It began with a telephone call from Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut to JPB Executive Director Nicholas Porter. Six months later, they were finally standing within the gates of Jerusalem. The two-week journey around Israel and Palestine soon involved praying in Jerusalem, meeting renowned Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers, swimming in the Sea of Galilee and exploring Gaza. From September 15 - 26, Bishop Ian, Anne Lynn of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ) and Nicholas traveled as pilgrims with three specific goals: 1) to encounter God deeply in the Holy Land; 2) to become better informed about the current situation in Israel and Palestine; and 3) to learn f

On November 9 and 10, Nicholas and Dorothy Porter will share their experiences of launching and operating Jerusalem Peacebuilders as well as pragmatic advice for Yale students seeking to dedicate themselves to social justice and the public good. JPB's Service-Learning Program in New Haven brought the Porters to Yale's attention, and the university's Dwight Hall named them the 2016 Jane and William E. Curren '49 Distinguished Mentors for their "commitment to creating a better future for humanity by providing Israelis, Palestinians and Americans with the skills, opportunities and confidence they need to become future leaders for peace." The mission of Dwight Hall is to inspire and nurture Yale

On October 1, JPB Assistant Director Jack Karn returned to Jerusalem for nine months to serve in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem with the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC). During his mission service, Jack is volunteering at St. George's Cathedral as a Pastoral Assistant, assisting in English instruction at St. George's School, and leading an improved JPB leadership program for students at the Sts. Tarkmanchatz Armenian School in the Old City. Continuing to build upon the successes he achieved on his previous stay last spring, Karn will be instrumental to furthering JPB's Jerusalem Schools Initiative and strengthening the connections and partnerships with other people-to-people organizatio

My experience at the Service-Leadership Program in New Haven was powerful and two-fold. I was a participant and a junior counselor, which means I had the chance to delve into the dialogues, as well as to help with day-to-day logistics. Besides visiting mosques, synagogues, and churches, which is always an enlightening experience, and touring Yale University, which was fabulous in every way, the experience that really hit home for me was volunteering to help Syrian refugees. Almost a month and a half after I graduated high school, I walked into the English classroom at IRIS- a refugee resettlement agency. I found a seat and listened to the instructions. I noticed that everyone at the table wa

Model UN group: JBP Trip and NYC extension July 25-August 7th Last summer I attended the delegation to the USA whose purpose was to talk about the conflict in Israel. As an Israeli Jew, I was surprised to realize that all my life I was exposed to only one side of the story, and never got the chance to see the other side. I was also surprised that, similarly, Palestinians are not aware of our side of the story. There lies the problem of understating the conflict; lack of communication and incitement against the other side. During the trip, I felt connected with everyone around me despite our differences; Muslims, Christians, Jews; Israelis and Palestinians, Armenians and Americans. In additi

Houston's premier school, St. John's School honored co-founder Stuart Kensinger with the 2016 Maverick Award for his role in Jerusalem Peacebuilders. Each year, St. John's awards the Maverick Award to an outstanding graduate in recognition of a personal, professional, or artistic accomplishment that reflects the creative and independent spirit that St. John's School seeks to instill in its students. Stuart graduated from St. John's School in 1981. In 2012, he established the JPB summer program for American, Israeli and Palestinian teens in Houston that attracts leading interfaith partners such as Camp Allen, Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, Ibrahim Islamic Center, Christ Church Cathe