Listen.
Learn.
Lead.
Listen.
Learn.
Lead.
Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller
Listen.
Learn.
Lead.
Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller
Listen.
Learn.
Lead.
Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller
Listen.
Learn.
Lead.
Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller
Listen.
Learn.
Lead.
Photo by Shulamit Seidler-Feller

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

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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It is a duty to listen to all the stories if you wish to have a properly functioning moral compass. Rabbi Steve Greenberg Executive Director, Eshel
It is incumbent upon us, as lovers of Israel, Jews and Judaism, to know all aspects of the issues. We are people of the book, of seeking truth and knowledge and peace. Debbie Cosgrove Chair, Jewish Women’s Foundation NY
Incredible opportunity to see/hear Israel from another perspective. Anonymous Jewish Communal Executive
I have an additional narrative in my head which I didn't have prior--that is why I knew it was necessary for me as a communal leader. Debbie Cosgrove Chair, Jewish Women’s Foundation NY
So important to put faces and images to labels we read about. So important to humanize those often pitted as our enemies. So important to do so with Jews in a context of Ahavat Yisrael. Rabbi David Wolkenfeld Senior Rabbi, Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel

Upcoming Programs

Emerging Leaders

December 31, 2018 - January 3, 2019

Encounter invites outstanding emerging Jewish professionals and lay leaders to apply for our Emerging Leaders Intensive Seminar. Members of the Emerging Leaders Intensive Seminar are future professional and/or lay leaders in Jewish communal life and are committed to pursuing high-level leadership and a leadership pathway that is bridge-building and constructive in an era of high political polarization. The Seminar includes a four-day delegation to the region with focused travel in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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Intensive Leadership Seminar

West Bank and East Jerusalem February 18, 2019 - February 21, 2019

Our Intensive Leadership Seminars are by-invitation-only programs designed for high-level Jewish communal leaders. Each Seminar cohort is comprised of leading Jewish professionals in their various fields and select lay leaders committed to a more nuanced, informed and constructive engagement with Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Seminars include a four-day delegation to the region with focused travel in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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Intensive Leadership Seminar

West Bank and East Jerusalem April 8, 2019 - April 11, 2019

Our Intensive Leadership Seminars are by-invitation-only programs designed for high-level Jewish communal leaders. Each Seminar cohort is comprised of leading Jewish professionals in their various fields and select lay leaders committed to a more nuanced, informed and constructive engagement with Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Seminars include a four-day delegation to the region with focused travel in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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