For the first time, the Greater Phoenix area will have its own Birthright Israel trip, with all 40 spots given to local young adults.

Birthright is a national nonprofit that sponsors men and women ages 18-26 to go on a free, educational 10-day tour of Israel.

In the past, spots reserved for Valley residents on a Birthright trip had to be shared with another city, such as Las Vegas, according to Tamar Farber, manager of the Israel Center in Scottsdale.

You can never guarantee anything … but the chances of getting on (our trip) are much better than the general pool, said Farber. Nationwide, the acceptance rate of applicants is about one in three, she said.

Farber said trip organizers are targeting people who are post-college who plan to stay in the Phoenix community. She said the goal is to have them return home passionate about Israel and to keep them connected to the Jewish community and the friends they make on the trip, through involvement in a range of pro-Israel, Jewish and young-adult activities.

In the past, it was very hard to do any kind of Birthright follow-up activities because we didnt have the names of the (Phoenix) alumni and they didnt necessarily know each other because they had gone on … different trips, said Farber.

Hillel and Chabad, both at Arizona State University, also organize Birthright trips for ASU students, with students typically sharing a tour bus with another universitys group, according to Jennifer Williams, administrative assistant at ASU Hillel. In May 2011, an ASU Hillel Birthright group shared a bus with students from the University of Pittsburgh.

A Valley-based delegation will allow the trip to be tailored to visit areas that are particularly significant to the Phoenix area, Farber said.

For example, stops could be made in the town of Kiryat Malachi and in the region of Hof Ashkelon, both areas of Israel that receive support from the Jewish Community Associations TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix, Seattle) partnership.

Farber said that a Birthright trip exclusive to the Valley was made possible by significant fundraising, as well as a grant from the Jewish Community Association of Greater Phoenix.

For now, she said, its a one-time opportunity. It was something we were able to get thanks to a lot of peoples hard (work), and well see if its going to be ongoing or not.

Details

• The trip is scheduled for June 10-21 and will depart from Los Angeles. Those accepted must provide their own transportation to and from Los Angeles.

• Registration opens Feb. 15 for first-time applicants, or Feb. 14 for anyone who has previously applied.

• Registration must be done via the Internet. Visit birthrightisrael.com and select the Phoenix Awesome Israel trip option.

• Upon acceptance, applicants must place a $250 deposit. The money will be refunded upon their return from Israel.

• For more information or to sign up for a registration reminder, contact Tamar Farber, tamarf@vosjcc.org, or Erin Searle, erins@vosjcc.org.