Dear Friends,

Admissions into prestigious Law and Medical Schools. Ambitions to become an astronaut. Gratitude for JPB's unique programs. Last month in Jerusalem and Nazareth, JPB students and alumni dazzled us and 40 fellow travelers with their accomplishments, understanding and courage. In each of them we witnessed a new promise for an ancient land.

A new promise for an ancient and divided land - it is more than a dream. It is an urgent necessity. Today's hard reality is that most Israelis and Palestinians are moving as far apart as ever. Thanks to you and our local partners, Jerusalem Peacebuilders (JPB) defies this trend. Our school programs, weekend workshops and Model UN events unite Israelis and Palestinians and empower them with opportunities, relationships and support needed to lead peaceful and positive change.

This summer 100 young Israeli and Palestinian leaders (ages 14 - 18) hope to attend one of JPB's four interfaith peace education programs in New Haven (CT), Houston (TX) or Brattleboro (VT). Most come from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth or Gaza. Some are Jews, some are Christians, some are Muslims or Druze. All seek to deliver on the promise of peace.

JPB's summer programs combine experiential learning with spiritual and social justice consciousness for self-transformation and that of wider society. Our curriculum explores identity, service and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in ways that interconnect self-knowledge, societal analysis and change-strategies. This is how tomorrow's astronauts, doctors, diplomats and peacebuilders are equipped to fulfill the new promise of peace.

 

Will you help us to further the promise? Yes, 100 promising young leaders have been selected, the daily programming crafted and qualified counselors recruited, but 75 Israeli and Palestinian teens still need financial scholarships at the cost of $2,500 per student. Please further peace by sponsoring students for $2,500 each or by making a smaller gift toward that goal.

Sponsor young Israeli and Palestinian leaders and bless an ancient land with a new promise of peace.

Peace, Shalom, Salaam, 

(The Rev. Canon) Nicholas and Stuart Kensinger

Co-Founders, Jerusalem Peacebuilders

Meet Shai! One of our inspiring and brilliant Jewish participants. Shai took part in the JPB Interfaith Citizenship Institute in 2017 and will join the JPB Leadership Institute this summer. We recently asked Shai to reflect on her experience thus far in the JPB program:

"I joined JPB because I wanted to meet new people that I would never get to interact with otherwise, and going overseas to do so seemed like an adventure worth taking.

JPB  offered me a new window to the world. It presented the opportunity for me to apply all the skills I learned in my Diplomacy class. One of the strongest memories I have from last summer is the last day of the program. We all read our poems in front of a large audience at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston. We also read a poem we wrote together. At the end we all hugged. It was such an emotional and empowering moment - we had created such an amazing family in just ten days.

The program changed me and I even encouraged my classmates to make friends with "the other side". It can happen.

"JPB offered me a new  window  to the world."

     

If you are afraid, it is normal. I remember I was afraid at the airport, but there is nothing to be afraid of. You will connect to new people, make new friends and learn about different cultures and religions. It will change you and the way you see the world.

Sadly, in Israeli society, we don't know each other, we don't know anything about each other, and it is a big issue. We can't have a relationship before we know each other and we need to have a relationship before we can make peace. It is not such a scary step and it will lead to good things!"

~Shai

During late March, JPB brought together 14 youth from across Israel for an overnight retreat in the Old City of Nazareth. For two days, the teens participated in workshops, dialogues, heard from guest speakers, and toured around Nazareth, visiting the White Mosque, Christ Anglican Church, and a Biblical-era synagogue. The retreat centered around exploring different practices of peacebuilding, with youth examining their own practices and those of other peacebuilders working in the field. On Friday, the teens developed friendships, enjoyed delicious kanafe and Arab foods, and welcomed in Shabbat. On Saturday, after a workshop on personal narratives and a tour of the city's different holy sites, JPB was joined by its new partner, Solutions Not Sides (SNS), who brought two Israeli and Palestinian speakers to discuss their experience of peacebuilding in the Holy Land. A powerful dialogue unfolded between the speakers and youth participants, leaving everyone with an enhanced perspective and new insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With strong friendships formed in such a short amount of time, the teens were sad to leave the retreat but happy to have made new connections with other Arabs and Jews committed to peace in the Holy Land.

	Pilgrims walk down to the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes

Between April 10-28, JPB Co-Founders, The Rev. Canon Nicholas Porter, Dorothy Porter and Stuart Kensinger, led two pilgrimages for members of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church and the Order of St. John. These exciting trips explored the many different holy sites and breathtaking locations across the region, such as  Jerusalem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Jericho, Dead Sea and the Judean Desert.   Pilgrims also had the opportunity to connect with the work of JPB and to meet several of our summer alumni and current in-school program participants. The experiences were powerful. One pilgrim wrote to Fr. Nicholas, "I cannot possibly thank you enough for the very special week with you and Dorothy in the Holy Land. It was perfect in every way and made so by your knowledge, enthusiasm, and commitment to your faith and to peace in the region."

On April 26, JPB co-sponsored TIRAMUN, a Model United Nations and Debate Conference put on by JPB's partner QSchools. The conference brought together over a hundred youth for a day of debate and negotiation on some of the most pressing global issues facing the world today. JPB contributed to the success of the conference by presenting on its programs at the closing ceremony of the conference. Each year, JPB participates in several MUN conferences in the Holy Land to recruit promising Israeli and Palestinian youth for our programs. We are honored to have been a co-sponsor with QSchools for this exciting and important conference.

	JPB youth participate in Crisis Committee deliberations

JPB is pleased to announce the award of the 2018-2019 Porter Fellowship to Ms. Della Wager Wells. In partnership with St. George's College in Jerusalem and the Berkley Divinity School at Yale, and  supported by a generous grant, the Porter Fellowship  supports a recent graduate of Berkeley Divinity School to serve for an extended period (typically 9 months) in residence at St George's College. The Fellowship " offers extraordinary Berkeley graduates valuable opportunities to learn from the witness of the College in the Holy Land, to participate in local peace-building and to strengthen their ministries with needed knowledge, experience, and relationships," said JPB  President and former Berkeley Board member, The Rev. Canon Nicholas T. Porter.

Della  recently spoke about the exciting appointment:  "I am thrilled to have been appointed as the Porter Fellow for the 2018-2019 academic year. The fellowship is an amazing opportunity for contextual education and formation, and I look forward to a rich season of learning and experience that I will carry with me into my ministry.

The Porter Fellow has three main areas of focus: St. George's College, St. George's Cathedral, and Jerusalem Peacebuilders. At St. George's College, the Fellow works with the Dean to support the program of the College in administration, site reflections, and pastoral support of the program participants. At St. George's Cathedral, t he Fellow works with the clergy to assist in worship and helping to support the life of the Cathedral."

The Fellow also supports Jerusalem Peacebuilders' reconciliation initiatives in Jerusalem, assisting with efforts to build and promote JPB's work with young people of all faiths in the Holy Land and all over the world.  I am especially excited to work with Jerusalem Peacebuilders and to experience myself the relationships that can be built from respectful listening and understanding."

This summer, JPB will operate four peacebuilding and leadership programs for American, Israeli, and Palestinian teenagers.  With a record number of participants expected, we need volunteers at each site to help make these programs a big success. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to volunteer coordinators Dorothy Porter for CT and VT ([email protected]) or Danna Kurtin for both TX programs ([email protected]). 

Program Locations and Dates: