Voice of the People (VOP): Levi, let’s start at the beginning. What do you do, and why do you do it right now?

Levi Margolin (LM): I’m the Executive Director of Mayanot Israel, the Birthright Israel program of the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies. I’ve always done this work because the Jewish people around the world need to have a connection with Israel. That mission is critical to our existence, to us as a people, and to the relationship between Israel and the Jewish diaspora. It can’t stop because of a war

VOP: Let’s discuss that last point. Mayanot Israel began bringing Birthright groups back to Israel as soon as you were able after the war with Iran broke out two months ago. It really was an against-all-odds situation. What drove that decision, and what did it tell you about the Jewish people?

LM: Birthright has brought people to Israel through pretty much every war. We take the safety and security of our participants incredibly seriously. We only operate trips when we believe the conditions allow us to do so responsibly and safely, while still ensuring the experience remains meaningful, impactful, and positive for participants. But once it becomes possible to resume operations, we believe it is important to be among the first organizations to bring young Jews back to Israel. What has been remarkable is how many young Jews still choose to come, even during difficult moments.

There is something profoundly meaningful about experiencing Israel not only in times of celebration but also in moments of challenge. Those experiences create a deeper connection to Israel, to the Jewish people, and to Jewish identity that participants carry with them back home. That adds unlimited Jewish value to Jewish communities around the world. 

VOP: Your work has meant witnessing thousands of young Jews undergo personal transformations. What does that tell you about the untapped potential of the Jewish people?

LM: Birthright Israel is a great example of what the Jewish people are capable of. When you mix Birthright Israel with a Chabad organization like Mayanot, you can see what the Jewish people are capable of on steroids. What can be done is unlimited. 

What happens in Israel for a Jewish soul is unmatched. The Rebbe of Chabad said that what it takes 10 years to accomplish in the diaspora takes 10 days to accomplish in Israel. When a Jewish soul comes here and connects to that Jewish spark, we awaken Jewish action. The vision can be unlimited when the Jewish people are united and committed to action. 

VOP: You are a member of the Voice of the People Global Council and part of a team focused on polarization. How do you see polarization in the Jewish world today? 

LM: One of the most beautiful things about the Jewish people is that there are so many different communities and people. That also presents one of the biggest challenges in the Jewish community. 

We are a people who can be stubborn and selfish at times, and each of us has our own vision for the Jewish people, myself included. That often makes it difficult to sit at the same table and discuss topics that matter to all of us. It’s essential that we have the ability to hear one another, while agreeing that we never have to agree. I don’t need you to convince me, and you don’t need to convince me, but we have to be able to listen to one another respectfully. 

VOP: Through your work with the Global Council, what have you learned about the Jewish people that you didn’t expect? 

LM: I expected to come into Voice of the People as an outsider, and it just didn’t pan out that way, which was beautiful. Orthodox Jews are a minority, and on top of that, I’m affiliated with Chabad. At the end of the day, I really felt pulled in as an insider. This group proves my theory that Jewish people can come together and feel like family as long as it’s done in the proper framework and in the proper setting. 

VOP: What do you know now that you wish every Jewish leader understood? 

LM: If we can’t listen to one another, we can’t be united. I learned at Voice of the People that you can come into a room with 150 Council Members from 150 different Jewish backgrounds and feel like you’re one family. You can bring Jews from every type of background, give them the right framework, and they can feel like family. That’s what Jewish leaders need to understand, whether they are leaders of religion, politics, community, education or anything else. 

VOP: Between Mayanot Israel and Voice of the People, you’ve been doing a lot for the Jewish future. What has this period demanded of you personally that you didn’t expect? 

LM: When so much of yourself is called into action, you have to be willing to make sacrifices. When the first Iran War broke out in June 2025, my newborn son was 13 days old. I was concerned about him, my two older children, and my wife, who was recovering from giving birth. I also had 200 participants in Israel and my staff, all of whom I needed to take care of. I could never hand my responsibilities to someone during that hard time. For three days, I couldn’t focus on my family because I was doing everything to get my participants on a boat to Cyprus and then home. I’ll never get those three days back. Being a man of the community takes a toll.

VOP: What is giving you hope today? 

LM: The participants who are still coming on Birthright even when there is a real threat of war. We can feel very isolated when Israel is at war and our fellow Jews choose not to travel here. I’ve heard plenty of people being offered a free trip say, “No, even for a free trip, I can’t risk it.” Risk what? I live here, and life is amazing. College students who resist peer pressure and come on Birthright during wartime give me hope that the Jewish people still care about Israel. 

The people of Israel also give me a lot of hope. It’s amazing to see people canceling their trip to Israel, and we’re here like, “Who cares if there might be another war tomorrow? We’re going to keep living life.” People are going out to the bars and restaurants. People are having fun. We make plans, and that gives me a lot of hope. 

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