Reflecting on Youth to Israel’s Past and Future

In 2011, the Robert I. Lappin Youth to Israel Adventure (Y2I) will turn 40. By then, approximately 2,000 people from our community will have participated, the oldest of whom are in their mid-50’s. As an alumna of the program, it is pretty cool to share this special Y2I connection with so many people from our community, including my own son.

As the executive director of Y2I and trip leader of Y2I 2009, I often reflect on where the program was, where it is now, and what it will look like in five, 10, or 20 years. My ear-to-ear smile tells teens and parents how proud I am to be a product of Y2I. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Ah, the summer of ‘73… I often reflect on the early days of Y2I when the trip to Israel was seven glorious weeks long, half of which were spent on a kibbutz working, picking olives, cleaning toilets, milking cows, or caring for children. Nowadays this is called community service, but then it was just pure, simple fun. There was work to do, and we did it, not thinking about how our volunteer work would look on our college applications or resumés. Perhaps teens had more time in those days and much less pressure than teens have today. We loved the work, making new friends, and spending time, dare I say, hitchhiking through a relatively new country. Everything about Y2I was memorable, even after all these years.

Time changes things, and a lot about Y2I has changed since the early days. For one thing, the trip to Israel was partially subsidized back then. It is amazing to think that $800 in 1973 bought seven weeks in Israel. A turning point for Y2I came in 1996 when it became a fully subsidized program. You would have to be crazy to pass up a free trip to Israel. Participation in the program skyrocketed, since the full subsidy made it affordable for everyone to participate who wanted to.

Another notable change is the length of the community trip. It went from seven weeks in the early days to 16 days in 2007. A combination of skyrocketing trip costs and the pressures and responsibilities of teens these days had a significant impact on the length of the community trip.

But, the future of Y2I is unknown. The biggest change to the program is that Y2I is no longer a given, proving the adage “You don’t know what you have ‘til it’s gone”. Bernard Madoff hurt thousands of Jewish youths in our community by his fraudulent and despicable actions, which wiped out the Lappin Foundation’s assets that fully funded Y2I as a rite of passage for every Jewish teen who desired it. Y2I is Y2Y, year-to-year, now totally dependent upon the generosity of our community to keep it alive.

It is more important now than ever. More than 150 Jews per day, 50,000 Jews per year, a half million Jews per decade disappear. They are not missing persons. They simply give up being Jewish. If our community loses Y2I, we lose thousands of Jews as well.

Y2I has come a long way since 1971, but some things about it never change. It is an experience that enhances Jewish identity, instills a connection to Israel, and imbues in teens responsibility for the Jewish Family. The benefits last well beyond the trip. Pre-trip educational sessions for teens and parents focus on current events affecting Israel and world Jewry.

Bridges are built between teens from more than a dozen cities and towns as they share the Y2I experience.

A new Jewish leadership and Israel Ambassador program is part of Y2I 2009, aimed at making our Jewish community here and in Israel closer.

In my opinion, the scariest thing about losing Y2I is about losing Israel. Without Y2I, Israel will cease to exist on our community’s agenda and she will cease to exist in our heart and minds, with the real risk being that Israel will cease to exist.

Next Gen Y2I needs the support of our Jewish community and the support of the Y2I community, no matter where you live. Please help keep Y2I alive for the next generation of kids. Contact me to find out how you can help: 978-740-4428 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Debbie Coltin is the executive director of the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation.