Registration opens Wednesday, Feb. 15, for St. Louis Hillel at Washington University’s summer 2012 Taglit-Birthright Israel: Israel Outdoors trip.

At 9 a.m. (CST) registration opens for the trip, and organizers note that spots fill quickly. The trip is planned to depart in mid- to late-May.

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides the gift of a first-time peer trip to Israel for eligible students and young adults. To be eligible for the free, 10-day experience, students must be Jewish, age 18-26, and have never been on a “peer-group” trip to Israel. All eligible St. Louis-area college students are encouraged to apply.

Once registration opens, students interested in participating must fill out the online Primary Application at www.israeloutdoors.com, selecting “Tlalim-Israel Outdoors” as the official Taglit-Birthright Israel trip organizer, “Israel Quest” as their preferred trip type and “May” as the travel month. Finally, students will be asked to submit a $250 refundable trip deposit. Applications will only be considered complete once the refundable deposit is submitted.

It is recommended that students complete the entire Primary Application on the first day of registration to improve chances of being selected. Any student who has previously applied to participate in a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip can apply on Tuesday, Feb. 14 beginning at 11 a.m.

For more information about the trip, visit www.stlouishillel.org or contact Rayna Schaff at [email protected].