Abstract
This summary report presents the findings of a preliminary evaluation of birthright israel. The evaluation was designed to find out what participants learned, cognitively and affectively, about Israel and how the experience affected their Jewish identification and their relationship to Israel and the Jewish community. Along with the results of a preliminary survey of participants conducted one month post-trip, the present report describes the results of a detailed survey of participants and non-participants conducted three months post-trip. Qualitative data obtained from ethnographic field observation, interviews, focus groups, and workshops are described in a separate report, but have informed some of the conclusions presented here.