Palestinian Law, Human Rights, & Palestinian Refugees Internships

My name is Allie Kay, I am from the United States and I chose to come to the Excellence Center for a month to engage in their journalism program and Arabic classes. I had a wonderful time at the center and learned a lot! Osama took me and other volunteers on interesting touring activities such as visiting the Ibrahimi mosque, the Hirbawi keffiyeh factory, the Hebron glass blowing factory, and showed us the market in the old city of Hebron where H1 meets H2. After a couple tries we were able to pass through the checkpoint to Shuhada street, which is an Israeli-only street in the heart of Hebron, and had a wonderful meeting with a Palestinian family living under the boot of occupation. Osama also took us a little bit outside of Hebron to visit the Al Fawwar Refugee Camp. Because I came for the journalism program, the Excellence Center introduced me to many male and female Palestinian photojournalists! I was so inspired by their work and look forward to continuing to network and foster professional connections with everyone I have met.

After a month of volunteering and studying in the West Bank, my lasting impression of the Palestinian people is that they are kind, hospitable, helpful, and courageous to continue to live and love others the way they do.

My overall experience at the Excellence Center was so wonderful that I can’t wait to come back next year! Marwa and Osama feel like my family now, and I am excited to try to come back and do some ride along work with the photojournalists I have been introduced to. Palestine was all I thought about for the year and some change before I came to volunteer, and now Palestine fills my heart as well as my mind. I highly recommend coming to the Excellence Center for anyone that is interested in getting out of their bubble on the imperial core, and experiencing firsthand the absolute kindness that embodies Palestine as a whole. I know that once I get home I will spend this next year telling everyone I can about the hospitality of Palestinians and will be gathering a group of friends to come back with me to experience the absolute magic of Palestine.

My experience at the Palestinian Excellence center has been nothing short of extraordinary. This is my first time in Palestine and I have been deeply moved by the warmth and hospitality of the people here who have made me feel like a part of their family.

The Centre offers an extensive array of opportunities catered to provide support and development to various communities living in Hebron as well as the opportunity to learn Arabic and teach English.

I had enrolled to the 6-hour Arabic Lessons and I have been absolutely blown away by the quality of the teaching. The teaching has been thoughtfully tailored, conducive to ensure I make significant progress in a short period of time. The teachers were highly skilled, patient and understanding to my needs. A special thanks to Jomana, Safa and Duha.

In addition to this, the course provided me with invaluable insights into life in Palestine allowing me to connect with locals, hear their personal stories and develop a profound appreciation for the resilience and strength of the community here.

In terms of safety, I felt incredibly secure throughout my entire stay at the Palestinian territories. At no point did i feel threatened or uneasy, on the contrary I felt warmth and peace.

Thank you so much Marwa, Osama , Khaitm for all the love, generosity and hospitality you have shown me and for all the delicious food that you had cooked for me.

I can not recommend this remarkable institution for anyone seeking enriching experiences and meaningful connections.

This experience was definitely more than I expected i.e. the hospitality from the organization and from the local community, the sites that we visited, the volunteer work in the refugee camps, the Arabic teachers and lessons, the food and drinks, the knowledge gained from the time spent here. I would highly recommend to anyone who is looking to volunteer or seeking the truth to apply to this program. In terms of safety, it is quite safe here, with regards to the community, it is very open here, everyone including kids are more than often outdoors. with regards to the Israeli soldiers, with my encounters, more than often they are respectful and simply doing their jobs to ensure safety of both the Israeli's, Palestinians and Foreigners.

I didn't know what to expect when I signed up with the Excellence Center. I was going to travel halfway around the world to a place where I didn't speak the language and every day brought alarming news.
The past 3 months volunteering for them have been one of the best experiences of my life.
From the start they welcomed me in like a member of the family. Anything I had trouble with, they were there to help me. Hebron was very different from my hometown of Seattle but thanks to their hospitality within a couple weeks it felt like a second home.
The Center arranged trips throughout Palestine so I could learn more about the situation firsthand. Besides these trips there was always something going on with the other volunteers. On top of that there were the Arabic lessons from a local instructor, and the volunteer activity itself tutoring children in English. Every day was full but it never felt overwhelming.
The political situation here had its ups and downs during my stay but I never felt personally in danger. Hebron is safe. The Excellence Center keeps close watch on the situation to make sure nothing happens to its volunteers.

My name is Abigail Friedman, I am from the United States. I have a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Behavioral Sciences from Clemson University and I am receiving my master’s degree in Refugee Policy from American University- Athens, Greece. While obtaining my degrees I have focused my research on the Syrian and Palestinian refugee crises. This passion is what fueled my desire to come to Palestine and gain a firsthand account of the struggles Palestinians face.
During my month and a half in Hebron, Palestine, I volunteered with the Excellence Center in the Human Rights Program and the Volunteer with Refugees Program. While in these programs, I visited various Palestinian villages, camps, and historical sites learning more about the Palestinian struggle and steadfastness. The most inspiring and thought-provoking was when we visited Masafer Yatta Village; while there, we heard stories from numerous residents recounting the violence and hate they had experienced from settlers. The power of their stories stuck with me through the duration of my trip and reinforced my passion and reasoning for coming to Palestine. Through the program, I also had the opportunity to teach in surrounding villages and interact with local Palestinians. Through this, I was able to garner a deeper understanding and admiration for Palestinians. In addition to the programs I participated in, I took 15 hours of Arabic classes. These classes provided me with the ability to communicate with locals through basic conversations and allowed me to forge lifelong friendships in Palestine.
While in Palestine, the Excellence Center provided an apartment for the women to stay in. The apartment was five minutes away from the Center, was centrally located, and was walking distance from everything we needed. When walking to and from the apartment, during the day and at night, I never felt unsafe. The people in Palestine were so welcoming and hospitable, I never feared for my safety nor did I feel unwelcomed. The locals, those at the center, and those at the sites you visit want to ensure you have an educational and fun time exploring Palestine, and often will invite you for tea, dinner, or coffee. These invitations are a great way to learn more about Palestinian culture.
As my time in Palestine comes to an end, I am saddened to think about all of the friends and experiences I will be leaving but I look forward to returning soon.

My name is Louise, and I’m from Australia. I work in education development and have had had the good fortune to live and work in many countries. Hebron is the friendliest and safest place I have ever been to. I have never felt so welcomed by a community as I have in Hebron, from neighbours, taxi drivers, students, shop keepers to people in the street. This is the most hospitable place I have ever experienced.
I participated in the Palestinian Refugees program and had the privilege of teaching displaced young people in a camp near Hebron. I got to know so many people living in the camp and hear firsthand the stories of their lives and learn a lot about the history and current situation of Palestinians. I also taught in a beautiful village outside Hebron, which has many historical sites. The Palestinian colleagues who supported and helped me in these activities are amazing. They are so knowledgeable about history and the best times I spent here were conversations with the wonderful people I met during my stay. I got to enjoy A LOT of traditional Palestinian food- everywhere I went I was offered delicious food!
My Arabic greatly improved, due to both the clear teaching of my Arabic Teacher at the centre and the willingness of locals to be patient and explain to me what I could say in Arabic. I have lived in Arabic speaking countries before but honestly the Excellence Centre in Hebron is the best place to learn Arabic because of the expertise of the teachers, who make interesting, simple and practical lessons and the friendliness of the locals, most of whom speak some English but who are also really happy to talk with you in Arabic.
The Excellence Centre feels like home, the daily breakfast is delicious, and there is a constant supply of freshly ground coffee! The Excellence Centre has a great vibe, the students studying English are so happy to talk with visitors and also show visitors around, to their favourite café, and the best place to have shawarma. The Excellence Centre is highly regarded by the local community because it makes a real difference in the life of Palestinians.
I was so busy and made so many friends in Hebron I didn’t even go outside to visit any of the usual ‘tourist’ sites! I had the best time just hanging out with the friends I made in Hebron and eating amazing food. I explored the fascinating Old City of Hebron- people on the street and in shops will teach you about their area, the history and the culture. People here are so happy to share with you their beautiful city.
The welcoming culture of Hebron makes it the safest city I have ever spent time in. It feels like everyone in the city wants to help you. There is no crime, I left my phone in a café and it was returned to me. I took taxis off the street, visited strangers’ houses, walked everywhere. The greatest challenge was eating all the food I was offered and finding time to take up all the offers of hospitality.
Come here to learn about Palestine, to make friends and to have an amazing time while also feeling that you contribute positively to the Palestinian community.

Experience Report
My name is Simon Kim, and I am from South Korea. I study political science and
international affairs in Gordon College in the United States. I came here for the Human rights in Palestine program.
In my program of two months, I have mainly had a lot of different visits to numerous
places around Hebron, Arabic classes, and teaching English classes to Palestinian children. I had an intensive Arabic program, where I had my Arabic classes for two weeks. During these two weeks, I was able to learn how to read and write, and also some of the basic conversations. The teachers here had a lot of experience teaching, which gave me even better experience learning Arabic in this place. They were also really passionate in their job of teaching, and they actually cared about our Arabic knowledge, unlike some of the teachers in other countries where they do not have the genuine passion in teaching. Also, this center was just the right place to learn Arabic, because I got to actually use the language to people outside after learning them. Also, other volunteers were also passionate in learning Arabic, which was also a huge merit in my Arabic lesson journey.
Also, one ohter huge part of the program was all the visits that we had. We had a
chance to go to different places, which some of them were related to the human rights and the current Israeli-Palestinian issue, and the others about the Palestinian culture. The most memorable places for me were the Human Rights Defenders and the Bedouin camp, where the volunteers had a chance to listen to the first-hand accounts of the victims of this conflict. Moreover, since the other cities were all nearby, it was really easy for me to travel to different places, such as Jericho, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.
Of all things, my favorite part of my two months here in Palestine must be the people.
Unlike the way the western media portrays the people in the region, Palestinians were very hospitable and welcoming to not only me, but to all foreigners. Before I came here, I was a bit worried that this place might be dangerous and I might be the target of a crime, but as soon as I came here, the hospitality of the local people made me realize that my all my worries were unnecessary. It was really safe here to the point that I did not feel threatened or dangerous even though I was outside alone at night, which would have been different if I stayed in New York or Boston. During my two months here, I really enjoyed the kindness of the Palestinians, not to mention the delicious food and cheap transportations.
This experience for me was such a whole new journey, which taught me a lot of new
things, not only about the human rights issue but also about how to interact with other
individuals and how to coexist with them. I do recommend this program to other people. The presence of volunteers here means a lot in this place and it will mean a lot to the volunteers themselves.

My time in Palestine has been incredible. I rode horses at sunrise, interviewed the director of Al-Haq, and established lifelong friendships. I came here with a desire to spotlight Palestinian voices, gain journalism experience, and improve my knowledge of Islam as a Muslim. I have been able to make significant progress toward all of these goals.

It has been hard to get homesick during my time here because so much here reminds me of home. I'm from Virginia in the United States, and Khalil is in every way a Southern town. Nablus reminded me so much of New York City, and the lovely town of Dura is like the Arab sister to my hometown.

It is also much safer here in the West Bank than news reports would have you believe. I have never felt myself to be at risk in any way. The most dangerous thing that happened to me here was accidentally sparking a space heater. I have been content, comfortable, and calm during my time here.