(From left to right: Hashem Sayed, Jessica Klein, and Katya Lipovetsky)

As we do every summer, we are hosting an intern enrolled in the Union for Reform Judaism Machon Kaplan program. This year, our Machon Kaplan intern is Jessica Klein of New Rochelle NY, a rising junior at Penn State University.

And, for the seventh consecutive year, we are hosting interns enrolled in the New Story Leadership (NSL) program, which gives young Israelis and Palestinians the opportunity to spend a summer in Washington, DC engaging each other in intense dialogue, forging relationships, and building their narrative and leadership skills.

Our NSL interns this year are Hashem Sayed and Katya Lipovetsky. Hashem is a Palestinian from East Jerusalem. He has a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from Al-Quds University and recently received a full-scholarship for a Masters program in Environmental Anthropology at Ben-Gurion University. He sees his future career as an academic researcher in anthropology, encouraging development in Palestinian communities by raising awareness about sustainability saving the environment. Katya, an Israeli,  has a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology-Anthropology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and recently completed an internship with Concordia Summit in New York, where she worked with the Social Impact team on campaigns against labor trafficking, food waste and supply, animal welfare and more. Katya is eager to see what life will bring and how her experience in NSL and with APN will shape her understanding and broaden her horizons.