Birthright israel, the free trip to Israel for Diaspora youth, makes a profound impact on a participant's Jewish identity, according to a recent study.

Findings from the study, conducted by independent researchers at Brandeis University, were released Dec. 15 at a conference in Herzliya, Israel. The full report has yet to be released.

"It changes Jewish identity," Leonard Saxe, co-author of the study and director of the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, said of birthright.

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