Inspired by Their Experiences, Interns in Fellowship: Ambassadors for Birthright (FAB) are Paying it Forward
For over 25 years, Birthright Israel has sent young Jews on free, immersive trips to Israel, offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore their Jewish identity. Every year, Hillel organizes dozens of campus-specific, and national trips, connecting Jewish students and young professionals to their Jewish roots, to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, and, upon return, helps them forge new ties to their Jewish communities.
This year, through a new Hillel International fellowship opportunity, some of those Birthright alumni and future Birthright alumni are leading the way in peer-to-peer relational Birthright recruitment and are introducing others on their campus to the same type of life-changing experience.
Fellowship: Ambassadors for Birthright (FAB) creates community and leadership development opportunities for students who are passionate about introducing their peers to the power and inspiration of a Birthright Israel trip. FAB participants are selected by their campus IACT coordinators, who inspire and support young adults on their Jewish journeys before, during, and after trips to Israel.
“Birthright [Israel] has given me so much,” said Chelsea Horwitz, a fourth-year student at the University of Central Florida and a FAB ambassador. “I think it is so special, especially in these times as a Jewish community, to have something like Birthright [Israel] for Jewish students…to be able to embrace your Judaism, find your own Jewish story.”
As part of a yearlong cohort experience, FAB interns connect with and recruit Birthright Israel-eligible students, and plan at least one event per semester to promote Birthright Israel on their campus.
“My Birthright trip was the most memorable trip of my life,” said Jessica Brashear, a fourth-year student at Arizona State University and one of the fellowship’s two student co-chairs. “And [the opportunity] to help other students go to such a special place and hopefully have the same amazing experience really drew me in.”
Another important part of FAB is sharing recruitment ideas and strategies across campuses. In the cohort’s monthly connection calls, they share successes and challenges, programming ideas, ways to bring recruitment and information about Birthright Israel into other Hillel activities like Purim carnivals or Shabbat dinners, and how tools like social media can help amplify their efforts.
“I think one of the toughest things for professionals to do is to actually stay connected to student needs,” said Jack Landstein, a fourth-year student at the University of Michigan, and the other FAB student co-chair. “How you advertise to students who have never been to Israel has really changed, especially since October 7. So it’s been great to be able to say, ‘This is how we should talk about this, and this is how we can make an impact and really translate Jewish joy experiences on campus into recruitment.’”
“Right now, one of the biggest questions we get is about safety,” Jessica said. “Especially because it’s so hard to comprehend the situation over there [in Israel] from here in the United States. But it’s been good to be able to say that Birthright wouldn’t send trips if it wasn’t safe, and to be able to speak from my own experience and say, you know, when I was there, I felt totally fine.”
In addition to supporting IACT coordinators’ Birthright recruitment efforts through relational engagement and peer-to-peer community building, FAB will build a strong pipeline of Birthright Israel and Onward participants, as well as a network of diverse student leaders within the broader Hillel movement. In its pilot year, FAB is on target to engage almost 1,000 students.
“This fellowship has really shown me how much I can do, and it’s so rewarding,” said Chelsea. “Every time even one person signs up for Birthright, it just helps me know that I’m part of their Jewish journey. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to grow and really talk about how much I love Birthright — if it’s even possible to put that into words.”
Applications for Hillel: Birthright Israel trips for Summer 2025 are now open. Not sure if a trip is right for you? Ask your campus Hillel professionals if you have an IACT coordinator or FAB intern — they’d love to help you decide!