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Shared society in crisis and hope: Education’s role in Israel’s recovery - opinion

In her Jerusalem Post oped, Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella emphasizes that the foundation for shared society remains intact since October 7, 2023, but there is an urgent need to invest in building trust between Arab and Jewish citizens. “Education offers the best approach….Israel’s government has a vested interest, indeed a responsibility, to design a comprehensive educational plan that will teach all our children how to live in a shared, prosperous society.”

Givat Haviva CEO discusses Jewish, Arab shared vision

Michal Sella, the CEO of Givat Haviva, visited the Jewish Federation of Cleveland on June 13 to talk about the organization and how the local Jewish community can contribute to its mission – to create a shared society between the Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel. “We want to create a space where there is a lot of hope for Israeli society, where we can talk about values of equality and democracy. We’re trying to equip our kids with tools that will allow them to live in a shared Jewish society, because Israel will forever be a shared society. It’s important for American Jews to know that and to understand, and to give them a glimpse into the reality of Israel right now,” Sella told the Cleveland Jewish News.

Houstonian helps build bridges between Jews and Arabs in Israel

Friends of Givat Haviva Interim Executive Director Jonathan Lack tells Houston’s Jewish Herald-Voice why, as an American Jew, he has long been involved with Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, and the pivotal role Givat Haviva has played since 1949 advancing understanding between Israel’s Arab and Jewish citizens. At Givat Haviva Arab and Jewish citizens “can work on things that benefit both communities. I’m passionate about this because I love Israel, and I want to see it through better times,” Lack says.

Amid war, these Palestinians and Israelis say it’s imperative to talk peace

Mohammad Darawshe, director of strategy at Givat Haviva, Israel’s oldest and largest organization working for a shared Jewish-Arab society, says bridge-building is challenging for Palestinian Israelis, The Christian Science Monitor reports. “As peacemakers they have a very underutilized role. But if empowered by Israel and by Palestinians on the other side, then they could play a significant role in peacemaking thanks to our bilingualism and dual identity,” he says. “There’s real capacity there; it’s not a handicap. It’s because we are not 100% Israeli or Palestinian.”

Artists pursue coexistence in the shadow of Gaza

The Jewish Independent (Australia) reports on Givat Haviva’s Artists in Residence Program, where five Jewish-Israeli and five Palestinian-Israeli artists live together and create side by side for three months. Residency Program Coordinator Orit Reingewertz said the participants have Arab and Jewish mentors and work in a shared studio “so that they see each other and hear each other all the time.”

After Oct. 7, a hub of Jewish-Arab shared society faces its toughest test

As Israel reeled from the Oct.7 attacks, Givat Haviva took on roles that went far beyond its mandate — it became a refuge, a mirror for itself and wider society and a case study in whether hope can endure under siege, writes Tamara Zieve, Israel correspondent for Jewish Insider, in a feature article on Givat Haviva. “To work for a shared society is a life project,” said Mohammad Darawshe, director of strategy at Givat Haviva.