This report focuses on the experience of summer 2025 US participants in Birthright’s 10-day trips. Summer 2025 marked a year and a half since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Although a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel had been agreed upon six months earlier, Israel was still experiencing regular Houthi missile and drone attacks from Yemen. Having made the decision to travel to Israel during this precarious time, many participants found themselves confronting an outbreak of a new war that erupted between Israel and Iran in June 2025. Birthright, which was already tasked with operating successful, safe, and meaningful trips during a time of intense conflict, was additionally faced with mounting an evacuation operation of all its participants by boat to Cyprus and then to their home countries.
The report aimed to understand the characteristics of participants; how they perceived the program; and how participation affected their relationship with Israel, their Jewish identity, and their Jewish connections. The findings are based on a pair of surveys: one survey conducted prior to the trip in spring 2025 and the other conducted several months after the trip in the fall of 2025.