Oceanside Grad Celebrates Birthright Bat Mitzvah

Lindsay Chetkof, 19, a junior at Duke University majoring in electrical engineering and computer science, just completed her first-ever trip to Israel—a nearly two-month experience as part of the highly selective Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship, which brought together 80 outstanding young Jewish leaders from 14 countries. During the summer she did an internship at Nvidia as a software developer.

Lindsay, who graduated from Oceanside High School and grew up in a secular home in Oceanside, Long Island, had never had a bat mitzvah, never visited Israel, and had only a distant connection to Jewish tradition. But through her fellowship, she experienced a powerful spiritual and emotional transformation.

“Being in Israel for the first time and going through this amazing, life-changing fellowship felt like I was part of something bigger than me for the first time in my life,” Lindsay shared. “It was powerful and emotional in a way I can’t even express in words.”

Her journey led her to make an extraordinary decision: to have her bat mitzvah at the Kotel, surrounded by her peers. The Birthright Israel Excel team made it happen—organizing a heartfelt ceremony at the Western Wall, led by Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht, with all 79 fellows in attendance, dressed in white just before Shabbat.

“It felt like more than just my personal celebration. It felt like a celebration of my Jewishness—of being part of the Jewish people,” she said. “I was overwhelmed with joy and totally grateful for this honor.”

The emotion was not hers alone. Tears flowed freely among the fellows, many of whom had also come from secular backgrounds, witnessing Lindsay’s courageous and heartfelt step into her heritage.

This year’s Excel Fellowship cohort is the largest in its 15-year history. Fifty-three participants are from the United States, while 27 come from (in alphabetical order): Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Panama, and Russia. Thirteen percent of the participants were visiting Israel for the first time.

Since 2011, the Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship has cultivated the next generation of Jewish business leaders. Each year, the program carefully selects top students from hundreds of applicants for the lifelong Excel Fellowship, which begins with summer internships at leading business and tech companies in Tel Aviv.

After completing a summer business or tech internship in Israel, the Excel community provides immersive opportunities in professional development, networking, personal growth, Israel engagement, and Jewish identity.

The Excel Fellowship follows the Israeli workweek, Sunday through Thursday. Alongside hands-on work experience and an evening series of fascinating speakers from across Israeli society, the fellowship also includes a Micro Communities Meet-Up focused on discussing diversity within Israeli society.

“Lindsay, like all of the fellows, represents the future of Jewish business leadership,” said Idit Rubin, Executive Director of Birthright Israel Excel. “We are so proud to have given her the opportunity to celebrate her bat mitzvah and reconnect with her Jewish identity in such a powerful and meaningful way.” n