1. Host a Shabbat dinner and have your dinner paid for: www.bringbackshabbat.org if you’re in college and www.onetable.org if you’re out of college. I personally recommend OneTable. I’ve had only positive Friday night dinners with this one of a kind organization and you will have a memorable experience every time you attend their free Friday night dinner chills. I promise. Inclusive dinner themes include LatinX Shabbat, Rainbow Shabbat, Potluck in the Park, Challah Bakeoff, Rooftop Shabbat, Shabbat Game Night and Brisket Fest 2.0. They are in 13 major cities throughout the US and if they aren’t in your city yet you apply on their website to become a host and they pay for all your dinner and planning costs. Their website has all the info you need to host a dinner including hosting tips, food recipes, printable ritual guides, “shabbat sounds” and much more. Also, they can connect you to a OneTable staff member or a current/former host who will answer all your questions and anxieties about hosting. Whether host or attending, you will leave a OneTable Friday night dinner inspired and rejuvenated for the upcoming week. Plus, you will increase your Jewish social network by 5-40 people every time you go. Shabbat happens every week (seriously, I know) so find the time and location that works for you and keep on going back. Go to their website or download the app to reserve your seat or to post that you’re hosting an upcoming Friday night dinner. I’ve attended 4 OneTable dinners in the last 8 weeks so don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any specific questions and (obviously) be sure to post pics to our WhatsApp chat.
2. Learn more about your Judaism: While in Israel you’ve probably heard some “Jewish words” Jewish Rituals” “Jewish Ethics” “Jewish State” “Jewish Identity” or “Jewish Laws” but felt a knowledge gap in your Jewish/Israel education and didn’t understand 100% of everything. So, I’m listing these 3 websites that I visit whenever I personally have that “gap”. They are www.aish.com , https://jerusalemu.org/ and www.Chabad.org
- With over 1 million monthly site visits, www.Aish.com is the most visited Jewish education website in the world. Clips, articles (check out mine @StevenZvi) online classes, holiday guides, they literally have it all (we were on their rooftop and ate dinner at their Jerusalem headquarters on Friday night). If interested in attending their Jerusalem school called Aish Ha’Torah they provide super generous subsidies for flights and housing to Birthright alumni (link below). I attended classes at their Jerusalem headquarters for 3 weeks and loved every minute of it. They really challenge you. Go for it!
- JerusalemU is essentially 3 different websites: The one with clips https://unpacked.media/?utm_source=JU-website&utm_medium=brands ,the film one https://imaginationproductions.com/?utm_source=JU-website&utm_medium=brands watch “Hummus, The Movie!” and the educational one : https://medialab.jerusalemu.org/ . You can access all 3 from the https://jerusalemu.org/ main page.
- Www.Chabad.org has literally everything Jewish related including classes, beginner guides, weekly/daily tailor-made emails on various Jewish subjects and ideas, Jewish food recopies and literally everything in between. Check em’ out.
- Another way to bridge that “Jewish knowledge gap” is through the mentorship program at Partners-In-Torah (link below). After your phone interview, they will partner you up with a Jewish mentor from your area and who is hopefully in the same field of work and lifestyle as you are. Through your weekly on the phone/in-person/ video chat discussions with topics ranging from philosophy, Hebrew language and Hebrew comprehension, Jewish ethics, Holidays, Jewish History or anything else Jewish you wish to discuss, your knowledge of Judaism will grow so much that you will probably become a mentor yourself! Signing up for a study partner is free and they even pay you a stipend for completing their sessions. My grandfathers (may he rest in peace) highlight of the week was when he would study with his PartnerInTorah. My grandfather and his mentee enjoyed each other’s company, became lifelong friends and even traveled to Israel together on a PartnersInTorah getaway. Check out their website for more info and to sign up https://www.partnersintorah.org/ou-fellowships/.
- Another mentorship program I enjoy very much is called TorahMates. Your time commitment is as little at ½ a week and you pick the times that work for you so it’s flexible. They also have holiday retreats at their upstate New York campus where you and your Torahmate partner (and sometimes their entire family as well) will have the opportunity to spend the holidays together. I’ve spent about 10 holidays at their camp upstate so far and haven’t had a bad experience yet. They also have a reward system just for video chatting / talking on the phone with your Torahmate partner. Rewards includes books, cool electronics and (surprise surprise) a trip to Israel. Check em’ out https://torahmates.org/how-it-works.php#topics
Random Fun Fact: The “1-877-Kars-4-Kids” jingle you hear on the radio is the parent company of TorahMates and supports all of the Torahmate programs, so “donate your car today”.
3. Attend a Chabad Friday night dinner: With over 3,500 centers in over 100 countries, Chabad centers are everywhere you look. Over 1 million Jews attended a Chabad dinner, prayer service or holiday service this past year. And they are only getting larger. The Alperowitz family just launched a Chabad house in South Dakota so there is now an official Chabad presence in every US state (including US territories, I believe). Use the Chabad locator https://www.chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/jewish/Chabad-Centers-and-Synagogue-Directory.htm to find the Chabad house nearest you. If you’re still in college, be sure to visit a “Chabad on Campus” Center https://www.campus.chabad.edu/centers/campus_cdo/jewish/Campus-Directory.htm .
Chabad centers are a great resource not only for free delicious food, but for travel logistics, planning and tourism ideas. Personally, I use them almost every time I travel. When I lived outside the US, I ate Friday night shabbat dinners by different Chabad centers for nearly 2 years straight. And every dinner was unique and special. I’ve met so many interesting Jews with one of a kind timeless stories around that Chabad Shabbat table that I should really write a book on it. One of the main reasons for this open Shabbat environment is the Chabad mentality to being non-judgmental, super kind and welcoming to all Jews of all backgrounds. TBH, I wish more people would be as kind and generous as the Chabad people are….
4. Go back to Israel: www.masaisrael.og (over 200 different MASA programs listed on their website), https://www.nbn.org.il/nbnoncampus/internships/ (for internships & volunteering), www.onwardisrael.org , www.jinternship.com , http://www.aishessentials.com/ , https://tripstoisrael.org/israel-trips.html offer internships, academic programs, religious programs and volunteer opportunities throughout the year and for different time periods (if you do an Onward Israel program first, you are still eligible for a long-term Masa program after). If you’re an adrenaline junkie, Magen David Adom (AKA: MDA) Israel’s national ambulance service offers a two-month program consisting of EMT training, volunteer work, trips and seminars. Many of the above programs have generous scholarships available and most of the programs include free Hebrew language instruction. Be sure to mention that you are a Birthright alumnus when applying for the scholarship.
5. Stay in touch with your Birthright family: Meet up, go for drinks, have reunions in and every city, message a staff member (staff members especially enjoy keeping in touch), message the Israel soldiers, university students, security guard or tour guide you’ve connected with, continue a relationship you started with another participant (be sure to invite everyone to the wedding), go on a road trip, plan and host a Birthright Exclusive Shabbat dinner (many do it on the OneTable platform with OneTable paying the entire cost of the dinner), go back to Israel to study/intern/work/live, find a groupon deal and get every birthright participant in your area to attend (yes!), have night outs, post on our groups WhatsApp or Facebook page an update about you/a good shopping deal/a relevant meme/ interesting Israeli news etc. These are a few of the dozens of ways to stay in touch and you can find some more ideas.
Ya’ll hugged each other when we landed at JFK and promised to stay in touch. Make it a reality. Its only awkward if you make it awkward…. Lastly, be a Birthright ambassador by telling friends and family about Israel and your Birthright experience, by referring people to sign up for a Birthright trip and by posting on social media about your experience.
That’s all for now folks.
May our future hold only positive experiences full of health, wealth, success and all the possible blessings.
L’chaim!
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