Written by Magda Dorosz (Hillel Summer Program ’16) – I have sent 314 young Polish Jews to Israel on Birthright Israel since 2011, because the trip is among the most important Jewish experiences for young adults in Poland that impacts their future engagement.
Hillel in Poland is now the leading provider of that trip. Birthright for many of our participants is the first Jewish thing they do after discovering their Jewish roots. Some apply for the trip only months after they learn of their heritage.
A staggering 70% of young Polish Jews that I have sent on the trip grew up unaware of their Jewish roots, like me.