Israel-Palestine Educational Group

“Intensive, Balanced, Horizon-Broadening”
– Haaretz

Monthly recurring donations

Extend’s immersive programs and Israel group trips introduce you to today’s leading human rights, civil society, and political leaders in Israel-Palestine. Extend has been featured in Haaretz, Slate, and at the United Nations, and called “the most thought-provoking three days of my year.”

Our Mission

On Extend’s programs, you will have the unique chance to meet today’s leading human rights, civil society, and political actors in Israel-Palestine. On our one, three, or five-day programs, you will spend time in Israel, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, broadening your understanding of the Israeli and Palestinian past, present, and future. Our programs emphasize both the range and nuance of the region’s history, as well as visions for a shared future. Our key partners include organizations at the forefront of the movement to create a future of mutual freedom for Palestinians and Israelis.

Core Values

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict can be daunting to talk about. If you are new to the conversation, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. If you grew up with one particularly strong narrative, it can feel challenging to respond to others who present an alternative view. Extend believes in offering an accessible, diverse set of educational experiences to everyone who chooses to seek it. We believe that by learning about the past and present of Palestinian and Israeli life, each person who joins our programs can make a positive contribution toward a more just future. Extend’s work is led by three core values:

 

 

Empowering Conversations

Our programs are designed for you to learn. Our programs are usually capped at fifteen people, so each participant has the chance to engage in robust conversation with our speakers. We prioritize time for personal reflection and group conversation, so each person who joins Extend emerges from our program with a clear sense of what they have learned and how they want to act to help create a more just future in Israel–Palestine.

Grassroots
Community

In an era of professionalized activism and corporate non-profits, Extend values grassroots organizing. Our strength is our ability to build strong relationships with Palestinian and Israeli partners who welcome us into their homes and communities. Our work is powered by a grassroots network of small donors. We are proud of alumni who have used their Extend experience in justice work as organizers, journalists, and lawyers, whether focused on Israel–Palestine or on intersecting justice work.

Mutual
Freedom

Extend believes in a future of mutual freedom for both Palestinians and Israelis. While not all our partners share the exact same vision for that future, all believe that Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories is morally unsustainable and we are at the forefront of advocating for a future of mutual self-determination, either through two states, one state, or a confederation. We welcome people of all beliefs onto our programs to learn about these visions for a more just future.

Expertise

Since 2013, Extend has emerged as the leading organization introducing young American Jews to human rights realities in Israel–Palestine. Extend empowers emerging leaders by introducing them to Israeli and Palestinian political, civil society, and human rights leaders working to end Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and create a future of mutual freedom for both Palestinians and Israelis. Our programs are designed to offer participants the knowledge, confidence, and moral urgency to advocate for change. Extend has been called “the most thought-provoking days of my year,” and featured in Haaretz, the Forward, and at the United Nations. Extend also offers educational programs to synagogue delegations, foundation staff or boards, family trips, and private parties.

Our Story

Extend was built by young American Jewish activists frustrated with the simplistic discourse about Israel in the United States, and the American Jewish community in particular. Many programs that introduce young American Jews to Israel focus only Jewish history and perspective, ignoring the one-fifth of Israeli citizens who are Palestinian, as well as Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. Extend was built as an alternative for those who want to meet Israeli and Palestinian human rights, civil society, and political leaders who share their progressive values.

Testimonials

Extend Experiences

“Before joining Extend, I had met many policymakers and/or ‘experts’ who felt informed enough to write and speak extensively on the conflict though they had never spent more than a day in Ramallah. Extend quietly smashes so many of the stereotypes that dominate ‘expert’ opinion, instead creating a more balanced perspective that empowers young agents of change.”

—Jai, Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Defense

“For years I’ve wanted to have a serious conversation with other rabbis about Israel. On Extend, our conversations were open, probing, and deep. I came away from the trip more energized to continue working for peace and committed to taking the small steps that will make a difference on the ground today. There is no substitute for being physically present and engaging in face to face conversation with people who live and work there if one wants to increase their understanding of the conflict and be an advocate for change.”

—Rabbi Andrea London, J Street Rabbinic Cabinet Co-Chair

“Extend is the only program that does not enter with an explicit agenda, instead openly struggling to hold all of the relevant complexities together: Zionism, Palestinian statehood, civil rights, history, and more. Extend demonstrates enormous intellectual integrity by choosing the much more difficult middle path.”

—Noah, Jewish Organizing Institute and Network for Justice

“My program guide made group discussions feel easy, open, and positive. Everyone had an equal opportunity to say what they wanted and when dialogue became diatribe, conflicting views were welcomed. My guide was excellent at making sure everyone had their fair chance to speak and finish their thoughts, checking in on people to make sure they were alright.”

—Anya, McGill University

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For the price of one coffee per month, join our grassroots network of recurring monthly donors to bring the Extend experience to a wider audience.

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