UF Hillel has seen an increase in demand for Taglit-Birthright Israel trips.
Birthright is a 10-day trip that allows people of Jewish heritage to connect with their roots by visiting the country.
"It is not intended to make students religious but to understand that they are part of a bigger Jewish population," said Joshua Kahn, the Jewish agency program director at Hillel.
To attend the trip, students can register through Hillel or other organizations. Hillel takes students on the trip twice a year, during the summer and winter.
UF Hillel offers Birthright for UF students through a tour operator, IsraelExperts, according to Kahn.
Israel funds 15 percent of the costs for the Birthright program. Various organizations and private donors fund the rest.
It costs about $3,000 to send each person to Israel.
The program is free except for a $250 security deposit that is returned at the end of the trip.
Each student receives a round-trip ticket, two meals a day and a bus seat to travel in Israel. Hillel sent three full buses of UF students on Birthright in May, about 120 students total.
Hillel hasn't sent such a large group of students since before the wave of terrorism in Israel in the early 2000s, Kahn said.
Kahn said more students want to attend Birthright because they have heard positive things from students who went in the past.
"Because of word-of-mouth, people realize that it really is no strings attached and a trip of a lifetime," Kahn said.
The turbulent political climate in the Middle East may be another reason students are choosing to register for Birthright now, Kahn said.
"With turbulent neighbors, Israel is a stable island in a sea of chaos," Kahn said.
The winter trip is typically less popular with students, Kahn said, but he still expects to send at least two full buses in December and four buses next summer.
One bus holds 40 students, five to eight Israeli soldiers, two American staff members, a tour guide, a medic and an armed guard.
Registration for the winter trip, which is from Dec. 27 to Jan. 7, begins today at ufisraeltrip.com. Registration will be open for about four days.
After registration, students will have short interview sessions to determine eligibility. To be eligible, students must have at least one Jewish parent or identify themselves as Jewish, Kahn said.
Ashley Meral, an accounting junior, went on Birthright in May.
"If you could go on the trip more than once, I would go every single time," Meral said.
Briana Rittersporn, a sophomore telecommunications major, chose to go through Hillel for her Birthright trip because she wants a chance to see what she learned about in Hebrew school.
"The program will give me a chance to see Israel, especially since my parents won't pay for it," Rittersporn said.
But not all students are choosing to go on Birthright through Hillel.
Michelle Amit, a microbiology junior, plans to use a national company when she registers for Birthright this winter.
"I want to meet Jewish people from all over and travel to some amazing places together," Amit said.
This photo shows one of three bus loads of students Hillel sent to Israel over summer. Hillel expects to send two buses in December and four buses next summer.
