Encounter in North America

Encounter’s newly launched North America program lever­ages the powerful impact of our Middle East program and empowers our partic­i­pants to trans­form their own constituen­cies. from the Shabbat table to the pulpit to Capitol Hill and the Knesset. Our alumni, including Rabbis, lay leaders, phil­an­thropists, Jewish communal profes­sionals and educa­tors, turn to Encounter for guid­ance and consul­ta­tion in their profes­sional work engaging the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Encounter in North America works on three fronts:

1. Creating an alumni “home” for networking, training and profes­sional exchange: Our train­ings and networking meet­ings on Israel engage­ment and activism have made Encounter the communal hub for promi­nent and up-and-coming Jewish leaders to share chal­lenges, exchange best prac­tices and develop spin-off initia­tives with Arab and Palestinian commu­ni­ties as well as between Jews across ideo­log­ical lines. Our 2010 alumni retreat offered training in facil­i­ta­tion, public speaking and congre­ga­tional engage­ment with Israel and drew an inter-generational crowd of more than 85 alumni Jewish leaders from all sectors of Jewish life.
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2. Reshaping Israel engage­ment for the 21st century: Encounter’s ground­breaking Israel Education Initiative is driven by star alumni educa­tors in diverse educa­tional insti­tu­tions across the country. This Community of Practice is tasked with devel­oping high-level, rigorous educa­tional resources and peda­gogic models towards the long-term trans­for­ma­tion of North American Israel educa­tion in high schools, Hillels, and other young adult settings. These new resources present multiple Israeli and Palestinian narra­tives; touch on Israel’s rela­tion­ship to the U.S., U.N and Europe; grapple with secu­rity and human rights dilemmas; and address contentious turning points in the region from diverse perspec­tives (’48, ’67 and Camp David). No other existing curricula present these crit­ical and diffi­cult issues in ways that are current, nuanced, and infor­ma­tive of multiple points of view.
   • READ MORE about our Israel Education Initiative
3. Providing capacity-building for Jewish insti­tu­tions toward wise, fruitful and nuanced rela­tion­ships with Israel: Encounter’s Co-Executive Directors and staff are contin­u­ously sought out by the range of Jewish insti­tu­tions and commu­ni­ties for consul­ta­tion and training, from rabbinical schools to Federations to phil­an­thropic networks, JCRCs, syna­gogues, Hillels, and JCCs. To date, hundreds of Jewish insti­tu­tions, commu­ni­ties and leaders across the globe reap the bene­fits of Encounter’s exper­tise in fostering a more inclu­sive, informed and respectful Israel conversation.
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