A group of Birthright participants decided to walk out from a couple of buses during a trip to protest the Israeli “occupation” of the West Bank. Now the activists have started a GoFundMe page to pay for their flight home.
According to the Times of Israel, eight activists walked out of two buses on their sixth day of the 10-day Birthright trip, claiming that Birthright would not show them the “occupation” of the West Bank so they went on their own to the area.
“Visiting Israel in 2018 and not receiving comprehensive education about the occupation is like visiting the South in the 1950s and not talking about Jim Crow segregation,” the GoFundMe page read. “Young Jews deserve the truth about what’s being done in our name and it is out of touch and absurd that Birthright would try to hide this from us.”
Consequently, Birthright canceled their flights home and held on to their $250 deposit, prompting the activists to launch the GoFundMe page to cover their travel and potential legal costs. The activists are claiming that Birthright threatened them with a lawsuit, which Birthright denies.
“We respect the ability of all participants to formulate their own views and opinions, and engage in productive and respectful dialogue,” Birthright said in a statement. “However, we will not tolerate any attempts to use this experience to promote ideological agendas.”
Six of the activists belong to a progressive Jewish organization called IfNotNow, which has previously confronted Birthright leaders and attendees as they leave for Israel.
As of publication time, the activists raised nearly $12,000 on the GoFundMe page.
