ROPES, a young NGO that conducts people-to-people programs for emerging leaders in Israel/Palestine and across the Arab world, is looking for qualified and passionate student interns to join its summer team. ROPES has previously hosted summer interns from the Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton SPIA, Georgetown SFS, NYU Wagner, and Columbia SIPA. This internship is designed for graduate students, but exceptional undergraduate applications will be considered.
Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel | Dubai, UAE |Cairo, Egypt | Bucharest, Romania
Remote internships are theoretically possible. Please inquire with the details of your situation.
Dates/Duration: Flexible | Days/Hours: Sun-Thurs or Mon-Fri, 10 AM – 5 PM (somewhat flexible)
Part-time internships are theoretically possible. Please inquire with the details of your situation.
*This is an unpaid internship, but in cases where full funding is not provided by the university, limited travel assistance may be offered.
How to Apply:
Please e-mail a CV and cover letter to Ben Birnbaum (bbirnbaum@ropes.org) with the subject line “ROPES 2026 Summer Internship” or submit these materials directly on Handshake. Please indicate which position(s) you are applying for.
Application Deadline: 11:59 PM EDT, Thursday, April 30, 2026
We will conduct interviews and select candidates on a rolling basis, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Questions? E-mail Ben Birnbaum at bbirnbaum@ropes.org.
About ROPES
Inspired by the vision of a post-conflict Middle East, ROPES connects forward-thinking Israeli and Palestinian young leaders with like-minded peers across the Middle East and North Africa. Through various people-to-people programs–including leadership summits, dual-narrative Israel/Palestine tours, an education initiative, and a conflict-journalism course–ROPES has built a thriving alumni network of nearly 200 emerging leaders from Israel/Palestine and 15 other MENA nations that includes politicians, diplomats, venture capitalists, prominent journalists, leading entrepreneurs, and other change-makers. Learn more at ropes.org.
SUMMER POSITIONS
Note: If you are open to and qualified for more than one of the positions described below, you are welcome to apply for multiple positions.
Program Coordinator
Responsibilities
- Help plan and execute a delegation of Arab emerging leaders to Israel and the West Bank
- Help design, plan, and execute an education program for Middle East graduate students
Desired Skills and Experience:
- Event planning experience
- Scheduling and logistics
- Arabic and/or Hebrew language skills are a plus
Location: Tel Aviv
“Sharq Tank” Coordinator
Responsibilities
- Help execute ROPES’s “Sharq Tank” initiative, a pitch contest for young Palestinian
- entrepreneurs judged by Gulf and Israeli venture capitalists (learn more at sharqtank.com)
- Help plan a Dubai entrepreneurship summit
- Recruit venture capitalists and other business leaders to participate in Sharq Tank
Desired Skills and Experience:
- Event planning experience
- Webinar management
- Fluency with the world of entrepreneurship and venture capital
- Arabic and/or Hebrew language skills are a plus
Locations: Tel Aviv, Dubai, or Bucharest
Development Intern
Responsibilities
- Work with the ROPES team to identify new funding opportunities
- Help write program proposals for foundations and governments
- Help plan a December donor delegation to the UAE and Bahrain
- Liaise with existing and potential ROPES donors
Desired Skills and Experience:
- Fundraising, especially among Jewish and/or Arab/Muslim communities
- Grant-writing
- Data analysis
- CRM experience
Location: Tel Aviv
MENA Outreach Intern
Responsibilities
- Reach out to emerging leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa
- Coordinate with other NGOs across the region to find opportunities for synergy
- Help ROPES develop government and civil-society contacts across the region
Desired Skills and Experience
- Arabic language skills
- Connections across the Middle East and North Africa
- Research skills
Location: Tel Aviv, Cairo, or Dubai
Media Intern
Responsibilities
- Help edit and promote ROPES’s podcast
- Create engaging content for ROPES’s various social-media accounts
- Increase ROPES’s social-media presence and following
- Help improve and update ROPES’s website
Desired Skills and Experience:
- Web Design
- Audio and Video Editing
- Social-Media Reel Creation
- Familiarity and experience with Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, X
- Design skills are a plus
Location: Tel Aviv
General Qualifications
Applicants must have excellent interpersonal skills, as well as a working knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a passion for helping resolve it. They should be comfortable in a dynamic environment that involves multitasking, inherent uncertainty, and many moving parts. Knowledge of Hebrew and/or Arabic is helpful but not required. Preference will be given to candidates who are from the region (or have lived there).
