Birthright Israel announced that it intends to resume summer programs on July 7, just two weeks after Birthright evacuated some 2,800 participants on a visit in the Jewish state during the war with Iran.
“We led a historic operation grounded in resilience, responsibility and care, and now we’re opening the gates to Israel once again,” stated Gidi Mark, CEO of the group, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
“Our commitment to connecting Jewish young adults to Israel is stronger than ever, and we expect thousands of participants to arrive from now through the end of the summer season,” he said.
Noa Bauer, vice president of global marketing at Birthright, told JNS that overall, its evacuation of some 3,000 participants in trips during Israel’s war with Iran was “very successful.”
“We were able to get all of our participants out of the country,” she said.
“We put a lot of effort, resources and people into it,” she said. “The fact that people also felt safe but also got home safely, I think the two combined was a success.”
Bauer told JNS that Birthright is still receiving hundreds of “thank you” notes from parents and participants, including some of the latter asking when they can return to Israel.
“People kind of felt torn,” she said. “We actually heard people saying they want to stay in Israel, which was unbelievable, and the feedback overall was very, very positive.”
