“Birthright changed my life,” said CNU student, Shula Hochster. “I never would have invested as much time exploring my Judaism if it had not been for my Birthright trip with Rabbi Litt.”

Twice a year, students at ODU, William and Mary, Christopher Newport University and other universities have a unique opportunity to take advantage of going to Israel with a group from Virginia. “Hampton Roads and the Peninsula does not have one big university with a large, Jewish population, but when you bring all the local universities together, they can be a real force,” said Rabbi Gershon Litt, the Hillel director at William & Mary and rabbinic advisor for CNU Hillel. Litt said, “Local Virginia students cannot compete with larger universities like Texas, Maryland, or Penn, and therefore cannot guarantee buses of students going to Israel on Birthright trips, but if we all join together as one then the results are very powerful.”

Since 2005, Rabbi Litt has led Taglit Birthright trips and has surpassed 40 trips. “It is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. To see the students experience Israel for the first time gives me tremendous inspiration and keeps me focused on continuing to educate college students about the importance of Israel as part of their Jewish identity,” said Rabbi Litt. The students love the idea that they can go to Israel with someone they know, experience everything Israel has to offer, and then come back as a group. Students have reunions, get together for Shabbos meals, bring Israel advocacy programs to their respective campuses, and have a new family of fellow students who experienced Israel together with them.

Former CNU student and past president of the CNU Hillel, Hannah Kaye, commented that Rabbi Litt’s Birthright trip, “Changed my perspective on Israel and connected me to Judaism in a way that I never thought possible. All I want to do is give other students that same opportunity.” Each semester the Hillel students plan a program on the CNU campus to raise awareness of that semester’s upcoming trip to Israel being led by Rabbi Litt.

Tristan Schnader, former president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at William and Mary, also went to Israel on the IFS Birthright trip with Rabbi Litt. “I learned what it meant to be Jewish and how important it is to bring that back to my fraternity,” said Tristan. In the past few years many AEPi brothers have gone to Israel with Rabbi Litt.

“I have been offering Jewish programming to university students in our area since 2007. The Jewish students here are wonderful, dedicated, and committed to learning more about Israel and Judaism. Birthright is a critical step in building the relationship between the Holy Land and the individual Jewish student. It brings the students back and empowers them to stand up, be advocates, continue to learn about their heritage, and make a difference for other Jewish students,” said Rabbi Litt.

Birthright Israel trips with Rabbi Litt offer a great combination of Jewish heritage and history, political insight, and travel. The tour guides are some of the best in the industry and each trip gets to take advantage of IFS’s years of expertise.

If you or someone you know is a student in a Virginia university and wants to take advantage of Rabbi Litt’s Birthright program please contact him at 757-559-1836 or rabbilitt@wmhillel.org.

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