything. It says one of your parents need to be Jewish and that you do not currently practice another religion. I do not actively practice any religon. Of course I grew up Catholic, but I am not a practicing Catholic. Thanks for the advice thumper!</p>

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<p>Your mother needs to be Jewish and the birthright trips to Israel are very limited. A lot of the financing was lost in the Madoff scandal. Watch out for phony websites.</p>

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<p>I agree. I believe you have to be considered Jewish, meaning have mother that is Jewish, to be considered for application. It certainly would be appropriate to consider oneself Jewish and to practice the faith, neither of which you do. There is an application and interview process and many are declined or wait listed , just like college. This is a program for people who are Jewish. How about you pass on this e-c, since you are by your own admission catholic.</p>

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<p>If one sees what I quoted, it states either parent has to be Jewish. It does not state your mother has to be Jewish. I also do not currently practice any other religon. By definition, I fit that description. But I do see where you are coming from Jym. Technically, half of my blood is of Jewish descent. Are there any other programs like this?</p>

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<p>I believe that if only the father is Jewish BUT you were brought up Jewish you qualify. If you are from a mixed marriage and haven’t “selected” a religion you could be selected. But if you are (and admit to) being a Catholic, despite a possibly Jewish last name, you aren’t Jewish. Birthright (listen to the name) is NOT a free vacation. It is an exploration and reinforcement of being Jewish.</p>

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<p>I think all are being a bit harsh to OP. D is currently on the triip, and depending on the organizer they are quite loose about Jewishness. D has a Jewish mother, and Catholic father and has never practiced any religion, but that’s part of what they’re looking for - an opportunity to expose non-practicing jews to Israel and Judaism. I think its fair and not dishonest for early college to question if she qualifies. </p>

<p>That being said, I would guess that OP falls on the other side of the line and doesn’t qualify since she identifies as Catholic. But I would ask the organizers, and they will answer whether you should even apply. If you do there is an interview, where they assess whether you have any connection to Judaism. But honestly its pretty inclusive and despite what Parent1986 said, I hardly know a Jewish or part Jewish, practicing or not, young adult who hasn’t gone on a Birthright trip. The major exception is if they’ve gone to Israel on their own.</p>

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<p>Perhaps I’m wrong but I think the OP is a guy. </p>

<p>As noted…you will have to be very honest in your interview. Personally, I think if you are looking at this as a “free vacation”, you are barking up the wrong tree.</p>

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<p>I am a guy…</p>

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<p>Gee, I don’t know why, but almost everyone on CC defaults to female for me. Sorry about that early college, if I was wrong.</p>

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<p>early_college,
While I hesitated to get involved in this discussion, I"m casting aside my qualms. Yes, you are correct that either parent needs to be Jewish in order to qualify. However, from what you have honestly told us here, you are a Catholic. You’ve been baptized, had your first communion and confirmation. There are thousands of Jewish students who apply to this program and many of them are initially waitlisted because the demand from Jewish students is so great. You don’t identify yourself as being culturally Jewish, let alone religiously Jewish. When you are interviewed they will ask if you had a Bar Mitzvah, whether you went to Hebrew School, etc. You don’t have to have done these things, but you’ve also told us that you would "feel uncomfortable practicing Jewish rituals. I don’t think this is a trip for you. It’s not a freebie boondoggle for anyone and everyone. It’s heavily supported by the State of Israel as well as some incredibly philanthropic American Jews. Listen to your nana. :)</p>

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<p>My point was that it said I could not actively practice another religion and I do not actively practice any religion. There was no where on the website staying I could not have grown up Catholic. It just said I could not still go to church. I actually have a huge passion for studying the Holocaust. My common app essay was about it and I’ve interviewed a Holocaust survivor. My father, who is Jewish, has not practiced in two decades.</p>

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<p>Why do you want to go on birthright, ec? Do you want to learn about Judaism and its practice? Do you want to make an Aliyah? Do you want to embrace your fathers religion? If you want to learn more about the holocaust, look into trips to Eastern Europe.
By the way, I am inMillegeville today. The drive time from Atlanta is about 2 hrs at mpst</p>

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<p>Lol that should say Millegeville</p>

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<p>My read is you qualify under</p>

<p>"For the Taglit-Birthright Israel trip, Jewish is defined as: </p>

<p>b) Where either parent is Jewish and the applicant does not actively practice another religion;
"</p>

<p>LOL, I could argue both ways: </p>

<p>1) It’s crystal clear to me that you are eligible since you don’t actively practice another religion. </p>

<p>2) It’s crystal clear to me that you are not eligible since actively considering oneself Catholic IS actually actively practicing another religion. </p>

<p>Just so you know what this trip is about, they want to bring American Jews to Israel to experience Israel as a “Birthright” in hopes that they will actively support the State of Israel throughout their lives, since Israel’s existence depends on US Support, and getting that support depends heavily on the extent to which American Jews vocally identify with Israel and financially support Israel’s lobbying efforts no mater what “Pricetag” Jewish Israeli terrorists extract from West Bank Palestinians and Arab Israelis. It’s not a religious trip per se, but it’s more of a propaganda trip. They want people who will identify as Jews after the trip so that they blindly support Israel. </p>

<p>That said, people have a lot of fun on these trips and do come away with a solid understanding of Israel’s vision of itself and it’s place in the world as Israel is home to just under half of the world’s Jewish population.</p>

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<p>Here is what one older friend (same age or older then you guys) thought: </p>

<p>Yes, I’ve heard of the free trips to Israel. That has been around since I was that age, but I never knew about it until I was too old.</p>

<p>(As an adult, I could take advantage of their aliyah program, where they cover your costs to get there, get settled and learn Hebrew, and you get paid a stipend or a starter grant - but the idea is that you plan to resettle there. I’d take the trip, but I wouldn’t want to resettle there, though I considered it at one time.)</p>

<p>Okay, first of all, because you’re only Jewish on your father’s side, they will certainly ask about your religion. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t lie, but you can certainly spin it. Tell them you were raised Catholic but do not practice it and that you’ve been actively trying to learn more about your Jewish side. You don’t have to put a date on when you last attended Mass. Just focus on the fact that you haven’t had the chance to experience Judaism or Jewish culture, though you’ve developed an interest in learning more because of your readings about the Holocaust.</p>

<p>Chances are the program will be more about the culture and history than about religion anyway. They won’t expect you to convert, simply because Judaism does not seek converts. (Converts have to really work at it to be allowed to call themselves Jews.)</p>

<p>There will surely be temple/ synagogue/ shul services. You should go at least once. You won’t have to do anything that goes against Catholicism. It’s not like you’d be worshiping another God - it’s the same god, it’s just that there won’t be any mention of Jesus. You can say you haven’t had the chance to learn about Jewish services and just observe rather than participate. </p>

<p>Most Jewish kids don’t live in observant homes and even though they go to Hebrew school to prep for their bar mitzvahs, most don’t know much about the religion, or they forget, so you won’t be alone in not knowing.</p>

<p>You might be asked to wear a yarmulke during the service, but it won’t kill you. It is worn for humility; it doesn’t go against other beliefs. </p>

<p>I just checked out your website links. I see where it says all-Jewish backgrounds, but I think it’ll be okay if you explain that you didn’t have the chance to be exposed to Judaism. If you can show them your college application essay, that could help.</p>

<p>I don’t think they’d reject you for being half-Catholic, but I see they have a huge waiting list. So it will be competitive, and being able to show your active interest with that essay could help you compete for a spot.</p>

<p>Good luck with this. If you get in, it should be a great trip!</p>

<p>Israelis are nowhere near as rude as the French, I’ve heard. You will be somewhat protected by being in a tour group, so you’ll meet Israelis who specifically are there to show you their country. You won’t be stuck in a bad family, like you were in France, and you’ll be traveling, getting to see and do things.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about the age range. Probably they set up the groups somewhat by age, so you’d be in a younger group. But even if you do have 26-year-olds, most of them are not married and raising kids and being full-grown adults. Most of them are more like overage college kids.</p>

<p>You might feel a bit outside the group when the others throw Yiddish words around or talk about Jewish experiences they had growing up. Then again, you can always ask what a word means and take an interest in their experiences. But you can still be a part of the group, make friends, have fun. No one will care that you weren’t raised Jewish.</p>

<p>I think you would enjoy the trip. No kidding, it’s risky what with the constant attacks and terrorism, but of course the tour group is trained to keep you as safe as possible. But you like history, and you will enjoy it even from a Catholic perspective.</p>

<p>One thing: I honestly think you’d enjoy it more after a year or two of college simply because you’ll be more used to meeting new people and being on your own. So if you don’t get in this year, keep applying. But do go if you can. would help to remove the bit about being Catholic from Facebook for now. Just in case they check.</p>

<p>Again, I think it’s okay to say you were raised Catholic but are not actively practicing and want to learn more about your Jewish background. It’s even okay to say it’s your heritage you’re interested in, not so much the religion. Again, Judaism doesn’t try to convert people.</p>

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<p>ClassicRockerDad,
Nice interpretation of what the trip is about…:rolleyes: :rolleyes: I hope this thread is closed soon before it deteriorates further. Nice job…go find a political thread.</p>

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<p>What a scam.</p>

<p>The point of birthright is to reconnect you to appreciate and support Israel.
That’s not your intent - you just want the free trip.</p>

<p>There is an interview and most trips are affiliated with college campuses.</p>

<p>I’d be furious to know you were given a spot when the wait list for Jewish youth who truly want to embrace their heritage is very long. Many college kids wait years to get a spot on their campus’ trip.</p>

<p>Why don’t you go on a church trip to see Jesus’ birthplace-- that really seems more appropriate. I say that not to be sarcastic- but truly -there are trips sponsored by the Newman society -that is where you should be rather than taking money from people who donated to support Jewish youth.</p>