1. Staff, Pray, Love:
The Guide to Relationship Building
During Birthright
Shoshana Gibbor - MIT/Wellesley IACT
Featuring Kylie Fisher - IACT Emeritus

2. #1: When does the trip start?
On campus? At the airport? In Israel?
If leveraged correctly, Taglit is not just a “trip,”
but an enduring journey. This journey starts
on campus, and hopefully never ends!
From recruitment, to registration, to eligibility
interviews... orientations, late-night Q&A
sessions, and beyond... every piece of the
process is a step in building a
relationship with the potential

3. Claiming the Itinerary
● The trip provider is your partner!
○ bolstering this relationship is key.
● Make sure to put in requests early, and take
into account that they know what works and
what doesn’t work....
○ We may think we know better at times -
but don’t let them know that!
○ This is what they do best so sometimes
you have to just go with it.
● However, that being said, you know what
will/won’t work for your campus. Speak up!

4. Prepare Them...Prepare
Yourself.
Preparing the Students
● As previously mentioned, relationship building
starts before the airport.
● Preparing the students makes them more
comfortable and confident at the outset of the trip,
and will build their trust in your leadership and
responsibility capabilities.
Preparing Yourself
● You’re not just a babysitter, you’re an educator.
○ Prepare yourself on a few sites you can lead,
a few bus discussions, and a few “shpiels” that

5. Building Bus Culture
●
● Leveraging the Israeli mifgash
○ Hebrew Word of the Day
● Nobody is “too cool”
○ including you!
● Inside jokes, songs, etc.
● Those special touches...
○ going beyond the requirements
○ letting the students shine
● You’re a “mishpucheh!”Matsav Kapit, literally a "teaspoon situation": when you're
too silly to keep your ish together (in a figurative sense
[thankfully]).

6. Planting the Seed
● They’re inspired by Sde Boker?
○ Bring in someone from the Arava Institute.
● They’re obsessed with falafel and hummus?
○ Why not hold an Israeli cooking class?
● They want to delve into Middle Eastern politics?
○ Run an Israel chevruta session, or bring in a political
lecture.
● They’re an English major?
○ Back on campus, give them a collection of Amos Oz,
A.B. Yehoshua, and David Grossman novels.
The possibilities are endless! Use interests you learn

7. Secret Sauce
● Build bonding relationships with the group and
individuals.
● Be GENUINE...Be Yourself...know that you are
“always on” when staffing and use it to your
advantage.
○ The participants will model your attitudes &
behaviors while on the trip - you are a role
model, act like one.
● Work with your co-staff and Israeli guide, the
better the staff dynamic, the stronger the group
dynamic will become.
● Be Flexible

8. Utilize IACT Resources
Returning Coordinators: What do YOU
bring?

10. Hypothetical #1 (3 minutes)
You are three days into the trip. You notice that Aaron has
been very quiet, and while he seems like he is enjoying
the trip, hasn’t made any real connections with anyone
else.

11. Hypothetical #2 (3 minutes)
It’s halfway through the trip. Kate and Rachel are showing
themselves as “Birthright Naysayers.” According to them,
the trip is propaganda, it’s only showing one side, and
it’s a big brainwashing tool.

12. Hypothetical #3 (3 minutes)
The trip is coming to an end. It’s been an amazing journey
filled with happiness, laughter, and tears.
The participants have come together as one, and you hear
the back of the bus talking about planning a reunion back
on campus.