Serious Fun
The Jerusalem Post

June 28, 2010

When Birthright was launched a decade ago, skeptics dismissed the 10-day tours of Israel as little more than a free party for privileged college kids. It was an unfair critique, but it gained traction because it combined the ever popular lament about the “youth of today” with an equally curmudgeonly suspicion that something so fun could not actually be serious.
Surprisingly, many supporters of Birthright still buy into the critique even as they seek to rebut it.  Read more…

So Near, So Far
New York Jewish Week

May 12, 2010

A traveler’s quiz: When American Jewish tourists arrive at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, which two words are they more likely to be greeted with?
A) “Welcome home!”
B) “Passport, please.”
Resist the temptation to choose “A.”
Read more…