Taglit-Birthright Israel (), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a not-for-profit educational organization that sponsors free ten-day heritage trips to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adults of Jewish heritage, aged 18–26. Taglit is the Hebrew word for 'discovery'. During their trip, participants, most of whom are visiting Israel for the first time, are encouraged to discover new meaning in their personal Jewish identity and connection to Jewish history and culture. As of 2022, more than 800,000 participants from 68 countries had participated in Birthright Israel. Participation in Birthright Israel has been a major cornerstone in modern Jewish life. Pew Research estimated that by 2020, around 20% of American Jews ages 18–46 have participated in Birthright. The number of participants averages approximately 45,000 per year, with about 80% from the United States and Canada. After peaking at more than 48,000 participants in 2018, due to COVID and budgetary pressures, the program hosted only 35,000 participants in 2022 and anticipated hosting only 23,5000 participants in 2023. History The Birthright Israel program was initiated in 1994 and founded in cooperation with Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, as well as the Israeli government, private donors, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Jewish communities around the world. By 2007, annual capacity was increased to 20,000 participants a year. That year, the late Sheldon Adelson pledged $25 million to Birthright Israel to take applicants off waiting lists and to increase annual capacity to 37,000 in 2007 and 2008. In 2010, Birthright launched an extension program called Birthright Excel. Birthright Excel is a 10-week summer program where students can either create a venture or intern with a business. In 2022, Birthright Israel merged with Onward Israel, part of the Jewish Agency, which offers programs for young adults to travel to Israel for 6to 10 weeks to live, work and study. Eligibility Eligible individuals are those who have at least one parent of recognized Jewish descent, or who have converted to Judaism through a recognized Jewish movement, and who do not actively practice another religion. They must also be between the ages of 18 to 26, have completed high school, have neither traveled to Israel before on a peer educational trip or study program past the age of 18, nor have lived in Israel past the age of 12 for more than 3-4 months. Between 2017 and 2022, Birthright raised the upper