I serve on the Board in order to help expand opportunities for others to have the unique experience I was privileged to have of having a direct ‘Encounter’ with Palestinians and learning first-hand about the conflict.

David Karnovsky

Vice Chair

In the fall of 2011, while a fellow of the American Academy in Jerusalem, David partic­i­pated in an Encounter trip to Bethlehem, which he considers a forma­tive expe­ri­ence in his under­standing of the conflict. David is a member of the Real Estate Department of Fried Frank Harris Jacobson & Shriver in New York, with a prac­tice that focuses on land use, zoning, and real estate devel­op­ment. Prior to joining Fried Frank, David served in several capac­i­ties in New York City govern­ment, including as general counsel to the New York City Department of City Planning from 1999 to 2014. At City Planning, he was closely involved in many of the major land use and devel­op­ment initia­tives of the Bloomberg Administration, including the Hudson Yards rede­vel­op­ment plan and the High Line.

David is a member of the Board of Directors of the Hebrew Free Loan Society and served as its President from 2011–2014. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan.