Information Session to be held for Taglit-Birthright Trip

For many college students, their time in school is not only used to study, but also to take a semester abroad to experience life around the world. Some students who would prefer not to leave their homes for an entire semester may simply take smaller trips abroad for the sake of traveling, but these trips could become quite expensive.

For members of the Jewish community enrolled in Monmouth University, however, students have an opportunity to receive a trip to Israel, for free, via the Taglit-Birthright program.

This program is open to all students age 18 to 26 who live in the Monmouth County area. While on this trip to Israel, many attendees have the opportunity to go swim in the Dead Sea, climb the mountains of Masada, ride on the backs of camels, and visit Mount Herzl, where many former Prime Ministers of Israel are buried including Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin.

Another memorable experience individuals will have on this trip is visiting the Western Wall. Also known as the Kotel, the Western Wall is one of the holiest places in all of Jerusalem. Many individuals come from all over the world to visit this location, not only pray in front of this wall, but also to place a slip of paper with a prayer written onto it into a crack in the wall.

Also, every trip has several soldiers from the Israeli Army chaperoning the students around the country, along with a tour guide and certified EMT. For many on the trip, strong bonds are formed with the Israeli soldiers who spend time with them during this experience.

For those at Monmouth University who would like to learn more about the Birthright trip, a special event is being held on Wednesday, August 3 at the Axelrod Theater at 100 Grant Ave in Deal. During this event, a documentary will be shown telling the story of the Taglit-Birthright trip, and why young members of the Jewish community should not miss the opportunity to take advantage of this trip.

This film, “Mifgash: Encountering Jewish Identity in the 21^st Century,” documents the full 10-day trip that individuals take when they go on this Birthright excursion. Along with the film, a question and answer session with Seth Kroll, the director/producer of the film, will be held.

According to Kroll, the film tells the story of the students on the trip and highlights the challenges and experiences all of the students come across while on their trip to Israel.

This documentary will be shown at 7:30 p.m. and is free of charge. To register for this event, contact Evan Levitt at 732-866-4300 ext. 17, or e-mail at elevitt@jewishmonmouth.org.