Letter from an Israel Outdoors Staffer to Her Alumni

Aviva Klompas is a 12 time veteran staffer with Israel Outdoors! Today, the following letter written by Aviva to her trip alumni, was published in the Jerusalem Post.

Dear Birthright alum,

I recently returned from staffing my twelfth Birthright trip. I know, I know, I always say that your trip is the last trip, but I can’t help myself. Discovering Israel with you has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

I love meeting you at the airport and seeing that blend of excitement and skepticism on your faces. You’ve heard from your friends that Birthright is great, but you find it hard to believe that a 10-day trip with strangers can be transformative.

Let’s be honest, most of you sign up because it’s a free trip and you would take a free trip to Ireland or Italy or Indonesia if it were on offer. You don’t feel any particular connection to Israel and you certainly don’t understand what all the fighting is about.

You ask me why I keep volunteering to come back and I respond, “You’ll see.” Read the full letter

Aviva Klompas