Support My Fellowship in Israel-Palestine

Charlotte Ritz-Jack Start Date: Aug 26, 2025 - End Date: Dec 25, 2025
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Intern Abroad
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Jerusalem, Israel

My Travel Story

by: Charlotte Ritz-Jack Start Date: Aug 26, 2025 - End Date: Dec 25, 2025
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Intern Abroad
  • Leadership/Training Program
Hello! My name is Charlotte and I recently graduated from college but hail from Upper Manhattan, New York City. This fall, I have received the exciting opportunity to spend 4-months in Jerusalem with Achvat Amim, a solidarity program working towards justice in Israel-Palestine, focusing especially on policy research and journalism. I have long studied the conflict, the region, and as a Jew myself, the emotional and political stakes such conversations hold. This program would be the first time, however, that I will get to engage with it on the ground as a thinker, researcher, and writer.

Achvat Amim (Solidarity of Nations) is a program committed to “self determination for all people in the place they call home” and combines critical education and solidarity work to equip activists with the skills and relationships they need to build the movement for justice and freedom for all in Israel-Palestine. Over the course of the fall, I will be joining a dynamic learning community, exploring and shaping Jewish culture, identity, and activism as well as gaining critical frameworks for understanding power, change-making, and movement-building. I will be living communally in the heart of Jerusalem, building and taking part in a critical and democratic learning process, volunteering with prominent human rights organizations, and engaging in spiritual learning and growth. As a community we will directly partake in solidarity work together on the ground with Palestinian partners.

Since I was young, I have been interested in using language and immersion to communicate across cultural divides. I grew up speaking Spanish, and in high school started studying Arabic in hopes of learning more about my Jewish community's relationship with Israel and the broader Middle East. In college, this interest only intensified, and I spent much of my time at Harvard studying and theorizing about Israel-Palestine, Jewish nationalism, and the worldwide rise in fascist ideologies. Yet I have never spent time in Israel, connecting with the people and projects that are working on creating justice and building a shared future in real time. As I begin my post-grad life, I am committed to contributing to this long struggle for justice, connecting to my Jewish roots, and furthering my language abilities. I am particularly interested in using journalism and storytelling as a means of unveiling truths and prompting change. When I found Achvat, it seemed like the perfect program, and I am so excited to join the fall cohort.
  • Jerusalem, Israel

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