JPB BELIEVES IN...
Summer Institute Application Extension Deadline
February 29, 2020
March:
March:
Holy Land and Jordan Pilgrimage
October 17 - 30, 2020
"Let's Talk About Jerusalem"
February 23, 2020
OUR TEAM
Our diverse staff team represents multiple generations, identities, and years of experience in the fields of leadership development, peacebuilding and conflict transformation.
Please read our bios to learn about who we are and what we bring to this important work.
The Rev. Canon Nicholas Porter
Executive Director
Nicholas Porter is the founder and Executive Director of Jerusalem Peacebuilders. A long time resident of Europe and the Middle East, Nicholas Porter is an educator and Episcopal priest. His academic credentials include: BA in Soviet and Middle Eastern Studies from Yale University, MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University in Cairo, MA in War Studies from the University of London, MA in Divinity (Theology) from Yale University.
Dorothy Porter
Co-Founder and Vice President
Dorothy Porter is the co-founder and Vice President of Jerusalem Peacebuilders. She is responsible for fundraising, volunteer-staff recruitment, and quarter-mastering at the camp. Also a long time resident of Europe and the Middle East, Dorothy holds a BA from Yale University and an MFA (London).
The Rev. Deacon Jack Karn
Summer Institute Coordinator
Jack Karn is the Summer Institute Coordinator of Jerusalem Peacebuilders, leading the planning and implementation of JPB's summer programming. An Episcopal deacon, Jack has spent more than four years overseas in the Holy Lands teaching leadership and peacebuilding courses in Israeli and Palestinian high schools. Between 2016-2018, he served as a volunteer in Jerusalem and Nazareth with the Young Adult Service Corps program of the Episcopal Church. Jack has also worked as a Program Assistant with World Learning's Youth Programs and the CONTACT Program of SIT Graduate Institute. Karn served as Director of Youth Ministries at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, TX before relocating to Denver, CO in 2023 to serve at Saint John's Cathedral. He holds a BA in History from the University of Maine and an MA in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation from SIT Graduate Institute.
Sarah Benazera
Senior Educator & Curriculum Advisor
Sarah Perle Benazera the Senior Educator and Curriculum Advisor of Jerusalem Peacebuilders. She is a humanist, peace-activist, storyteller and educator, with years of hands-on experience in international and inter-cultural dialogue working at the people-to-people level for a better Middle East. After studying at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and meeting for the first time Jordanians and Palestinians, Sarah realized that cross-cultural dialogue and peacebuilding were her calling. She worked as a project manager and blog editor at YaLa Young Leaders for five years, developing and running a citizen journalism program. She has also been involved in various peace and cooperation projects, organizing conferences, participating in panels and programs about peace education and cooperation, and working and volunteering with Kid4Peace Jerusalem. She has studied Environmental Studies and Cross-Border Cooperation at Sde Boker and the Arava Institute, as well as Political Philosophy at the Université Panthéon Sorbonne in Paris.
Zak Adileh
Jerusalem Regional Director
Zak Adileh is the Jerusalem Regional Director of Jerusalem Peacebuilders. He is a passionate young leader working in the fields of leadership development, peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Zak was born and raised in Jerusalem as a native Arabic speaker, but also speaks Hebrew and English fluently. He previously served as a Logistics Manager with Tech2Peace and has participated in many dialogues around the conflict as a means to gain more knowledge of the reality that both sides are living in. Zak hopes that hard work among Israelis, Palestinians, and internationals will create a new generation of young skilled leaders who work for peace in the Middle East. He holds a BA in English Literature from the Arab American University and a Diploma in Environmental Studies from the Arava Institute.
The Rev. Katie Kirk
Porter Fellow
Katie Kirk is the Porter Fellow for Jerusalem Peacebuilders. Ordained as a Priest in the Diocese of Alabama, Katie is a proud alumna of Yale Divinity School (MDiv), the Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, Fulbright Germany, and Auburn University (BA Philosophy).
