In the News

Weeping in Coal - the Feminist Art of Hannan Abu-Hussein

Hagay Hacohen, The Jerusalem Post, January 26, 2020

Hannan Abu-Hussein explores such loaded issues as violence against women and the complexities of Arab-Israeli relations in ‘My Body-Soul-Honor-Property,’ currently at the Givat Haviva Art Gallery.

 

Arab-Jewish Photography Exhibit Communicates New Visions

Heddy Breuer Abramowitz, The Jerusalem Post, September 22, 2019

Twenty 17-year-old budding photographers, half Jewish students and half Muslims, are showing their photos at Givat Haviva’s Peace Gallery in a new exhibit called Behind the Mask. But unlike other exhibits, the names of the individual photographers are not labeled next to their creations.

 

Israel’s Arab Politicians Emerge With New Political Heft

Isabel Kershner, The New York Times, September 18, 2019

The right to speak directly after the prime minister? Meetings with all visiting heads of state? Monthly briefings from the Mossad? For the first time, the perks of being the opposition leader in the Israeli Parliament could go to an Arab lawmaker.

 

Expert: Arab Israelis Powerless Under Netanyahu

CNN, September 17, 2019

Leading expert on Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, Mohammad Darawshe speaks to Becky Anderson about the importance of the Arab Israeli vote in the Israeli elections.

 

In first, Arab locales will use Election Day for referendums on hot issues

Judy Maltz, Haaretz, September 16, 2019

Questions of local import will be posed outside polling stations to voters, as part of new initiative by two coexistence groups.

 

Ayman Odeh can transform Israel: Who will be his partner?

Yaniv Sagee, The Times of Israel, Aug 27, 2019 

Arab Israelis will vote in droves if they know their candidates will finally step out onto the political center stage...

 

The Road to Replacing the Right Wing Government 

Yaniv Sagee, The Jerusalem Post, June 9, 2019

The greatest piece of luck for the rightwing in Israel, and for Bibi Netanyahu, is the inability of the left-center to build a new strategy or political frameworks that will maximize their voting potential.

 

Building a Shared Future in Israel

Jeremy Burton and Eli Cohn-Postell, Boston JCRC, May 31, 2019

Mohammad’s story is not a particularly unusual one amongst Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, but the actions that come from his story need to become far more common. 

 

The Left is Stuck Without a Strategy and Without a Vision

The Third Narrative, May 31, 2019

The route of the left in the elections leaves it to restructure its systems, believes the chair of the directorate of Meretz, Yaniv Sagee, and he calls for the establishment of a broad Jewish-Arab framework...

 

To Close the Rifts, Leadership is Needed

Mohammad Darawshe, Tel Aviv University, Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, May 20, 2019

For the Arab voter, there weren’t compelling reasons to vote in the 2019 Knesset elections. In fact, a number of reasons motivated them not to.

 

How is this Israeli School Promoting Dialogue Among Students?

I24News English, May 16, 2019

3 minute video about Givat Haviva International School

 

The Israeli school making a world of difference and bridging divides 

Louise Scodie, Jewish News, April 25,2019

We visit Israel's Givat Haviva International School, dedicated to breaking divisions - and now looking for UK students

 

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, praised Givat Haviva by name when speaking at the 2019 AIPAC Policy Conference, calling us "wonderful" and "one of the peace-building organizations...which [is] working toward a future in which Jews and Arabs can live together with respect, equality and peace." Take a moment to listen to Ms. Pelosi's words (skip to the 5-minute mark to hear her remarks about Givat Haviva)!

 

Israeli Arab Voters Face Critical Moment in Election - Video 

CNNConnect  April 9, 2019

Mohammad Darawshe, Director of the Center for Equality & Shared Society at Givat Haviva, was featured in an interview with CNN on Twitter (in addition to many appearances in Arabic and Hebrew media in the context of Israel’s national elections).

 

FOUR LESSONS BETWEEN MURDER TO HOPE

Yaniv Sagee, Jerusalem Post, November 14, 2018

Yaniv Sagee in The Jerusalem Post: “Four Lessons Between Murder To Hope - Our government of hatred toward the other is well connected to the governments inflaming this hatred, encouraging antisemitism, leading to murder like the one in Pittsburgh this week.”

 

To Protest Loudly

Yaniv Sagee, Times of Israel, Aug 8, 2018

Nothing prepared me for the moment when the populist political games of the Prime Minister and the coalition parties inflicted the racist Nationality Law on us, completely changing the picture. Write this down: on July 18, 2018, the State of Israel changed the definition of its entire essence.

 

Only Jews Can Stop This Disgrace

Mohammad Darawshe, Jerusalem Post, Aug 6, 2018

There is only an Israeli problem, and Israelis are the ones who will have to stand strong against the annihilation of democracy here.

 

 World's largest Arabic lesson: A rebuke to the Jewish Nation-State law

Edo Konrad, +972, July 31, 2018

Thousands of Israelis attend the event, billed as the world’s largest Arabic lesson, in protest of a new nationalist law that excludes Palestinian citizens of Israel from the national identity and demotes Arabic from its status as an official language.

Thousands Attend Mega Arabic Lesson in Tel Aviv to Protest Nation-state Law

Judy Maltz, Haaretz July 30, 2018

Organized by a consortium of Israeli civil society organization, the event was held to protest the controversial nation-state law, passed this month, that downgrades Arabic as one of the country’s official languages.

 

Arab and Jewish High School Students Capture Cultural Unity Through Photography Exhibition

New Jersey Stage, July 28, 2018

(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Puffin Cultural presents Through Others' Eyes, a photography exhibition featuring works by Arab and Jewish Israeli teenagers.

 

Director General of Ministry of Education Visits Sindiana — the Arab Youth Village for Leadership

Larry Geiger,  American Friends of Kidum,   June 10, 2018

Shmuel Abuav, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Education, recently visited Sindiana – the Arab Youth Village for Leadership. This was Abuav’s first visit to Sindiana, and he seemed very impressed with the activities at the youth village and the unmediated meetings he had with the students

 

YAMI - LES ENFANTS ENSEIGNENT AUX ENFANTS

juillet 16, 2018 | Les Amis de Givat Haviva - France

 

 

Escuela Internacional Givat Haviva: una experiencia transformadora para jóvenes de todo el mundo
Iton Gadol | Buenos Aires 16.07.2018 

 

Givat Haviva | Through Others' Eyes Exhibition
Givat Haviva, in partnership with The Puffin Foundation and Temple Israel New Rochelle, is proud to present, Through Other's Eyes (TOE), a photography exhibit featuring the work of 20 high school age Arab and Jewish students as part of Givat Haviva's shared society programming.

 

Yaniv Sagee, Givat Haviva Executive Director, at the United Nations in New York

June 20, 2018

 

SRULIK & HANDALA

By Lydia Aisenberg, ESRA  May 2018

Iconic message is on the Wall | Cartoon characters are Israeli and Palestinian 

 

Givat Haviva to Open International School for 'Shared Society Leaders'

Tamara Zieve, The Jerusalem Post 18.03.18

Half of students will be Arab and Jewish Israelis, half from abroad. Israel’s first international school for “leaders for a shared society,” is set to open in September, the Givat Haviva center announced last week. The Givat Haviva International School (GHIS) will be the first high school of its kind in Israel to feature focused preparation for leadership and conflict resolution.

 

ESRA MAGAZINE Editorial Board visit to Givat Haviva and tour Wadi Ara with Lydia Aisenberg

Carol Novis, ESRA MAGAZINE 29.01.18

Readers of ESRAmagazine are undoubtedly familiar with the articles of Lydia Aisenberg, a prolific writer whose stories in every issue range widely among subjects as disparate as travels abroad and historical figures in Israel.

 

6 Reasons to learn Arabic in Israel in 2018

Jerusalem Online 03.01.18

Learning a new language, such as Arabic, the fifth most spoken language on earth and one of the official languages of Israel, can be more than just a New Year’s Resolution. It can be a smart career move. 

 

Adopting the Road Map for a Shared Society

Yaniv Sagee, The Jerusalem Post 12.30.17

The education system today must be the spearhead of transformation, as educators are our most significant change agents.

 

Majority of Israelis Want Coexistence, Few Willing to Live Next to Arabs

Daniel K. Eisenbud, The Jerusalem Post 18.12.17

‘Study shows there is still not enough maturity and understanding among the Jewish public for practical steps for living together,’ says Givat Haviva.

 

Poll: Israelis believe in coexistence, but don't want Jewish-Arab neighborhoods

Omri Ariel, Jerusalemonline, 18.12.17

A poll conducted by the Givat Haviva Center for a Shared Society has found that a majority of Israelis, Jewish and Arab, would like to see coexistence promoted, but only a few would be willing to support actual steps towards it.

 

Planting the seeds of respect, one teenager at a time

Sheema Khan, The Globe and Mail, 01.09.17

Since 2011, the Heart to Heart program has brought 14- and 15-year-old Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel for a multiweek summer program where they live together and foster ties of mutual respect. 

 

Love of soccer brings together Jewish and Arab kids

Ynet 23.08.17

Sixth graders from Jewish and Arab communities in northern Israel come together for a three-day camp where they play their favorite game in mixed teams and learn about each other

 

Why Jews and Arabs must not give up on each other 

 Yaniv Sagee, Ynet 8.8.17

Op-ed: If we blindly follow the voices of fear and hate coming from both nationalities that share this land, our lives will become hell on earth. A shared life, the common interest of the vast majority of Israeli citizens, is the only thing that can ensure the security the Jewish society yearns for and the equality the Arab society longs for.

 

Jewish and Arab Youth Find Common Ground at Canadian Summer Camp

Canadian Jewish News, August 1, 2017

Twenty Israeli teenagers – half Jewish and half Arab – recently came to Canada to learn more about one another. Hosted by Camp Shomria in Perth, Ont., the teenagers are the latest group to participate in Heart to Heart ...

 

From Co-existence to Shared Society: A Paradigm Shift in Intercommunity Peacebuilding Among Jews and Arabs in Israel

Ran Kuttner, August 2017

The discourse regarding Jewish–Arab intercommunity peacebuilding processes is undergoing major changes in recent years, gradually shifting from “coexistence” as the desired outcome to “shared society.”...

 

 ‘We Want To Show Both Sides That There Are Good People On Both Sides’

The New York Jewish Week, May 17, 2017

... Mohammad Darawshe, director of the Center for Equality and Shared Society at Givat Haviva, has long been involved in trying to advance Arab-Jewish understanding and civic equality. ... “How do we integrate schools?” he asks. “To talk about busing is impossible. But if we can’t bus the kids, let’s bus the teachers.”

 

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany Visits Givat Haviva

from the German Press, May 9, 2017 

Laila und Dor sind ganz normale Teenager, 16 und 17 Jahre alt und ein Jahr vor ihrem Schulabschluss, doch an diesem sonnigen Vormittag werden sie kurz zu einem Hoffnungsschimmer für die Weltpolitik. … Einrichtungen wie Givat Haviva bewiesen, dass Juden und Araber friedlich miteinander leben könnten. Givat Haviva sei, so Steinmeier ein "Leuchtturm der Hoffnung".

 

Other articles about President Steinmeier's visit to Israel

from the German Press, May 8, 2017

Bundespräsident Steinmeier ist seit Sonntag in Israel um die deutschisraelischen Beziehungen zu stärken. Nach dem Besuch einer Begegnungsstätte, will er sich mit Schriftsteller und Regierungskritiker Amoz Oz treffen. Jerusalem Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier hat am Montag in Israel die Begegnungsstätte Givat Haviva besucht.

 

Fires Ignite Controversy and Cooperation

InterAgency Task Force, Nov 29, 2016

A wave of more than 1700 forest and urban fires swept Israel between November 18 and November 26. Shared society organizations such as Givat Haviva criticized incitement from politicians even while their shared communities were working to combat the fire together.

 

New Jewish-Arab initiative to promote dialogue and cooperation in Nazareth

InterAgency Task Force, Nov 18, 2016

Next Door Neighbor is a coalition of activists and local leaders from Nazareth and the surrounding Jewish and Arab communities with professional support from the Center for a Shared Society at Givat Haviva.

 

Austrian government bestows award to Givat Haviva for outreach among Jews and Arabs
By Lidar Grave-Lazi, Sept 8, 2016

This is the third recognition bestowed to Givat Haviva for its work bringing Jews and Arabs together for a shared life.

 

When making peace is child's play
By Yonathan Cohen, August 10 2016

Soccer for Peace summer camp in north Israel brings together Jewish and Arab children in framework of dialogue.

 

Editor’s Notebook: Toward a Shared Society
By Michael Jacobs, June 8 2016

Mohammed Darawshe delivered a valuable lesson Monday night, June 6, on the difference between coexistence and a shared society in Israel.

 

Obama sends greetings to Givat Haviva shared society conference
By JPOST.COM, Staff - Tue, 24 May 2016

US President Barack Obama sent his regards to the Annual Shared Society Conference at Givat Haviva, which works to promote the coexistence of Jews and Arabs in Israel.

 

Israeli centre for shared society teaches social change to Jewish, Palestinian youth

By Paul Lungen, Staff Reporter - April 12, 2016

Yaniv Sagee and Mohammad Darawshe come from two very different worlds, but they share some common goals.

 

Native son from a land divided

By Paul Choiniere,  Day staff writer March 27. 2016 12:01 AM
Mohammed Darawshe is a proud Israeli citizen who admires the entrepreneurial spirit of its people and the priority placed on education.

 

Israel’s shared society of Arabs and Jews: ‘Racism in Israel ... is a curable disease’
By Paul Choiniere,  Day staff writer March 27. 2016 12:01AM 

Mohammad Darawshe, an Arab Israeli citizen, is the director of planning and equality at the The Center for Shared Society at Givat Haviva, a nonprofit educational institute in Israel. The organization’s stated mission is to build an inclusive, socially cohesive society in Israel by engaging divided communities in collective action towards the advancement of a sustainable, thriving democracy based on mutual responsibility, civic equality and a shared vision of the future.

 

"Through Others' Eyes" Photography Exhibit Showcases Young Arab and Jewish Israeli Collaboration
 BY TEANECK, NJ, August 1, 2015, 6:09 am

On Sunday, August 9, the Puffin Foundation hosts "Through Others Eyes", an inspirational photographic exhibition named after a unique project of the same name under the auspices of Givat Haviva, a non-profit educational institute in Israel.

 

 

Rivlin: ‘Shared’ Jewish-Arab identity key to Israel’s future
BY DANIEL BERNSTEIN, May 28, 2015, 9:30 pm 

President says Israelis and Palestinians both connected to the land; attempts to force either side to relinquish its narrative ‘destined to fail’

 

Rivlin: Jews must acknowledge that Arabs are part and parcel of this land

By GREER FAY CASHMAN, 05/28/2015 18:18
President says it is time to take very real measures to establish a new Arab city in Israel.

 

President Presses for New Arab City

By Gil Ronen,  5/28/2015
Rivlin: Jews expect Arab condemnation of those within their community who align with the worst of our enemies.

 

Netanyahu Vs. the Presidentof Israel

By BITTER RIVALRY, 03.16.15
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is a man of contradictions and a bitter rival of the prime minister’s. He is set to make a call that will determine the country’s future—and Netanyahu’s political career.   

 

Arab Alliance Rises as Force in Israeli Elections
By DIAA HADID, MARCH 15, 2015

IBILLIN, Israel — Avigdor LiebermanIsrael’s nationalist foreign minister, stared coolly at the Arab politician sitting at the opposite end of a glass table during a televised election debate.