The first buses of Taglit-Birthright Israel’s “Crystal Summer” are currently arriving at Ben Gurion Airport, kicking off a record-breaking 15th year for the organization. This summer’s group will include participants from the U.S., Canada, France, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, Spain, Panama, UK, Spain, India, Netherlands, Hungary, South Africa, and more.

“To think in just 15 short years we have increased our yearly global participant numbers by nearly 1000 percent is a testament to Taglit-Birthright Israel’s network of support who continue to provide the gift of heritage discovery to future generations. This milestone is not only inspiring, but also motivation to continue pursuing our goal to bring Jewish young adults from all corners of the Diaspora to Israel each year, said Taglit-Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark.”

Taglit-Birthright Israel is expecting 30,000 young Jewish adults to participate on educational tours between early May and mid-September this year, citing successful registration launch mixers with breakout Jewish dating app, Jswipe, as a decisive factor in this year’s enthusiasm. A consistent rise in numbers over the past 15 years puts Taglit-Birthright Israel on track to welcome its 500,000th participant during the summer session.