It had been four years since David Tepper visited Israel. At that time, the sophomore government and politics major was touring the country with his family.
“It was a pretty good time,” Tepper said. “But I would have much rather been with people my age.”
Since then, Tepper’s parents refused to allow him to return to Israel because of the growing tension in the Middle East.
That is, until now.
This winter break, Tepper will join thousands of college students from across the country on the Birthright Israel trip, a free 10-day vacation to Israel open to all Jewish young adults who have never before traveled to the country on an organized trip.
As has been the case in years past, Maryland Hillel has emerged as one of the strongest advocates for the Birthright program.
In an effort spearheaded by Tali Koren, the JAFI fellow at Maryland Hillel, and Dalia Tammam, the Grinspoon Israel intern, an estimated 150 Maryland students signed up for the Jan. 9, 2005 trip.
“Going on Birthright will hopefully open doors to other opportunities,” said Tammam, a sophomore psychology major. “Eventually, the goal is to make sure that these students feel comfortable getting more involved in Jewish and Israel-related activities.”
Despite the growing campus-wide interest in the program, fewer students will be able to attend this winter break due to alleged budget cuts by the Israeli government and various umbrella organizations. This past year, the Israeli government was forced to slash its funding of the trip from $9 million in 2003 to $400,000 in 2004.
As of Nov. 2, there are only 40 spots available to Maryland students. This stands in stark contrast to the 97 students who attended last winter’s Birthright trip, the most in the country.
“Originally, we wanted to have at least two buses filled with Maryland students,” Koren said. “But right now it seems as if it’s going to be slightly less than that.”
Koren said that the Orthodox Union contacted Maryland Hillel and offered to sponsor a trip primarily for students attending the university. The trip would have more of a religious flavor to it but would also allow more students to go on Birthright.
“We’re spreading the word for the OU because the more people that go, the better,” Tammam said. “We’re just letting people know that, unlike Hillel, which is non-denominational, the OU trip will have more of a religious tone to it.”
Students have until Nov. 29 to sign up for the Birthright trip, at the very latest.
Koren, a native of Tel Aviv, can not stress how important it is for Jewish students to see the country for themselves.
“As much as I talk about it, it’s not enough. People have to see it in order to get a feel for its effect,” Koren said.
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