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January 5, 2012 (San Diego) – Birthright Israel, the national not-for-profit that provides free trips to Israel for young adults from around the world, has announced that thousands of San Diego area Jewish youth will have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the holy land in 2012 to discover their history and culture for the very first time.
Birthright recently announced casino and hotel magnate Sheldon Adelson’s holiday gift of $5 million to bring his total donation to over $100 million. With this gift and continued support from other donations and philanthropies, Birthright forecasts that within a decade, one in every two Jewish people between the ages of 18-26 could visit Israel.
Since its inception, Birthright Israel has enabled almost 300,000 college students and young adults from around the world to visit Israel to discover their roots and heritage via 10-day trips among peer groups that are 100% free of charge for every visitor. Each year, the number of trips the group provides continues to grow with the goal of bringing 50% of young people worldwide to the Jewish state ever closer.
Birthright Israel offers the gift of a free, ten-day trip to Israel for Jewish adults between the ages of 18 to 26. The trip aims to strengthen each participant’s identity as a Jew; to build an understanding, friendship and lasting bond with the land and people of Israel; and to reinforce the solidarity of the Jewish people worldwide. In the decade since its inception, Birthright Israel has brought over 280,000 Jewish young adults to Israel from over 50 countries, from all 50 U.S. states and all Canadian provinces and territories, including students at nearly 1,000 North American college campuses. Birthright Israel is a partnership between the Government of Israel, private philanthropists and Jewish communities around the world (the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Hayesod). For more information, visit www.birthrightisrael.org
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