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Birthright Unplugged

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Birthright Unplugged was designed as a response to the popular Birthright Israel trips. While Birthright Israel's stated goal is to expose Jews with little or no knowledge of Israel to Israeli society, history, and Zionist philosophy, Birthright Unplugged's goal is to expose people to Palestinian society and its political realities by travelling to Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps. While the trip is designed for North American Jewish people, it is open to people of all backgrounds.

The name "Birthright Unplugged" is a spin on the Birthright Israel program, who's name implies that the Jewish people have a right to national self determination, or Birthright, in the land of Israel. The name "unplugged" thus impiles that the Jews do not have a birthright to live in Israel. The organization's runs a second program, Birthright Re-Plugged, which brings Palestinian Children on a field trip into Israel proper to see the towns which their families left in 1948.


Controversy with Birthright Israel

- In the summer of 2006 an American college student was dropped from a Birthright Israel trip when birthright officials learned that after participating in their program, she planned to join Birthright Unplugged. Birthright Israel learned about the woman’s plans from her mother, who — apparently out of concern for her daughter’s safety in the Mideast — forwarded them an e-mail in which her daughter detailed her itinerary and explains that if birthright israel learned of her plans, she would be dropped from its upcoming trip. Birthright Israel also claims that Birthright Unplugged makes inappropriate and illegal use of their name and considered legal action against Birthright Unplugged for this very reason .

Criticism

Birthright Unplugged has been heavily criticized for being unabashedly one-sided in their presentation of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Participants are given little to no context at all of the situation in Israel and the events leading up to the Six Day War and Israel's subsequent occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.


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