Taglit-Birthright Israel sponsors an independent program of research to assess the program’s impact on participants. The research is conducted by the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies (CMJS) at Brandeis University and is led by Professors Leonard Saxe and Theodore Sasson. Since Taglit-Birthright Israel’s inception, CMJS has been conducting rigorous research to evaluate the program and learn about its impact on the current generation of Jewish young adults. The evidence from the Brandeis studies indicates that participation in Taglit-Birthright Israel positively alters participants’ trajectory of Jewish engagement.

A large-scale study conducted in 2019 of Taglit-Birthright Israel applicants and participants from inmarried and intermarried families, revealed that participation in Taglit-Birthright Israel has a significant positive effect on a number of Jewish outcomes years after the trip. The study documents Taglit-Birthright Israel’s long-term impact (up to 19 years post-trip) and concludes that participation in the program produces a substantial and sustained impact on the lives of Jewish young adults, as is reflected in their high levels of connection to Israel, their marital choices and engagement with Jewish communal life. The impact was most meaningful among participants who were the least affiliated with the community or Judaism and Israel before the trip.