American Jews abandon the Israeli Birthright tour to call for propaganda

JERUSALEM – Sarah Fadem stood on the beach in Haifa going through the introduction of the Birthright tour on the point to leave.

At age 22, the young American Jew chose the journey of mindfulness and meditation among the dozens of different "adventures" and "excursions" offered by Birthright.

In this introduction on the first day of the tour, the Fadem & # 39; s Birthright guide led a meditation session and asked everyone to set their intentions for the next 10 days.

"The leaders offered this intention to ask harder questions and criticize," said Fadem at MEE

"I was like, great! That's exactly what I want to do "

Although two days later, when Fadem began asking difficult questions about the information presented to their group, they were facing a backlash.

"My travel master has pulled me aside and said" this trip is not a political trip that you really do very hard, why are you asking all of these questions? ", explained Fadem.

"They are hiding … the truth of what's going on"

– Birthright participant Becky Wbaderman

Birthright offers a completely free trip to Israel for Jews aged 18 to 26 years. [19659003] The organization claims to offer "life-changing" and "educational" trips.

Birthright claims to have an educational core and "engages for a culture of open discussion and dialogue on all issues," including geopolitics.

It is exactly the lack of education on geopolitics that Birthright offers that has scared off Fadem and seven other young American Jews earlier this week

. Five others left at the end of June for similar reasons.

Every person who left the Birthright tour claims to have received incorrect information and the Israeli occupation has been completely covered.

Becky Wbaderman, 26, is another Jewish youth who left the tour last Sunday after constantly being left unanswered about her questions about the Palestinians and the occupation.

"They are hiding … the truth of what is happening," says Wbaderman to MEE

Break Point

The decisive moment for the eight to leave the Birthright tour came when they visited the City of David. archeological area in Jerusalem.

The site is run by Elad, a right-wing Israeli organization that aims to preserve, what they call, "the biblical city of Jerusalem captured by King David more than 3,000 years ago."

"It was really important for us not to go to this place, it was an absolute turning point for us," said Fadem.

Elad buys land in the area from the Jewish National Fund after expelling Palestinian families from their historic homes.

Two hundred meters further than the Birthright tour, the Palestinian Sumreen family is threatened with expulsion for this reason.

After announcing the reasons for their departure, the eight men visited the Sumreen family, with the help of Israeli NGOs Peace Now and Free Jerusalem, in order to find the truth that they were searching for throughout of the year. tower.

"We wanted to hear that the family was expelled rather than the forces trying to expel them "Wbaderman said.

Hallie Berkson-Gold, 26, made the same turn as Wbaderman. She emphasized how warmly they were welcomed in the Sumreen family home.

"It was really an open mind to meet the family," says Berkson-Gold at MEE

"We went around their house, heard how they are still being watched and have violent neighbors. " 19659003] "I have never felt such disturbing surveillance, we were on their terrace and there was a camera right there," Fadem interjected.

Wbaderman recalled two seven-year-old girls from the Sumreen family who were approaching the group as they were leaving, telling them "to send a message to the United States, all we want, it's to stay at home ". [19659003] "That's what we've heard over and over again." We're just trying to live our life. "It's heartbreaking story after next, and these people are always so welcoming to a gang of Jews, it's so amazing to me, "said Wbaderman, clearly moved.

Narrative & # 39; terrorist & # 39;

Wbaderman said that she saw a big difference between the narrative offered during the Birthright tour and what she had experienced while visiting Palestinian families.

"The story of this trip is that the Palestinians are terrorists," said Wbaderman.

"This is not safe, it is not safe to go to East Jerusalem," Berkson-Gold exclaimed, mimicking his tour guide.

"We went back to East Jerusalem today and it was okay."

any story or dialogue about Birthright's visits is just as misleading.

While sitting in a bar in Jerusalem, Wbaderman presented a map to each person on the tour

"She does not even name the West Bank, everything is portrayed as Israel."

On the map, the West Bank is called Judea and Samaria – the Jewish nationalist term for the region.

The Berkson-Gold tour began in what was described as the north of Israel, standing on Mount Hermon, overlooking the Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights have been illegally occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"This was not an information our guide had given us," said Berkson-Gold, clearly upset.

The guide makes them listen to an excerpt from John Lennon's song, Imagine, in which the lyrics speak of religion and borders.

"So the guide … said," Would you really like to live like this, where there are no borders and no matter who can enter? "[He was] inviting us to say" no we would not want to live like this, "said Berkson-Gold.

"At one point I had to say," No, I'm not really a big fan of borders or at least how they worked because they certainly do more harm than good because of the militaristic violence that comes in the name of security. "

Another example of Birthright categorically denying the existence of the occupation occurred when the Wbaderman bus pbaded the separation barrier on the way to Jerusalem.

" We were just at side of the highway and the guide did not mention it, until someone asked us – another person who left the trip with us – "can you tell us what's happening on our left? "Wbaderman recalled.

MEE contacted one of Birthright's tour guides, though he was hung up four times.

Seeing that traveling of Birthright are fully paid, including thefts, it is presented as an opportunity not to be missed for young Jews.

Wbaderman was raised in New York in a reformed Jewish community and house.

"This It's not like we've done anything illegal, we're just coming s violating the rules of Birthright. I do not know how far we are right now in order to attract the attention of the authorities.

– Hallie Berkson-Gold

"I think that Israel and [Jewish] education have always been part of the education, of the love of Israel and the need to go see it for yourself was anchored in my education, "said Wbaderman.

" If I wanted to have a chance of arriving in this part of the world [Birthright] was a financially viable way to do it. "

Each of the three deserters from the MEE birthright already had questions in mind about the Israeli occupation before they arrived.

" I think that when the violence in Gaza broke out a few months ago, I had a lot more questions and I wanted to make sure that we talked about it during the Birthright trip, "said Wbaderman

. is sad for me that thousands of young Jews make this trip every year and this is their only exposure to learn more about this and they trust what they hear as if it was the truth, but that is not the case.

During the visit and visit of the Sumreen family, the eight American Jews visited several locations in the West Bank, including the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, which is facing imminent demolition by the authorities. Israeli.

They also traveled to Hebron with Breaking the Silence – led by Israeli military personnel – where they saw the illegal violence of Israeli settlers first-hand.

"15 minutes after the start of the tour … a rather famous settler came to us and started harbading us," said Berkson-Gold.

"Things got more intense [so we were] trying to stay close to each other to be safe … from nowhere the yellow paint flies off and hits our guide … the rest of our tour had to be shortened because we were surrounded. "

" It's nothing like what the Palestinians are going through but it was scary. "

Birthright's response to eight people departing on Sundays, of two different trips totaling about 76 people, was to cancel all their flights back to the United States, taking their security deposit and threatening to sue them.

When asked what they thought would be waiting for them at the airport security when they left the country, they replied that they had not been there. had time to think about it.

"I do not know … it's not like we've done anything from there." Illegal, we just violate the rules of Birthright, "says Berkson-Gold, while they all burst out laughing.

I know how much we are right now in order to attract the attention of the authorities. "

" I plan to go back and push my Jewish community, I feel responsible for making sure they are against the occupation "

– Becky Wbaderman , participant at Birthright

Wbaderman says he has heard many stories of anti-occupation Jews banned from entering Israel.

"Given the risks that Palestinians take every day, to go to school or to build community centers, the risk that I will not return to Israel / Palestine for ten years is minimal, "said Fadem At the time of writing, Birthright America could not be contacted.

Back in the United States , all those who left Birthright plan to use their experience to "elevate Palestinian voices."

"Since we are American Jews, we have a unique angle on how community, which obviously has a lot of Influence on what's going on here, "said Wbaderman.

"I plan to go back and push my Jewish community, I feel responsible for ensuring that they are against the occupation."

"All these stories I hear [Israelis] do it in the name of a religion that I feel very connected to is just heartbreaking and I can not let that go on."