odd and lovely ideas: part two

I especially like the children's option at this new organization, whose name, Birthright Unplugged, is a direct response to the umbrella group Birthright Israel.

Now, first things first. Birthright Israel sponsors absolutely free trips to Israel for North American Jews ages 18-26. Who doesn't like a good deal, right?

But these trips--supported and organized by the State of Israel and a wide variety of Jewish groups, are not the straightforward, "feel-good," family affairs they purport to be. If so, why target them to the youngest and most mobile adults? In other words, the ones most likely to fall for the romance of t'shuva, to drop everything and resettle overseas? A variety of sponsors ensures "diverse" experiences of the Holy Land from an Israel-centered perch, with a heavy dollop of American Zionist romanticism thrown in.

Consider the Birthright Unplugged alternative--trips for any non-Israeli Jews to Palestine, comparably free (a small $350 program cost gets you in), dicier in terms of safety perhaps, open to all ages (though younger people are emphasized), and definitely agenda'ed (is that a word?).

Nu? You were expecting maybe trips to Palestine for only olives and photographs? Of course they are agenda'ed. But unlike their bigger sibling, they go beyond the boundaries of the accepted trip to the Promised Land. Plus, the group uses its international clout to offer this exchange camp for Palestinian kids, Birthright Re-plugged, which permits them to cross into Israel and actually learn about it, while staying with Palestinian families who are already there.

[via Andrew Schamess at Semitism]