Birthright Israel Anticipates Decade-High Demand for Trips on 3rd Anniversary of Oct. 7 Attacks

Birthright Israel is anticipating its strongest demand for free trips to Israel in nearly a decade, with registration for next summer poised to open. Elias Saratovsky, president and chief executive of Birthright Israel Foundation, stated that the surge in interest follows more than 60,000 young people having traveled with the program since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

"We anticipate seeing the strongest demand that we have seen since prior to COVID," Saratovsky told The Post. "So the strongest demand we’ve seen in almost a decade now."

The organization expects to conclude 2026 with approximately 30,000 participants and aims to return to pre-pandemic levels, which saw nearly 50,000 travelers annually. To bolster recruitment, Birthright has engaged 2,100 alumni who visited Israel in the past two years to encourage friends on college campuses nationwide.

"The best way we can do that is by having people who just came off of a Birthright trip tell their friends that this is an experience that they need to have as well," Saratovsky said.

Since its inception in 1999, Birthright Israel has facilitated trips for nearly 1 million individuals. The program has continued its operations through periods of conflict, including the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and the taking of 251 hostages to Gaza. During the initial year of the conflict, Saratovsky noted that "almost every single tourist under the age of 30 was in Israel because of Birthright."

The itinerary has been adapted to include direct engagement with the impact of Oct. 7. Most trips now incorporate a visit to the site of the Nova music festival massacre, where participants can hear from survivors. Travelers also visit Israel's national cemetery at Mount Herzl and meet with Israelis affected by the war or who have lost loved ones.

"Almost every person you meet in Israel has an October 7th story in one way or another," Saratovsky observed. However, he emphasized that the experience is not solely defined by the conflict.

Participants continue to explore Jerusalem, interact with Israelis their own age, and tour various regions of the country, including medical facilities and Tel Aviv's technology sector. "The mission of Birthright remains the same as it was since the very beginning, which is to strengthen connection to Israel and strengthen Jewish identity," Saratovsky stated.

The nonprofit has also expressed concern about the influence of social media on young Americans' perceptions of Israel. "We have an entire generation of young people who are being educated about the most complex place in the world through 30-second TikTok videos," Saratovsky said. "What we are asking young people to do, young Jews to do, is to go to Israel to learn for themselves and to make up their own minds."

Post-Oct. 7 trips have necessitated heightened security measures, with Birthright collaborating closely with the Israeli military, Home Front Command, and other security agencies to ensure traveler safety. "Our foremost responsibility is to make sure that they come home safely with a very meaningful experience," Saratovsky affirmed.

Birthright Israel does not track the number of alumni who immigrate to Israel but monitors other long-term indicators of Jewish identity and engagement. Studies indicate that 84% of alumni raising children are doing so exclusively Jewishly, with their children being significantly more likely to have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah and attend Jewish summer camp. "We know that this program is not only strengthening connection to Israel and strengthening Jewish identity," he said, "but we’re also contributing to Jewish continuity in remarkable ways."

Saratovsky, who previously spent 21 years at AIPAC, assumed leadership of Birthright Israel Foundation in September 2023, shortly before the Hamas attack. The organization has set a goal to bring an additional 200,000 people to Israel between 2025 and 2029, which will require increased investment.