(JNS) Taglit-Birthright Israel celebrated its 800,000th participant at its annual “mega-event” in Tel Aviv that concludes each summer trip for the group of young Jewish adults who participate in the organization’s free trips to Israel.
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Birthright held the event at the Expo Tel Aviv convention center on July 13.
Donors and supporters from around the world attended, in addition to 3,000 young Jewish adults from 13 countries, including the United States, France, Great Britain, Mexico, Turkey, Germany, Brazil and Argentina, reported The Jerusalem Post.
The event also included remarks from philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson and Birthright CEO Gidi Mark. The Israeli pop-music duo Static and Ben El performed for the crowd.
“After two years of limited participation, we at Birthright are experiencing tremendous demand and are preparing accordingly for the rest of the year. Since the beginning of 2022, more than 25,000 participants have come to Israel from the Diaspora, and we’re already preparing to welcome the one-millionth participant to arrive within the next few years,” said Mark.
“Tonight, we are excited to return to celebrating such a large group of Birthright participants in Israel to experience it for themselves,” he continued. “This includes, for the first time, participants from Onward Israel, the leading mid-term internship program that merged with Birthright earlier this year.”
