By Robert Israel Lappin
As the BDS movement grows on college campuses, and as anti-Israel and anti-semitic activities increase in high schools and in our communities, the American Jewish community is losing ground, losing time, and losing connection to Israel of our Jewish youth. Getting Jewish teens, ages 16 and 17, to Israel en masse, including and following up with Israel advocacy training before they go to college, will equip them to fight anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and particularly the BDS movement. Key to attracting Jewish teens en masse to go to Israel is to offer them a two week fully subsidized teen Israel experience that will educate, train and inspire them to be Israel advocates in high school, during their college years and beyond.
This can be accomplished by forming a trifecta funding partnership of Birthright Israel Foundation, the Government of Israel, through Mosaic United, and Jewish federations, with support from local philanthropists, with each organization contributing $2,000 per teen, to fund the all-in, per-teen cost of $6,000, which includes the two-week Israel trip, Israel advocacy training and administration. This trifecta partnership will: dramatically increase the number of teens having an Israel experience before they go to college; forge strong connections between American Jewish teens and Israel; build a strong, proud, pro-Israel army of boots-on-the-ground to fight BDS on college campuses and counter the advances of Students for Justice in Palestine; and provide a life-changing Jewish experience for disengaged, unaffiliated, and underserved Jewish youth. For teens who desire a longer Israel experience with their Jewish camps, schools, youth groups or temples, vouchers for the equivalent of $2,000 per person from each organization will make the longer teen Israel experience more affordable.
The American Jewish Community must urge Birthright Israel Foundation, the Government of Israel, through Mosaic United, and Jewish federations, with support from local philanthropists, to form a trifecta funding partnership to get teens to Israel en masse if we are to be successful at fighting BDS on college campuses.
We urge individuals to add their names to a petition by emailing [email protected]
Robert Israel Lappin is President of the Lappin Foundation.
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This is vital. Kudos to Robert Lappin for his continued championing of the cause of teen trips to Israel.
As important as birthright has been for emerging adults, communal investment in immersive Jewish experiences for teens may have a lot more bang for the buck. As Rabbi Steve Wernick said at the USCJ biennial in 2015, such experiences are among the greatest predictors for Jewish engagement in adulthood. We need a Jewish communal Marshall Plan to bring this about.
Kol hakavod Bob.
You are absolutely right.
JAFI and the GOI doing nothing
For years.
Bob is right to issue a clarion call for teen trips to Israel. And even those of us such as myself who are not convinced that the BDS movement is all that successful in turning young Jews against Israel can rally around the call for free Israel trips for US Jewish teens. I happen to think intermarriage and Jews’ liberalism (um, I am an inmarried liberal!) are the major provocateurs of alienation from Israel. Seeing Israel first-hand speaks to the identities of most Jews, and helps liberals distinguish disgust with Israeli policies from alienation from the beautiful Israeli society. Let them join with progressive Israelis in loving Israel and opposing its government’s policies toward the Occupation of another people’s land. Agan, yasher koach to Bob Lappin the true champion of teen Israel trips for nearly half a century — a hero in our time.
Steven Cohen did a great study on this teen program (run by NCSY but for non-Orthodox Jewish youth)..SEE LINK BELOW
Imagine if all of our teens went on a program as strong educationally as this one:
Summary:
https://ncsy.org/tjj-report/
Full report:
http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=22091
That would be a game-charger for the Jewish community.
Indeed. Israel is the beating heart of our people and ONLY a long term program can transform our next generation to be prepared for what lies ahead, forging their link to Jewish continuity and Israel connectivity. Mr. Lappin I invite you to see what is happening here on campus, in Israel, at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel. 2 weeks is not enough. We’ve been doing this for 44 years, 26,000 alumni – we know. Please consider investigating what we already do.