COVID-19 & Carrying On
Dear Friends,
A local sign reads, "Drink plenty of water, and don't touch your face; avoid travel and stay out of each other's space."  The world has taken this mantra to heart.  In the past two weeks, the deadly COVID-19 pandemic has turned everyday life and work upside down.  Across Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine and the United States, schools have been closed and there are severe restrictions on public gatherings and travel.  JPB has adjusted accordingly but we have adopted another mantra: "Keep Calm and Carry on."   

Our staff is self-quarantined and working from home in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Houston.  However, JPB's peacebuilding work continues.  Using technology, Sarah has young Palestinian and Israeli leaders  talking to students at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.  Next week, they will speak with notable peacebuilders in Palestine and Israel.  Yardena is leading online learning and dialogue for the Armenian High School in East Jerusalem.  Jack and Hannah have focused on selecting the best participants from the hundreds of applications we received for this summer's programming.  You can be confident and proud of how our vital work continues.

How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect our programs for teachers and youth this summer?  Most of JPB's sister organizations have already cancelled this summer's programming.  We are loath to do this.
JPB teens flash a sign of hope and peace during a check-up call last week
Because o f the fluidity and seriousness of the situation, we plan to determine whether or not to operate our Summer 2020 Peacebuilding Institutes in the United States and England by early May.  In the meantime, we plan to leverage our flexibility as a decentralized organization and a network born of 32 years of service in the Middle East to generate alternative courses of action.
What remains clear is our steadfast will to carry on - come what may.  It is our passionate mission and duty to support the leadership development of outstanding teachers and teens desperate for a new future of peace and dignity in the Holy Lands. For us, the watch words are: "Keep Calm and Carry on."  Please keep the JPB team in your prayers, and we hope that we can count on your support during these uncertain times.
May the Lord's blessings of health and safety be yours,
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
(The Rev. Canon) Nicholas and Dorothy Porter
Co-Founders, Jerusalem Peacebuilders
Message honors the late Stuart and Angie Kensinger
In January, JPB Youth and Staff Alum Jake Cosgrove gave a moving Senior Sippurim ( thoughtful talk) Speech to 9th-12th grade students at the Emery Weiner School in Houston. Jake's speech centered on the late Stuart Kensinger, a co-founder of JPB, and his journey of becoming a leader and peacebuilder under Stuart's guidance. Stuart and his wife Angie touched the lives of hundreds of young Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians like Jake, and his speech honors them as we approach the one-year anniversary when we lost such dear friends and colleagues. We hope you enjoy watching Jake's powerful  speech and memorial of the Kensingers.
Senior Sippurim (Speech) by JPB Alum Jake Cosgrove
JPB Directors advance courses in key schools
Students in Iksal participate in a 
two-part JPB workshop series
As our in-school programs have expanded in Jerusalem through our partnerships with Q-Schools and the Shared Learning program of the Jerusalem Municipality, JPB has also extended its reach in the Galilee area of northern Israel. Over the last few months, our Jerusalem Regional Co-Director, Yardena Prawer, and our Program Director, Jack Karn, have made important in-roads with new schools as well as reinforcing our partnerships with existing ones. During February, Jack led programs and presentations at the Latin Patriarchate School of Reineh, St. Joseph Seminary and School, Nazareth Baptist School, and the Afaq High School. Yardena led multiple sessions at three key schools in Sakhnin and Iksal. We conducted our annual youth leadership retreat for newcomers to JPB in Nazareth, which helped pave the way for a new partnership with the Salesian Sisters School in Nazareth. Their combined efforts are ensuring JPB has an extensive network of Muslim and Christian schools in the north, bolstered in part by our relationships with several EXCEL teacher alumni. 
"Building Bridges" connects 150+ students across the city
Building upon the energy around JPB's Interfaith Youth Houston program and our in-school courses in Houston, JPB was approached by the Emery Weiner School, St. Cecilia Catholic School, and the ILM Academy to help facilitate a series of exciting interfaith events for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim 6th-8th graders. Dubbed "Building Bridges", the three-part program features bringing students together for dialogue and interfaith understanding.
Building Bridges participants cap the day with dialogue and a group photo 
at  the River Oaks Islamic Center in Houston, TX
In late-January, Building Bridges #1 witnessed a special day of visiting Emery Weiner, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Congregation Emanu El, and the River Oaks Islamic Center. Students heard from faith leaders and guest speakers about each of the three Abrahamic faiths, while JPB and local summer alums assisted with designing and leading the dialogue sessions and icebreaker activities.
A story of one brave Armenian's journey of empowerment
Sarin Gejekoushian and her Armenian family grew up in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Now a student at the Hebrew University, she credits Jerusalem Peacebuilders' summer institutes with giving her life skills and experiences that have shaped her personality.
Sarin was a JPB learner twice, first in the Service-Learning Summer Institute in Connecticut and then in the Leadership Institute in Vermont. Thinking back on the experiences at camp, she realizes how they have expanded her ability to be socially engaged and outspoken. She now sees herself as someone who is able to feel comfortable with people across religious and ethnic divides.
"I feel more comfortable approaching people from different races, different backgrounds, people who dress differently," she says, "before, it wasn't like that. Before, it was a bit scary. Because again I didn't grow up around Jews, despite the fact that I live in Jerusalem. But ever since the program, my opinion was very different."
But the experiences also taught her something about her own limitations. Particularly, how difficult it can be for her to take a stand or to voice her opinion for fear that it might hurt someone's feelings.
"The dialogues were a little scary, because everyone heard what you had to say. And sometimes, I didn't want to share my opinions with everyone. Maybe, because.... I didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings or make them misunderstand my point, so I didn't talk a lot for that reason. We get so close... Because we get so close as people, we were at that point when we didn't want to say what we really thought in order to not hurt each other's feelings."
Sarin noticed this tendency in herself, especially around the dialogue sessions about the  Israeli- Palestinian conflict. As an Armenian, she saw herself as someone who was in many ways outside of the conflict, being neither Arab nor Jewish-Israeli.  
"The people I was with, they were more into the dialogues, because they each had personal stories which were very related to the dialogue, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Honestly, honestly... they were more into it than I was, because of my background. I didn't grow up with that conflict around me. I knew it existed, but it didn't affect the way I lived. That's different, because of who I am and where I grew up. So, where I stood was different from where they did. I looked at things differently. Sometimes they were attacking each other, and both of them were my friends."
But the experience and the feeling of being on the outside also taught her how to see multiple sides of a story. And how being able to do that is really a gift and a privilege.
" I think of both sides, not only where I stand, but also where the other person stands... It was one way of learning how to consider other people's opinions and their situations. "
Besides learning more about her role in the conflict, she also expanded her interpersonal skills. She remembers several activities that deeply impacted her. The first memory is of a mask making activity that challenged students to express their true identities using the masks as a medium.
"At the end, everybody had to describe why they painted theirs the way they did, why they chose the patterns they chose. For some people, it was a way to confess things they haven't shared with their parents. I really appreciated that. It is easier for some people to express themselves ways other than talking. Maybe art, they write it down, it's one of those ways. It was emotional and everybody was really into it."
In two other activities, she was struck by how much she learned about the benefits of collaborative working. In a speech writing activity, she was teamed up with a Muslim Palestinian participant, Muhammad with whom she is still in touch, years after their shared camp experience.
"And then my favorite activity was when we had to write a speech. I still remember what it was about, and I still remember some sentences from it. And my partner, Mohammad, we got closer and we still talk because of the speech. It was one of the best experiences I've had.
And in another activity, they were role-playing negotiation scenarios.
"One activity I still didn't forget was a negotiating activity. We were separated into two groups, as if one group was attacking our planet and then we had to save it. So, we [learned] how to negotiate! And work as a team. I feel like each activity was mostly being focused on teamwork. And that is what brought us closer to each other, because we had to work together all the time. "
Sarin talks about her experiences with JPB with a great deal of passion and animation. And with a recollection of the activities and her fellow students that makes it clear how deeply impactful the experience has been. The conflict in the Holy Lands impacts all her residents and though we often hear stories from the Muslim and Jewish communities, its important to remember to include the voices of Christian Arabs, Bedouins, Druze and Armenians who are vital part of the Holy Lands' social landscape. Sarin's story with Jerusalem Peacebuilders demonstrates the important work that can be done when we purposefully include young people from these often marginalized communities.
GreatNonProfits honors JPB for 2nd year in a row! 
JPB was recently recognized for its peacebuilding work by GreatNonprofits. Affirming reviews submitted by donors, alumni, and supporters helped JPB  receive  the Top-Rated Nonprofit Award for 2020 - an important mark of the high-quality, impactful programming JPB offers. 

With more than 1.6 million charities represented, GreatNonprofits allows people to share their stories and experiences with individual nonprofits on its website. These  nonprofit accountability programs  help ensure we deliver on our commitments and display our pledge to  accountability and transparency.
Because the future of Jerusalem is the future of the world