Press

Where Artistic Excellence and Shared Society Meet Barak Rubin, Director of Givat Haviva Shared Arts Center

For Barak Rubin, art has never been only about exhibitions or aesthetics. It is a language for discovering one another’s stories, a bridge between cultures, and a tool for imagining a truly shared society between Jews and Arabs in Israel. That vision is precisely what drew him to Givat Haviva. "Givat Haviva is the 'what if’ place," he says. “It dares to imagine what a shared democratic society can look like." As the new Director of the Givat Haviva Shared Arts Center and Curator of the Givat Haviva Gallery, Rubin brings a rare combination of artistic excellence, educational experience, and cultural entrepreneurship. His ambition is clear: to position the Arts Center as one of Israel’s leading cultural institutions while remaining deeply rooted in Givat Haviva’s mission of advancing a shared society and democratic values. “My vision is that Givat Haviva will become one of Israel's top cultural institutions," he says.

Children Teaching Children Coordinators Orit Meoded and Zakaria Mahameed

At Givat Haviva many educational staff could be described as veterans. Yet few embody the organization’s commitment to shared society as consistently as Orit Meoded and Zakaria Mahameed. For nearly two decades they have jointly managed Children Teaching Children (CTC), a flagship program that brings together Israeli Jewish and Arab eighth and ninth grade students. Since its founding in 1992, it has reached tens of thousands of students and teachers. Through sustained encounters and dialogue, the program creates meaningful interaction opportunities for young people whose paths rarely cross in a deeply divided society. In many ways, Meoded and Mahameed themselves represent the possibility of connection across those divides. Their partnership is rooted not only in professional cooperation but also in friendship, mutual trust, and a shared conviction that meaningful change begins with personal encounters. After several years working side by side as facilitators at Givat Haviva, Meoded and Mahameed were asked in 2007 to take over leadership of CTC. Although the program was founded in 1992, it had nearly collapsed during the Second Intifada. “We basically had to start from zero,” says Meoded. The beginning was modest, starting with only three groups of Jewish and Arab classes, but it quickly grew, with 300 students participating each year. “I see it not only as a job, but as a calling to educate a generation for a better and more equitable life,” says Mahameed. “We are making an actual difference in this program. Participants leave Givat Haviva with a different language and new perspectives,” Meoded says. “It is the place where I can contribute the most.”

Dr. Yuval Dvir: Head of Younited School

When he got a call in 2016 from Givat Haviva’s former executive director, asking him to build what would become the Younited international high school, Yuval Dvir didn’t hesitate. “I understood that there is something about Givat Haviva that can allow this meeting space to be different from what I saw before, and that I could generate something which allows for true, authentic, intercultural discourse and connection,” says Dvir, an educator and musician. “I moved my family next to campus, changed my entire life, and immersed myself.” For the past seven years, he has been working to strike a balance by preparing students for academic success while cultivating a deeper commitment to the world and communities around them. Despite launching the school on the eve of Covid and then leading it through years marked by war, he remains confident. “This work echoes my internal beliefs,” Dvir says. “Israeli society is split between tribes. People don’t listen to one another or understand one another because we weren’t brought up together,” he says. Younited’s aim is to create something more sustainable for both its students and Israeli society. This shared education is rare in Israel. “It’s intercultural understanding, and it’s the best thing we can do as educators in Israel today,” says Dvir.

Among Partners: Givat Haviva at University of Haifa Shared Society Conference

Givat Haviva took part in the Shared Society Conference organized by the University of Haifa Frieze Center. The June 3 event brought together representatives from academia, civil society, government, and philanthropy to discuss the challenges of building trust and social cohesion in Israeli society. One session featured Givat Haviva Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe in conversation with Haredi Rabbi Yosef Kaminer. The discussion focused on cooperation between academia and civil society organizations and their shared responsibility in advancing a more inclusive future. Darawshe spoke about rising social tensions in the country, observing that “Israeli society is fighting with itself.” He stressed the importance of ensuring full social and political equality for Israel’s Arab citizens “We have a big problem when even representatives of the political center exclude citizens with a certain identity—namely Arab identity—from the political process,” he said. Reflecting on Givat Haviva’s mission, Darawshe emphasized the importance of practical solutions alongside public dialogue. “Our task is not just to identify problems, but to solve them, even in the face of resistance,” he said. As an example, he highlighted Givat Haviva’s initiative to place Jewish teachers in Arab schools and Arab teachers in Jewish schools. Darawshe also pointed to common challenges faced by Arab and Haredi communities in Israel, particularly regarding social and economic inequality, and highlighted the potential for cooperation between these groups in advancing a more inclusive society.

The Israel Connexion Interviews Mohammad Darawshe

Givat Haviva Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe, in conversation with The Israel Connexion podcast host David Schulberg, discussed a range of issues concerning Israel’s Arab citizens, including the Arab vote and prospects for Arab political parties in national elections later this year; Arab citizens’ reactions to ongoing wars with Gaza, Iran and Lebanon; the crime rate in Arab communities in Israel; the brain drain of Arab citizens leaving the country; and significant gains in education and employment. Asked if he is optimistic about being in Israel, Darawshe said, “socially, economically, yes. The majority of the Arab and Jewish communities want to live together, are capable of living together, but I am pessimistic when it comes to the political aspect.’ Listen to Darawshe’s 42-minute interview on The Israel Connexion.

Friends of Givat Haviva Launches National Rabbinic Cabinet

New York – Friends of Givat Haviva announced today the launch of its National Rabbinic Cabinet, to further engage American Jews in the vital work of advancing shared society and democracy in Israel. Friends of Givat Haviva is the U.S. affiliate of Givat Haviva, the oldest and largest organization in Israel advancing relations between the country’s Jewish and Arab citizens and building a shared society.