More than 4,500 teens from North America and Israel gathered last month for an outdoor festival that some have described as “Israel’s teen Coachella.”
Part music festival, part celebration and part networking event — featuring a musical performance from Noam Bettan, the runner-up in this year’s Eurovision competition — the group of high schoolers came together at Rishon Lezion’s Live Park on July 10 for RootOne’s Big Tent event, a convening of teens who were all participating in immersive Israel trips this summer.
The gathering, which spotlighted the renewed demand for Israel tours geared toward Jewish teens, marked the first Big Tent event since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Tonight brings up a lot of feelings: pride, strength, pain, hope,” said Shir Greenberg, a 17-year-old from Austin, Texas, who co-emceed the event and who had come to Israel with the global youth movement NCSY. “And all of that belongs here. That is the power of this Big Tent. Thousands of us, with different stories and different backgrounds — all connected by something bigger.”
“When 4,500 North American and Israeli teens joyfully converged at RootOne’s Big Tent, they proved that nothing shapes a young Jewish person’s identity like experiencing Israel together firsthand,” said David Bryfman, CEO of The Jewish Education Project and interim executive director of RootOne, an initiative that aims to increase the participation of North American teens in Israel travel tours. “RootOne exists to deliver this unmatched, immersive experience: fostering friendships that transcend borders, building strong Jewish identity and shaping the next generation of leaders.”
The headliner of the event was Noam Bettan, the Israeli runner-up in this year’s Eurovision song contest. (Courtesy of RootOne)
Among the day’s activities was a performance from Daniel Weiss, a musician who survived the Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, as well as a moving testimony from Moran Stella Yanai, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival and held in Gaza for 54 days.
There was also a live taping of Unpacked’s “Unpacking Israeli History” podcast, where hosts Noam Weissman and Yirmiyahu Danzig engaged festivalgoers in heartfelt conversations about Israel and Jewish identity. In between jubilant, hug-filled reunions among friends old and new, the attendees also assembled care packages for Israeli reservist families and explored opportunities for continued engagement with Israel and Jewish life once their summer programs end.
Founded in 2020 and incubated at The Jewish Education Project, RootOne aims to make Israel travel more accessible to North American teens. It offers participants up to $3,000 in vouchers to help defray the cost of travel and provides educational infrastructure and staff training to over 60 different trips to the Jewish state. Seeded by The Marcus Foundation — a philanthropic organization founded by the late Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus — RootOne partners with a variety of established providers of three-to-eight week Israel summer tours for high school students, working with organizations like the Union for Reform Judaism, BBYO and Young Judaea.
“This is like the hummus of all Jewish teen organizations,” New York City-based rapper Kosha Dillz (real name: Rami Even-Esh) said in a video he filmed at the Big Tent, referring to how a diverse cross-section of the Jewish world blended together that day.
RootOne’s aim is to foster teenagers’ lifelong relationships with Jewish life, Israel and the broader Jewish community. “We see the impact daily as our alumni return to their high schools and go to college and bring the joy and depth of their Israel journey into every aspect of their lives, showing up as proud, confident members of the global Jewish community,” Bryfman said.
The days’ events included musical performances, a live podcast taping and more. (Courtesy of RootOne)
An essential part of the RootOne initiative is to bring North American teens and their Israeli peers closer, both by experiencing Israel together and through maintaining the connection via pre- and post-trip programming, including a virtual pen pal exchange in partnership with Enter: Peoplehood.
“When young Jews from North America and Israel get to know one another as people, not headlines, they build trust, empathy and a shared future,” Bryfman said. “Those friendships don’t end when everyone gets on a plane home. They become part of how this generation will shape the Jewish community of the future, and that’s exactly why RootOne exists.”
The Big Tent event — hosted by RootOne, in partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel, Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and Mosaic United — is considered the “signature experience” for teens participating in RootOne-affiliated summer travel programs. By bringing together thousands of teens of various religious and cultural backgrounds, the event is designed to showcase the depth and breadth of the Jewish community, as well as remind teens who may face isolation or antisemitism at home that they are far from alone.
“We have Jews from all around the world — we’re talking about like 5,000 people,” an Israel-based teen named Itamar told Even-Ash. “We’re all coming here to show support for each other.”
For participants, it was a memorable day of music, friendship, commemorations and commonalities.
“One of the things we have seen since Oct. 7 is the power of community,” said 18-year-old co-emcee Ike Diamond, a Houston resident who was in Israel as part of a BBYO trip. “People are showing up, reaching out and choosing not to look away. That is the power of this Big Tent.”
To learn more about RootOne, visit rootone.org.
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