Past Participant Accounts
Encounter attracts a wide cross-section of Jewish participants studying at a variety of institutions in Israel. Their participation in Encounter programs is in no way affiliated with their host institutions. Here's what they have to say about their personal experiences with Encounter.
"I have not stopped processing and sharing the experience with my rabbis, friends in yeshiva, and family in the States since I left... I'll have you know that I brought the experience full-force into my learning community...I was thoroughly challenged to the point of complete exhaustion on all levels in the best possible way. While more conscious of the suffering all around me, I also feel inspired and filled with great hope, from our unity as a diverse group of Jews, to the handful of Palestinians we met who are committed to positive work for peace and justice."
-Casey, March 2005, Bat Ayin Yeshiva
"The Encounter tour was an opportunity for me to explore the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and really Zionism and Israel as a whole, in a new way. The personal stories, visits to areas I would never have otherwise seen, and the perspectives I had not previously heard, opened me to seeing the relationships between the parties in this struggle differently, and more patiently. It also gave me contacts and partners on the other side of what often feels like an uncrossable divide. The peers I traveled with were also a source of strength and confidence in the Jewish community's continued values of peace and co-existence, and a new opportunity to think about pluralistic communities."
-Steven, November 2005, Yeshiva Chovvevei Torah and Maalei Gilboa
"For me, the encounter tour was one of the highlights of my year in Israel. I believe that as future rabbis we must be able to present the Arab-Israeli conflict in a Jewish, religious context. I am not a politician or a journalist. I don't see my job as being an analyst of the news from the Middle East. But I do believe that I need to create an authentic Jewish approach to Israel that takes into account as many perspectives as possible. My experiences on the trip to Bethlehem have become an essential part of my personal struggle with the meaning of Israel, particularly because our group was composed of and designed for other future religious leaders with similar goals. As much as one can learn in a classroom or from a book, there is no substitute for meeting people where they are and listening to their stories."
-Ben, March 2005, Jewish Theological Seminary and Machon Schechter
"This was a turning point for me in my understanding...My personal experience was very rich-both in terms of the connections with the Palestinians and with the other rabbinic students on the trip."
-Rachel, March 2005, University of Judaism and Machon Schechter
"I'm so thankful for the opportunity this trip gave me to finally put real faces to the stories I hear about the daily lives of Palestinians, to listen to their story in the intimate context of their home, and to make a personal connection with a family from the opposite side of the conflict."
-Beth, March 2005, Hebrew Union College
"Although I had been to the West Bank numerous times before, it had never been with a Jewish group and never of course with any kind of spiritual consciousness... [This experience] combined a Jewish spiritual and religious consciousness, play and fun, connecting with people, hearing different views, exposure to tachlis politics, a means of emotional processing - a truly masterful weaving together. I was quite in awe of the thoughtfulness that went into the program, and your presence, clarity, and gentle focus as leaders."
-Josh, May 2005, Pardes Institute
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