Interview with Jacob Benhabib, February 24, 2023
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Jacob Benhabib served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Krygyz Republic (Kyrgystan) from 2014 through 2016, as a TEFL teacher. Jake has always been interested in human rights and cross-cultural experiences. His great-grandparents immigrated from Turkey to Cuba, and his father from Cuba to the U.S.. In his freshman year at Rutgers University Jake decided he would join Peace Corps after graduation. A friend had served in Azerbaijan, and Jake admired the 3rd goal aspect of service. Jake’s group, Kyrgyz 22, trained near Bishkek, in Krasnaya Rechka, Ivanovka, and neighboring villages. He was assigned to Balykchy, near Lake Issyk Kul, to implement curriculum and build capacity of local teachers. Jake felt very welcomed into the community. A secondary project was working with other PCVs to organize Camp Glow (Girls Leading Our World). Since leaving Peace Corps, Jake has returned to Kyrgystan with friends from the U.S., and plans to do so again. The experience gave him an enduring sense of empathy for others. Jake now works as an immigration and human rights lawyer with the International Rescue Committee (IRC).Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Peace Corps (U.S.) Kyrgyz Republic (country of service) Kyrgystan 2014-2016 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Teaching English as a Foreign Language TEFL Peace Corps (U.S.)--2010-2020 K22 training group diversity in Peace Corps many faces of peace corps #manyfacesofpeacecorps Kyrgyz (language) Russian (language) Latinx Cuban-American Middle Eastern-American Lake Issyk Kul Krasnaya Rechka Ivanovka Bishkek Balykchy (assignment site) Camp GLOW International Rescue Committee (IRC)Interview Rights
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Benhabib, Jacob Interview by Julius Sztuk. 24 Feb. 2023. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Benhabib, J. (2023, February 24). Interview by J. Sztuk. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Benhabib, Jacob, interview by Julius Sztuk. February 24, 2023, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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