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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-birthright16sep16,1,373853.story
Reconnecting with Israel -
[Los Angeles Times] Teresa Watanabe - As the only Jewish kid in his small New Mexico hometown, Ben Rubin says he was "clueless" about Israel. But that all changed this summer for the 26-year-old Los Angeles marketing executive when he visited Israel as part of the Taglit-birthright israel program launched by the American Jewish community and the Israeli government to deepen connections with young Jews. Rubin said he was transformed by the 10-day visit, during which he saw the Holocaust Museum, the battlefields of Masada and the Golan Heights, the ancient Western Wall and modern nightclubs. "Going to Israel really opened my eyes to what the Jewish people have gone through to survive," Rubin said. "It's really made me want to do what I can to support Israel." Other communities also attempt to forge ties - the Japanese government sends a dozen young Japanese American leaders to Japan each year and Taiwan's government brings over about 1,000 Chinese Americans. But the Jewish program dwarfs those numbers. Since its inception in December 1999, the birthright program has sent 150,000 young Jews, most of them from North America, to Israel.