The Olam
Program

Birthright Israel / Taglit

Free 10-day educational Israel trips for Jewish adults aged 18-26. Founded 1999 by Charles Bronfman, Michael Steinhardt, and partner institutions. Over 800,000 trips delivered.

Birthright Israel (formal name: Taglit-Birthright Israel) is the philanthropic program providing free educational Israel trips to young Jewish adults aged 18-26. Founded in 1999 by Charles Bronfman, Michael Steinhardt, and a coordinating partner consortium including the Government of Israel and the major Jewish federations. Over 800,000 trips delivered since founding.

Annual participant volume runs in the 35,000-50,000 range in pre-pandemic and post-recovery years. Funding operates through a multi-pillar architecture combining major private philanthropic donor commitments, sustained Government of Israel funding, Jewish federation system funding through the overseas-allocation channel, and Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal funding for international participants. Annual operating budget runs in the multi-hundred-million-dollar range.

Trips operate as 10-day group experiences with structured educational programming through approximately a dozen Israeli-based trip operators (Sachlav, Mayanot, Israel Outdoors, Israel Free Spirit, Shorashim, and the broader operator tier). The curriculum covers Israeli history, geography, cultural and religious sites, and contemporary Israeli society. Programmatic scope has expanded through Birthright Israel Onward (longer programs), Birthright Israel Excel (professional internships), and adjacent structures over the program's operational history.

Read Next in The Olam

  • The Jewish Agency for Israel · JFNA · Keren Hayesod — Principal institutional partners
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  • Mega-Donor — Donor tier behind founding philanthropic commitments
  • Annual Campaign · Overseas Allocation — Federation-funding pathways
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