News & Updates

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  October 10, 2025

  Supporting work toward a shared society is vital for Israel - eJewishPhilanthropy

  Tamara Serwer Caldas, a Friends of Givat Haviva board member, in her eJewishPhilanthropy oped, shares her personal connection to Jewish-Arab relations in Israel and what compels her to be deeply involved with Givat Haviva. “Fruitful, cooperative Jewish-Arab relations can seem impossible for anyone who looked on with dismay and horror at the excruciating aftermath of the horrific attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing devastation in Gaza. Indeed, even with the new promise of a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage exchange, it is difficult not to feel hopeless and cynical about the future of the entire region. “For me, sinking into despair is not an option. Beginning in the days after the Oct. 7 attacks, one direction I turned toward for hope and action is the difficult but essential work of building a shared society….The natural place to turn my attention was Givat Haviva, the largest and oldest organization in Israel working toward a shared society between the country’s Jewish majority and the 20% of citizens who are Arab. “What compels me to get more involved is also deeply personal. My family’s connections with improving Jewish-Arab relations goes back nearly a century, a fact I recalled with new meaning and purpose in the wake of the events of Oct. 7, 2023. “My grandmother, Blanche Luria Serwer Bernstein, and her siblings collectively spent many years in Mandatory Palestine and then Israel….Reflecting after the Oct. 7 attacks on what I could possibly do to understand the legacy of my grandmother and other family members from her generation, I reached out to Friends of Givat Haviva, the U.S. based organization that my Uncle Sydney chaired and my grandmother supported for many years. “Like me, some of my American Jewish friends have struggled to figure out what it means to have a relationship with Israel in this time of extraordinary crisis and disillusionment. Reflecting on my own family’s history and on the urgency of the current situation, I’ve concluded that it’s my turn — it’s time for me to pick this up and figure out what I can do. “I encourage other Jews in Atlanta, and across the country, to consider supporting pioneering efforts toward building cooperative ties among Israel’s citizens. This work is essential to ensuring a healthy democratic and shared society in Israel.”

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  September 22, 2025

  Change Starts When Decide Hate Will Not Have the Final Word

  Jewish Federation of Cincinnati CEO Daniele V. Minson praises Givat Haviva’s Through Others’ Eyes program in her Cincinnati Enquirer oped, Change Starts When Decide Hate Will Not Have the Final Word, published on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. “In Israel, the vision of a shared society is fragile but worth defending. History reminds us that democracy is built not on victory but on reconciliation,” writes Minson. “Healing begins when people take bold steps in relationship together. We saw a glimpse of what that looks like last week. Four teenagers from Israel − Jewish and Arab − shared their photographs and experiences with hundreds in Cincinnati.” Givat Haviva’s Through Others' Eyes program, bringing together Israeli Arab and Jewish teenagers for dialogue and shared experiences, “shows that pluralism is not theory but lived practice,” Minson writes. “These teens remind us that even simple acts of being in relationship with one another can chip away at stereotypes and build something new. Change doesn’t come by accident. It comes when people decide fear will not have the last word.”

Recent Events

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  Sep

  7

  Through Other's Eyes @ Temple Ner Tamid

  On Semptember 7, 11 AM to 12:30 PM, come to Temple Ner Tamid (936 Broad St. Bloomfield, NJ 07003) to see a photo exhibition feauturing four students: two Arab and two Jewish students of Israel. The students will speak briefly and present their photos.
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  Sep

  4

  Through Other's Eyes @ ChappPAC

  At 7 PM on September 4, 2025, come see the the exhibit and hear from two Arab and two Jewish Israeli teens, who participated in TOE, a program created by Givat Haviva. Through Others' Eyes (TOE) is a dialogue and community-building project that brings Arab and Jewish teenagers together. The teenagers learn photography skills as they explore questions of identity, nationality, religion, and community. TOE addresses the growing need for open channels of communication between Israeli Arab and Jewish youth who rarely, if ever, actually meet one another. The program uses photography to bring about better cultural understanding and respect through lessons, dialogue sessions, study tours, overnight seminars, and the production of a group photography exhibit. TOE intends to fundamentally change the way the participants relate to the conflict, to each other, and to their own ability to make a difference. The project allows participants to learn about each other and achieve a greater degree of understanding and openness. You can register for tickets using the given link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36677/production/1249465