Birthright Israel announced the launch of its 2025-26 winter season, the organization’s first since the end of Israel’s two-year-long war with Hamas in Gaza. The numbers signal a strong resurgence in global interest in visiting Israel despite a complex international climate.
Running through March, the winter season is expected to bring more than 300 groups worldwide, totaling as many as 10,000 participants, most of them young Jewish adults. About 5,000 participants will take part in Birthright Israel’s traditional 10-day educational trip, while others will join volunteering programs, community engagement initiatives and internship opportunities across the country.
Participants are slated to arrive from 40 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and Argentina. Roughly 50% of all tours will go to Israel’s northern and southern regions, supporting communities and local businesses through educational activities and volunteer service.
Birthright has drawn more than 43,000 participants to its programs since Oct. 7, 2023. Notably, 95% of all young adults who visited Israel on an educational trip in the past year did so through the organization.
Since its founding in 1999, it has become one of the most influential Zionist initiatives of the 21st century, with more than 900,000 alumni.
