We are pleased to announce that Encounter is now accepting appli­ca­tions for our upcoming February 21–22 trip to Bethlehem for grad­uate students of Jewish educa­tion and rabbinical students.

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“After one day of your trip, I felt like I had never been to Israel before, and I am consid­ered a profes­sional Israel expert who travels to Israel several times a year.” – Senior Federation Executive

Examine the social and ideo­log­ical real­i­ties of contem­po­rary Palestinian life.
Learn, through personal encoun­ters, about key chal­lenges facing Palestinians.
Discover steps that grass­roots, non-violent activists are taking to meet them.
Go beyond news­paper head­lines and tele­vi­sion sound bites to learn what leaders and civil­ians are saying on the ground.

This program does not repre­sent a partic­ular polit­ical perspec­tive.
We offer partic­i­pants the oppor­tu­nity to listen to Palestinian narra­tives and claims so they can be informed and construc­tive agents of change in trans­forming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The program includes:

• Presentations by respected Palestinian leaders exam­ining both personal and polit­ical issues related to Palestinian life and narrative.
• Meetings with promi­nent Palestinian activists dedi­cated to non-violence.
• Walking tours of impor­tant geographic areas.
• Optional home stays with Palestinian families.
• Confidential, facil­i­tated dialogue within the Jewish group.
• Kosher food avail­able and several davening options.

The programs will take place in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and surrounding areas within 15 minutes of Jerusalem. Click here for a sample itin­erary of this trip.

The manda­tory orien­ta­tion for this trip will take place Sunday, February 17th and the manda­tory debriefing will take place on Sunday, March 3rd.

Cost: The cost for profes­sionals is $600 and for students is $250, all inclu­sive. Generous schol­ar­ships are avail­able.

Space is limited. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until Wednesday, February 13th. Click here to apply online.

* Please note that Israeli law forbids indi­vid­uals with Israeli citi­zen­ship from trav­eling to Palestinian areas in the West Bank. Therefore, partic­i­pants who have Israeli citi­zen­ship can check our calendar for upcoming trips to areas B and C, areas of the West Bank where Israelis are permitted.

Questions are welcome. Please email info@​encounterprograms.​org.