In a move that could affect thousands of college-age Jewish students, including many in the St. Louis area, Taglit-Birthright Israel is expanding its program to young men and women who have already had trips to the Jewish State during their high school years.

“We opened it up because we believed that even though people had gone at a younger age, they really had the right to enjoy the benefit of this program,” said Gail Hyman, vice-president of communications and marketing for the organization. “We wanted to make sure that those who wanted to travel with us could.”

Designed to give an Israel experience to young adults who may not otherwise receive one, Birthright originally barred those who had travelled on an earlier school or youth group trip to the Jewish State. Those guidelines were later relaxed to allow those who had travelled during middle school. Now, participants in any trip before age 18 will be eligible. Hyman estimates that some 40,000 young Jews (applicants may be age 18-26) are sent on Birthright journeys annually. 

“Over the years, people have said, ‘But you are not including a number of young people who maybe went on a program at a very early age in their development.’ We listened and finally came to this decision that there was some merit in rethinking that,” she said.

Rabbi Michael Rovinsky, executive director of the St. Louis Jewish Student Union, applauded the decision.

“Very often we would encounter teens who were very hesitant to go on a summer program of substance because they were waiting for the ‘free trip’ after high school and they didn’t want to lose out on that,” he said. “This is a tremendous benefit for connecting teens to Israel because it is like compounded interest. If you start to invest early, the end result is that you will have a bigger balance in your account.”

JSU runs its own summer Israel program for those in high school, which sends up to 16 local students to the Middle East every year. Rovinsky feels that number will increase for programs like JSU’s as well as for Birthright, since a new crop of participants will be engaged with the Jewish State.

“Introducing and enabling teens to go to Israel on organized programs in their high school years, then capitalizing on that experience and intensifying it with an additional program with college peers, is going to further strengthen their Jewish identity and relationship to Israel,” Rovinsky noted. “It will make the college birthright experience much more meaningful because they won’t be starting from ground zero.”

Karen Rader is Israel Experience Center director at the Central Agency for Jewish Education, which runs the Passport to Israel program. It encourages parents to start saving early for their children’s visit to the Jewish homeland. She said Birthright’s policy does affect parental thinking on trips.

“We’ve had some families say, ‘You know what? My child can go on a Birthright trip. Why should I save?’” she said. “Now, they can save to go during high school as a teen and then go back to Israel for a second trip.”

She says that may create a more ideal situation.“Studies are showing that it is not the first trip that is most impactful,” she added. “It’s that second or third trip.”

Rader said that cost is a big factor. Summer trips can run anywhere from $4,000 to $9,000. 

“They’ll say to their child, ‘We can probably swing it but why don’t you just wait until college? You can go then and it’s free’,” she said. 

Rader said she hasn’t heard from any parents but some students are already asking about the change.

“We’re going to try and reach out to any teen that we’re aware of who went to Israel over the last few years who would still be under 27 just to let them know,” she said.

Chesterfield resident Janice Shenker said her daughter Allison, 25, might be affected by the decision. 

“I think it’s a great idea,” said the Kol Rinah congregant. “My daughter went in high school before her senior year. She loved it then.”

Shenker said that Allison’s trip, which was through United Synagogue Youth, went very well but she’s eager to visit again.

“I think now, going in her 20s would be a different experience for her and a different point of view,” she said. “I know she really wants to go.”

A year ago, Birthright changed its rules to allow middle-school students who participated in an organized Israel trip to still be eligible for Birthright trips (previously, anyone 12 or older who had visited the Jewish State on an organized trip was ineligible). 

Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School runs an eighth grade trip to Israel. As a middle school program, participants already were not prevented from going on Birthright trips. Still, Patty Bloom, director of admissions, said the school supports encouraging more contact with Israel in high school as well, and the change in Birthright will likely push more teens to make those trips. 

She said high school and college trips each provide a unique flavor.

“Both experiences are valuable, sometimes in different ways,” Bloom said. “[High school] teen experiences are sometimes for four-to-six weeks at a time when kids are really building their character and identity. That kind of immersion can be very powerful for them and set them on a course impacting where they go to college or what they choose to major in.”

Bloom herself has been using Passport to Israel to save for her own children.

“It’s nice to know that making an investment in them as a teenager doesn’t mean that they will miss another opportunity later,” she said.

Birthright summer enrollment begins Feb. 19.