Taglit Says ‘Spasibo’!

1000 wildly enthusiastic Russian Jewish young adults brought down the house in Tel Aviv Monday night to celebrate Taglit Birthright Israel’s Bar Mitzvah year. The event also marked five years of cooperation between Taglit and the Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG).

And, for those who think the highlight of Mega events is the continuing Argentinian/Brazilian rivalries, that takes a distant 2nd place to the energy pulsating through this demographic. Indeed, David Abitbol, founder of Jewlicious, Tweeted from the event, “1000 Russians cheer louder than 3000 regular Birthrighters!”

Speaking to the participants, Sana Britavsky, Executive Director of GPG Israel said, “The Genesis Fund is a proud participant in the historic venture, and we will continue to do everything possible to remain relevant, engaging and effective to young Jews of Russian speaking communities. When we see this hall and you in it, we are confident that our efforts to strengthen the Jewish generational chain and to strengthen the Jewish Russian heritage bear welcoming fruit.”

Since Taglit began bringing groups from the FSU countries, over 40,000 young adults have visited Israel, 4000 in the past year alone.

The Mega event evening included an educational fair presenting future opportunities participants could avail themselves of in Israel.