Encounter

What Encounter does

Encounter Programs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in New York, with operations in the United States and Israel. Its core function is to equip Jewish communal leaders — Israeli and American, across denominations, political spectrums, and professions — to engage firsthand with the Israeli–Palestinian reality. The organization does this through a three-pillar program model: (1) sustained engagement with a broad cross-section of Palestinian civil society leaders, cultivated over more than 20 years; (2) immersive multi-day cross-spectrum delegations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; and (3) ongoing leadership networks that convene alumni cohorts for continued peer support and structured follow-up. Target participants include rabbis, educators, philanthropists, CEOs, policymakers, and civic leaders.

The "product" is fundamentally human and experiential rather than technological — facilitated dialogue, curated introductions to Palestinian civil society, and cohort-based leadership development. There is no proprietary technology, software platform, or AI component disclosed; the work depends on staff expertise, a small headcount (11–50), a 13-member board drawn from elite Jewish philanthropic, legal, financial, and academic institutions, and the organization's two-decade relational capital with Palestinian partners.

The business model is donation-based: Encounter is a tax-exempt nonprofit funded entirely by charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and Jewish communal organizations. Programs are provided at no cost to participants, and there are no fees, tuition, or product sales. Go-to-market is community-led, recruiting participants through trusted networks, federations, JCRCs, synagogues, foundations, and alumni referrals rather than paid marketing. Geographic reach is North America and Israel, with delegations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and convenings in the U.S.

Name

Encounter

Legal name

Encounter Programs

Website

https://encounterprograms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Encounter Programs is a New York–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs immersive delegations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, plus ongoing leadership networks, to equip Israeli and American Jewish communal leaders with firsthand engagement with Palestinian civil society. Programs are donation-funded and provided at no cost to participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewish Communal Leadership Education

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Interfaith & Ecumenical Councils and Dialogue Organizations (BPAGAJAJ)

Keywords

• Jewish leadership development
• Cross-spectrum delegations
• Palestinian civil society engagement
• Conflict education programs
• Communal leader convenings

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, Encounter Programs is funded entirely through donations and charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and Jewish communal organizations. The organization solicits donations through its website and direct outreach. No fees are charged for program participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Encounter runs free-of-charge, in-person immersive leadership experiences that bring influential Jewish leaders — rabbis, philanthropists, foundation executives, educators, and other communal professionals — into direct engagement with Palestinian civil society in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel. Programs combine multi-day cross-spectrum delegations, on-the-ground briefings with Palestinian organizations, and ongoing alumni leadership networks that translate field learning into communal action.

Product overview

Encounter Programs is a non-profit organization offering a unified suite of educational programs focused on Israeli-Palestinian conflict understanding for Jewish leaders. The core offerings include: (1) Palestinian Civil Society Engagement — direct relationships with Palestinian leaders across various sectors; (2) Immersive Cross-Spectrum Delegations — multi-day programs in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; and (3) Ongoing Leadership Networks — sustained cohort-based follow-up and convenings. These programs work together to equip Jewish leaders with firsthand context and relationships to navigate Israeli-Palestinian realities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immersive Cross-Spectrum Delegations
• Palestinian Civil Society Engagement Structured on-the-ground engagement with Palestinian civil society organizations, community leaders, and residents in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel; provides the substantive Palestinian-perspective content that anchors Encounter's delegations and convenings.
• Ongoing Leadership Networks Sustained alumni and peer learning community for Encounter participants that provides continued study, dialogue, and convening opportunities designed to translate field experience into ongoing communal action and influence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Leaders report greater understanding of conflict complexity and Palestinian perspectives
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Jewish World Service (AJWS): AJWS is a larger US Jewish international development and human rights organization. It is comparable as a Jewish communal organization funding work in Israel/Palestine and abroad, and Encounter board member Phyllis Teicher Goldman is a former AJWS VP, indicating overlapping leadership networks.
• Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life: Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization and a major pipeline for the future Jewish leadership Encounter serves. Encounter board member Tilly Shemer is Executive Director of University of Michigan Hillel, and the organizations share a target audience of emerging Jewish leaders engaging with Israel.
• Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS): JTS is a leading rabbinical and academic seminary producing the rabbinic and academic Jewish leaders Encounter recruits. Multiple Encounter board members (Ruskay, Lopatin, Landes, Levisohn) are JTS-affiliated, reflecting the close pipeline between JTS-trained clergy/scholars and Encounter programming.

Direct peers

• Shalom Hartman Institute: Shalom Hartman Institute is a leading pluralistic Jewish educational and research organization in Israel and North America. Several Encounter board and staff are Hartman Institute alumni/fellows (Levisohn, Landes, Solomon), and both organizations deliver Jewish leadership education centered on Israel and Jewish thought.
• Moving Traditions: Moving Traditions is a US Jewish education organization that supports teens and young adults navigating identity and social pressures. Encounter board chair Sally Gottesman is co-founder and past chair of Moving Traditions, and both organizations focus on Jewish identity formation through experiential education.
• J Street: J Street is a US Jewish lobby and political home for pro-peace, pro-two-state American Jews. It targets the same communal leader audience (rabbis, JCRCs, federation professionals) and pursues parallel objectives of broadening mainstream American Jewish engagement on Israeli-Palestinian issues.
• New Israel Fund: New Israel Fund supports Israeli civil society and grantees advancing democracy and equality, including Palestinian-Israeli initiatives. It is the most direct peer to Encounter: both are US-headquartered Jewish organizations funding/engaging on Israeli-Palestinian issues, and Encounter's board chair and several members have direct New Israel Fund lineage.
• Americans for Peace Now: Americans for Peace Now is a US Jewish organization advocating for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution. Encounter board member Martin Bresler is the immediate past Chair of APN, illustrating the direct organizational overlap in networks, audience, and policy orientation toward Palestinian engagement.
• Israel Policy Forum: Israel Policy Forum educates and organizes American Jewish leaders around Israeli-Palestinian policy and the two-state framework. It shares Encounter's audience (American Jewish communal professionals, rabbis, philanthropists) and mission of equipping Jewish leadership to navigate the conflict, and an Encounter board member (Emily Einhorn) sits on IPF ATID.
• Foundation for Middle East Peace: FMEP is a US nonprofit focused on Palestinian human rights and a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a direct peer in the niche of serious, policy-oriented US-based engagement with Israeli-Palestinian issues that complements Encounter's dialogue-focused work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Encounter