Daniel Landesberg has been an active member of UF's Jewish community since his freshman year, and he has tried to go to Israel twice.
This May, the 19-year-old telecommunication sophomore will experience Birthright, a free 10-day Israel trip for Jewish students, on UF Hillel's largest trip yet.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity to experience something that I've been learning about for so long," he said.
About 190 UF students registered through UF Hillel as of Thursday for the Taglit-Birthright Israel trip. The largest trip before was in 2011 with 160 students.
UF Hillel teamed with Birthright organization Israel Experts. The groups hope to take 300 students this summer.
"The demand is greater than we've ever seen," said Joshua Kahn, the Jewish agency program director at Hillel.
A record number of students applied by Wednesday, the first registration day. UF Hillel usually sends about 85 percent of applicants, he said. Registration will end once 300 students have signed up.
"Originally, Israel funded 25 percent of the trip," he said. "But it is now funding 50 percent of the trip, allowing us to give out more seats than in previous years."
Sending one person to Israel costs about $3,000, Kahn said. The trip is free, other than a $250 security deposit, which is refunded at the end of the trip.
