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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.”

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.”

Art is a Piece of the Puzzle: A Special Encounter at Duke University

Avital Meshi writes about meeting with the five Israeli Arab and Jewish alumni of Givat Haviva’s Shared Art Center who are spending six weeks in an art residency at Duke University. “Art can foster dialogue and understanding. It can be a powerful form of expression, opening channels of communication and helping to bridge divides. In that sense, it can contribute to peace efforts,” writes Meshi. The conflict permeates the pieces the Israeli artists created at Givat Haviva and are exhibiting at Duke. “Despite being marked by pain and trauma, each of those artworks carried within it the possibility of better days,” writes Meshi. “Holding on to that possibility isn’t easy. Still, meeting this remarkable group of artists, and seeing institutions making space for their collaboration, was deeply moving.”

Israeli Jewish and Arab Teens Share Photography, Vision of ‘Shared Life’ at Chappaqua Performing Arts Center

Four Israeli teenagers who participated in Through Others' Eyes, Givat Haviva's innovative photography program, brought their personal stories and photographs to Westchester County, NY, during a visit to the U.S. in September. "When Yali, a Jewish-Israeli teenager, entered the program Through Others’ Eyes (TOE) to learn photography alongside Arab teens, he had some doubts about meeting the other side. The feeling was mutual," The Examiner News of Westchester reported. "But even in the context of a painful, ongoing war, these Jewish and Arab teens grew close and became friends. As they bonded, their photography skills blossomed into final projects that, together, formed a powerful exhibit."

The American Jewish stake in Israel’s shared society

FOGH Executive Director Jonathan Lack explains, in his Times of Israel oped, why American Jewish public support for Jewish-Arab relations and advocacy for shared society in Israel is a vital option to stay engaged with Israel, especially during the current war that began on October 7, 2023.

Majority of religious Jewish Israelis averse to their kids mixing with Arabs -- survey

A new Givat Haviva survey of Jewish and Arab parents of schoolchildren reveals significant differences in attitudes towards education for shared society, for democracy. “Many Jewish parents don’t want their children to learn Arabic, take part in mixed summer camps, or be taught by Arab educators, while most Arab Israelis do not share their qualms,” reports The Times of Israel. “Although we would expect much more serious consequences [from the war], the majority of the secular and traditional Arab and Jewish public still both support and want democracy and language studies, and are also ready for education related to getting to know and understand the other,” says Givat Haviva Executive Director Michal Sella. “Education for democracy and equality should be taught in all the educational streams. It’s not contrary to religion or even conservative views. It should be part of the basics, according to which the state funds the educational system.” Read The Times of Israel's comprehensive report on the Givat Haviva survey