Press
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April 20, 2026
Dismantling government investments in Israeli Arab society
Friends of Givat Haviva Media Adviser Kenneth Bandler writes, in his Jerusalem Post column, about the Israeli government’s campaign to dismantle investments in Arab society. “It is forbidden to harm the essential multiyear plan, whose contributions to education and welfare in Arab society is truly existential,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared at the annual Givat Haviva Shared Society Conference in January. The president was referring to determined efforts led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Women’s Advancement Minister May Golan to slash official budgets for improving the daily lives of Arab citizens, who comprise 21% of Israel’s population. This ominous campaign to dismantle essential governmental investments in Arab citizens is especially frustrating for Hassan Towafra. He was the last person to head The Authority for Economic Development of the Arab Community, the principal government office responsible for uplifting Arab citizens to reduce disparities and advance the integration of Arab citizens into Israel’s economy and broader society. Towafra guided the development and implementation of Government Resolution 550, the second five-year national plan investing in and empowering the country’s Arab minority. “People do not realize the consequences of stopping government investments in Arab society,” Towafra points out. “The government only a decade ago began addressing the gaps between Arab and Jewish society, and we already are making real changes in education, employment, transportation, infrastructure, and local economic development.”
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April 15, 2026Artists in Residency Exhibit: No Space Between Us
Givat Haviva’s Artists in Residency program is unique in the field of Israeli art. Living and working together the young Arab and Jewish artists are influenced by each other, and get to know, often for the first time in their lives, the culture and way of life of people from the other society. For this year’s cohort, nine young artists, Jews and Arabs, were selected to participate for a period of five months that included three months of communal living and creating on the Givat Haviva campus. “No Space Between Us,” their closing exhibition at the Shard Art Center Gallery presents the works they created throughout this period in painting, sculpture, photography, video, and sound.
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April 14, 2026Youssef Jabreen Leads High-Tech Education for Arab High School Students
Youssef Jabreen manages Bara’em High-Tech Seeds, an educational program launched by Givat Haviva in 2014 to help Arab students enter Israel’s high-tech industry – a sector widely seen as the engine of the country’s economy but one in which Arab citizens remain significantly underrepresented. The program allows selected students to begin studying computer science in middle school and continue their studies through high school, enabling them to earn a bachelor’s degree by the age of 19. Participants also receive Hebrew language support and exposure to the tech industry through company visits. For Jabreen the work is both professional and deeply personal. “Every year, it brings me motivation,” he says. “I’m proud of the students. It’s really, really rewarding.”
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April 13, 2026Through Others’ Eyes During Iran War
“What’s amazing is their resilience,” says Jenan Halabi, coordinator of Givat Haviva’s Through Others' Eyes photography program for Israeli Arab and Jewish high school students. The teenagers “participate, hold the sessions together and demonstrate courage and an inspiring inner calm.” The transition to online lessons after the war with Iran began on February 28 went smoothly. It was not the first crisis to interfere with the routine of Givat Haviva programs and activities nurturing Jewish-Arab understanding and cooperation in Israel. After dealing with Covid, October 7 and the war in Gaza, “we now have experience and tools we didn’t have in the past, the ability to quickly transition to online learning, adapt content, and maintain group cohesion even under complex conditions,” she says. Still, “teaching photography on Zoom is a significant challenge. There is no substitute for in-person meetings, working with cameras, and the hands-on experience,” states Halabi.
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April 9, 2026
Teaching Through Sirens: Shared Language Program Resilience During War
The war with Iran continues to keep everyone in Israel, Arabs and Jews alike, on edge and, due to the security situation, close to home. Givat Haviva has continued some programs online. One is Shared Language, a Hebrew enrichment program for Arab youths. “Thanks to this program, Arab students learn to use Hebrew authentically, from a teacher for whom it is a native language,” says Yasmin Tsafar, the Education Programming Coordinator of Shared Language. The program operates in 66 Arab schools and has reached tens of thousands of students since its founding in 2011. Tsafar expresses cautious optimism about a swift end to the war and a return to normal routines. Schools, she notes, play a central role in restoring stability for children and adolescents. “The teachers are doing their best to help students continue their education despite the war,” she says. “I know they are eagerly awaiting the moment when they can welcome their students back to school.” Read the full article by Enno Ebersbach, the Peter and Friedel Grützmacher Intern for International Partner Relations at Givat Haviva.
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March 24, 2026Help Keep Kids Safe On Givat Haviva campus
As the war and the threat of missile attacks from Iran intensify, the safety of students, educators, and visiting participants at Givat Haviva has become an urgent concern. Each year, thousands of Jewish and Arab citizens come to Givat Haviva’s 42-acre campus to participate in programs that build leadership, dialogue, and shared society. During missile alerts, however, participants must have immediate access to reinforced shelter. Friends of Givat Haviva has launched an Emergency Security Initiative to immediately construct 6 reinforced 100 square foot safe houses across the campus to protect those on site and ensure that these critical programs can continue safely even during wartime. These facilities, which we estimate will cost $35,000 each, will provide lifesaving protection during missile attacks and strengthen the campus’ long-term emergency preparedness.