We are a diverse community of Jewish leaders ready to encounter the complex stories, people, and places at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian reality.

Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller

Our Programs

Encounter’s educational programming includes our signature Immersive Education programs in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and opportunities for Continuing Education, including resources of what we are reading, watching and listening to.

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Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller

Our Community

The Encounter network includes a diverse group of Jewish influencers committed to generative and constructive discussion and engagement with the most critical issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Our Impact

Over the years, hundreds of exceptional Jewish leaders have been profoundly impacted by their Encounter experiences. See and hear their stories, and discover how they’ve incorporated the lessons of Encounter into their leadership.

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Encounter gave me an opportunity that I had long been missing: to listen to the stories, perspectives, and experiences of Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As a passionate supporter of Israel who yearns for peace, this experience was critical to a more complete understanding of the complexity of this land… Rabbi Adam Raskin Senior Rabbi, Congregation Har Shalom
Encounter reinforced that certainty is not our friend if we are going to be drivers of peace. We need more questions than answers, more curiosity than certainty. Elana Kahn Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation
Encounter gave me access to neighborhoods and people which were otherwise off limits. I was able to see and hear things firsthand that I would not have experienced otherwise. Miriam Heller Stern Director, School of Education, Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College
The opportunity to build relationships and process this intense experience with colleagues and new friends feels essential and a gift. Rabbi Deborah Waxman President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College/Jewish Reconstructionist Communities
I feel more engaged [after the Encounter program]. When I read news stories or hear personal narratives about the conflict, I feel like I have the tools to respond. I'm more sensitive to the challenges that Palestinians face, though I retain skepticism for any simplistic solutions to the conflict. Rabbi Joshua Heller Senior Rabbi, B'nai Torah, Sandy Springs, Georgia
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