Who We Are
Encounter equips Jewish leaders to reckon firsthand with the Israeli–Palestinian reality, which has far-reaching consequences for Israel’s security, Jewish flourishing worldwide, and the lives of Palestinians under Israeli sovereignty. We convene, support, and prepare the Jewish leaders of our generation so they can act with the resilience, seriousness, and responsibility this moment, and sovereignty, demands.
Why Now
The urgency is clear. The present and future of the Jewish people are shaped by the quality of leaders we have. Today’s leaders, in Israel and the United States, are making decisions that will set Israel’s trajectory and shape Jewish life worldwide for generations. They do so under conditions of sovereignty that are unprecedented in both complexity and consequence. Leadership in this environment demands clarity of vision and steadiness of character.
Without firsthand reckoning with these realities, leaders risk acting from blind spots, leading from partial understanding rather than a full field of vision. Encounter ensures they are not shielded from the conflict’s full weight but are prepared to meet it directly.
What We Do
Our founding value proposition remains that too often, Jewish leaders, both Israelis and Americans, are missing critical context by not directly engaging with Palestinians and their lived experiences.
We do this work by:
- Engaging directly with a broad cross spectrum of Palestinian civil society leaders
- Facilitating Immersive Cross-Spectrum Delegations
- Supporting Ongoing Leadership Networks
Engaging directly with a broad cross spectrum of Palestinian civil society leaders
For more than two decades, Encounter has cultivated trusted relationships with a broad cross-section of Palestinian civil society leaders. These bonds, rooted in courage and humility, lie at the heart of our work: the choice to meet directly with those one profoundly disagrees with as an act of dignity and leadership. Our Palestinian partners – businesspeople and entrepreneurs, farmers and village leaders, NGO directors and educators, activists, policy thinkers, and cultural voices – take personal risks in choosing to engage Israeli officials, military figures, and American Jewish leaders who often embody an asymmetry of power. They do not speak with one voice nor agree on all issues, but together they represent a vital microcosm of Palestinian society. Their example reminds us that Jewish and Palestinian lives and futures are inextricably bound, and that listening to one another is not only possible, but essential.
Facilitating Immersive Cross-Spectrum Delegations
We bring carefully selected cohorts of Jewish leaders from across political, denominational, and professional divides on multi-day delegations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The heart of these experiences is direct, sustained engagement with Palestinian civil society leaders that few Jewish leaders otherwise have.
Our delegations focus primarily on Israeli Jewish leaders, whose choices at the ballot box, in public institutions, in the army, and in civic life directly shape Israel’s future and the region’s trajectory. For them, firsthand engagement with Palestinian counterparts is indispensable to exercising responsibility under sovereignty.
We also convene American Jewish leaders, for whom Israel has long been central to Jewish identity, culture, and communal life. Amid today’s heightened polarization, they need trusted frameworks and deeper grounding to navigate their communities’ relationship to the conflict with seriousness and resilience.
Supporting Ongoing Leadership Networks
Encounter sustains the relationships built on delegations through structured follow-up and regular convenings. Leaders are part of ongoing cohorts and gatherings where they can test ideas and get perspective from peers facing similar pressures. These networks provide camaraderie that reduces isolation and fear, and they create space for leaders to imagine new possibilities together.
Get Involved
The Jewish future depends on those who can navigate the complexities of sovereignty with seriousness, dignity, and courage. Encounter is the training ground for that caliber of leadership.
For more than two decades, Encounter has been a discreet and trusted partner to rabbis, educators, philanthropists, CEOs, policymakers, and civic leaders across Israel and North America. Our alumni do not share identical politics; what unites them is a conviction that Jewish leadership must be grounded in reality, take responsibility for power, and recognize that Jewish and Palestinian futures are intertwined.
Your partnership ensures that today’s decision-makers and tomorrow’s rising voices are equipped with the literacy, relationships, and resilience this moment demands.
Join us. Invest in a Jewish leadership that refuses illusions, faces reality, and guides our people with clarity and care.