nothing actually...

i (finally) went on Birthright in May '07. i opted for a Reform trip organizer, because i didn't want anything too religious. our Shabbat services lasted 25 minutes, then were followed by tanning on the beach and Pilates. when we had opportunities to eat dinner on our own, several group members partook in the consumption of bacon cheeseburgers in downtown Jerusalem. a few of my peers actively sought out tattoo parlors to add to their already growing collections of body ink. and several of my fellow travellers came from families that had one non-Jewish parent. actually, i think i was in the minority here. some people might think that i went on a trip with a bunch of blasphemors, but you have to keep in mind that there are Jews who are very traditional and there are others who are very liberal. and it isn't just in the Reform circle. there are Conservative and (a handful of) Orthodox Jews who are slightly off the derech ('path').

as far as Birthright's long-rumored mission of getting Jews to date and marry other Jews, i think they would be disappointed to know that our group did not spawn any new Jewish couples. in fact, there was hardly any "hooking up" in our group. most people were already in relationships (myself included), and a few of them were with non-Jews (myself included). there were three couples that signed up for the trip, one of whom were already engaged. so there were no meetings of nice Jewish boys and girls other than for friendship purposes.

while on this topic, i recently interviewed for an office position with a Jewish organization that caters to a mainly unaffiliated 20's and 30's crowd. i thought it was unusual that the organization claimed to have no agenda, but that their desired goal is to get Jews to date and marry Jews. i didn't get the job, but on the other hand i was a little put off by the fact that they basically contradicted themselves. i admire organizations that try to bring single Jews together, but they shouldn't pretend as if they don't have any agendas.