Updates for ParentsParticipants' Impressions
The following interviews of participants took place on Sunday morning, just three days after the group landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport . Highly enthusiastic about the program and about being in Israel , many of them asked to be interviewed. In a very short time, they were already bursting with emotions and experiences they wish to convey to others.
Here's what they had to say:
Shirin Massachi, age 20, University of California, Los Angeles
"Birthright is the most amazing time of our lives. Every single second is so enjoyable, and we learn so much in such a short time. We feel at home, like it's our home. We're so close to people we just met three days ago. We're already like a family. We don't want to go back. We keep calling El Al to try to extend our tickets. We're grateful to Taglit-Birthright for this trip."
Anna Eliav, age 23, California State University, North Ridge
"This is my first trip to Israel . It's amazing. I waited too long to come here. By now, I should have come to Israel many times. Since this trip began, I feel much more connected to the Jewish people, land, to myself, and to Taglit-Birthright than I thought I would."
Sam and Sharona Saghian are siblings and also have another brother on this Taglit-Birthright trip. This is the first time that Taglit-Birthright has had three siblings on the same trip:
Sam Saghian, age 19, Santa Monica College
"It's great! I'm having the best time. I didn't know it was going to be this good. It's spiritual, and everyone on the trip is very nice – especially Aviad (Aviad Amitai is a Yeladim-Netivot Taglit-Birthright counselor). We learned a lot about the history of Israel from him. He is very knowledgeable, and he's an awesome counselor."
Sharona Saghian, age 23, graduate of University of California, Los Angeles
"We want to thank Taglit-Birthright for giving us the opportunity to be here. Now I am much more proud of my religion and of being a Jew. I have learned that I come from a very rich culture and background. I want to thank Taglit-Birthright for opening the doors to us. The hospitality shown to us is better than we could have imagined."
Desiree Manoucheri, age 20, University of California, Santa Barbara
"It is amazing to have a sense of belonging to a group. The fact that Judaism can bring people together so quickly is astonishing. I want to make sure to say thank you to the people who made this trip possible. They're phenomenal souls."
Inna Parizher, student at University of California at Berkley had this to say when asked how it feels to be in Israel:
"Overwhelming- It's a very spiritual place. It doesn't feel like any other place in the world. It's just gorgeous. I love it here. Israel is a religious center for Jews. For me, it's fundamental to defining my Judaism and connection to Israel ."
Yaakov Vogel, age 18, student at community college in Maryland He says:
"It is a thrill to be in Israel . I've seen pictures my whole life, but now I'm really here. I have one brother living here, and another brother will be coming tomorrow on Taglit-birthright."
This trip is a gift from Taglit-Birthright Israel.
Taglit-Birthright Israel is an innovative partnership between the people of Israel through the Government of Israel, private philanthropists through the Birthright Israel Foundation and Jewish communities around the world (North American Jewish Federations through the United Jewish Communities (UJC); the Jewish Agency for Israel; and Keren Hayesod).