Student Israelity

Op-Ed by Marc Shapiro This past winter break, I went on Taglit Birthright through American University Hillel. The experience was unbelievable, and I would highly recommend going. I created these 20 unofficial rules as a guide for having a great and meaningful experience. Most of these rules I followed, some of them I didn’t but wish I did. 1. Go on birthright if you have the opportunity to do so. Whether you have always dreamt of going to Israel or have never even considered

Op-Ed by Rachel Black This piece originated on Rachel's personal blog, Contemporary Conversations, on December 4, 2018. In my previous post, I examined Taglit (תַגלִית)-Birthright Israel, and explored the problems that reside within the presentation and format of their trips, particularly with Palestinian speakers, or rather, a lack thereof.  I also mentioned current groups that are actively trying to include this representation and these perspectives in the trips to better r

Op-Ed by Rachel Black In the previous post, I discussed my personal experience surrounding my Jewish education and knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how I have come to realize that I had not been presented with a full picture of the occupation, and why that was harmful to not only my Jewish education, but to my depiction of Israel and Palestine. For those familiar with Birthright, the typical association is with the program Birthright Israel, also known as Ta