At a news conference in Jerusalem yesterday, Deputy Foreign Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior praised the Birthright Israel program after hearing responses given in survey questions by participants upon their completion of a 10-day first-time visit to Israel. Melchior said that the survey’s results show that participation in the program does in fact strengthen Jewish identity. One statistic indicated that 38% of those interviewed “very much” felt a connection to the Jewish people before embarking on the trip, while three months after the trip 64% of those interviewed felt “very much” of a connection. In response to a question about feelings for Israel, 22% reported feeling a bond prior to their visit, while 55% of those interviewed felt “very much” connected three months after their visit. In total 5,896 young people are expected to arrive in Israel in the next few days from communities around the world to participate in the program.