Registration for 2011 Taglit-Birthright Israel Trips Now Open

National registration for summer 2011 Taglit-Birthright Israel trips is now open, enabling Jewish men and women, ages 18 to 26, to apply for participation in free 10-day trips to Israel.

Every year, the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign provides an allocation to the Birthright Israel Foundation, helping to make the trip possible for Miami-Dade County residents. This year, the opportunities for participation are even greater – and include the chance for people with special needs to join in on the fun — thanks to the generosity of donors who have made supplemental gifts to Federation.

Through these special gifts — and with the help of matching-fund challenge grants from Sheldon Adelson, a major supporter of Birthright — Miami-area residents can choose from three different types of Birthright Israel experiences:

• The Miami Community Trip, scheduled for early June 2011. Open to current Miami residents who are between the ages of 22 and 26, this trip will include visits to some unique sites in Israel, including Miami’s partnership city of Yerucham in the Negev. To register, visit israeloutdoors.com and select “Miami Community Trip” from the dropdown menu.
• Special-Needs Trips, leaving Miami on various dates. Through supplemental funding and in partnership with Jewish Federations in MetroWest New Jersey and Toronto, as well as other nonprofit organizations, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is underwriting the cost of five buses for participants who have special needs and are 18 to 26 years old. There will be separate trips for those who are deaf or hard of hearing; confined to wheelchairs (but not developmentally disabled); blind or visually impaired; high functioning autistic individuals; and individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities. Applicants should register on birthrightisrael.org and select the trip of choice from the dropdown menu.
• The Miami Young Adult/Pioneers and Heroes Trip, created specifically for Jewish adults, ages 22 to 26, and offering activities for these more mature participants. Departure date is yet to be determined, but to submit an application, visit amazingisrael.com and select “Miami Young Adult/Pioneers and Heroes” from the dropdown menu.

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides the gift of first-time, peer-group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults, ages 18 to 26. Taglit-Birthright Israel’s founders created this program to send thousands of young Jewish adults from all over the world to Israel as a gift in order to diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen participants’ personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people. More than 3,000 people from Miami and the surrounding area have taken part in Taglit-Birthright Israel since it launched more than a decade ago.

For more information, please email [email protected] or call 305.576.4000.