A Taglit-Birthright group. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The rise of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish activities in academia begs for an effective strategy to prepare Jewish students to fight BDS on college campuses before they go to college.

Getting Jewish teens to Israel en masse, combined with Israel advocacy training in local communities before they go to college, is the only shot we have to build an army of “boots on the ground” on college campuses.

On this account, the American Jewish community fails our youth miserably.

Birthright Israel is in a position to help fund the most practical solution to this most pressing, urgent need facing the Jewish people. Word on the street is that Birthright Israel has unfilled seats and registration is open-ended, implying that registration is down. If Birthright Israel is not filling empty seats, they should do the responsible thing and serve as a funding source to run teen trips to Israel.

Birthright Israel’s funding of teen trips does not have to be all-or-nothing. It can do something by designating funds for communities to organize teen trips to Israel.

Birthright Israel should step up to the plate, lead the way, and fulfill its divine purpose and stated vision to “strengthen Jewish identity, Jewish communities and solidarity with Israel by providing a 10-day trip to Israel for young Jewish people.”