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Celebrating Success and Looking Forward: 
The 6 th   Annual Givat Haviva Shared Society Conference
Givat Haviva's Sixth Annual Conference took place on May 6th and brought people from around the world to its beautiful 40-acre campus in Israel for a highly informative, inspiring and memorable day. The Conference was brimming with exciting cultural performances, thought-provoking panels, and numerous other opportunities to meet and connect with amazing people, all united by a common commitment to the building of an equal and shared society in Israel.
 
The Conference focused on the practical steps involved in implementing the recommendations of the Roadmap For a Shared Society.

Following the conference, staff and board members from the Givat Haviva Educational Foundation and Friends of Givat Haviva organizations throughout Europe participated in a three-day Friends’ Conference during which we visited and experienced many of Givat Haviva’s programs in action, meeting with staff, and program leaders and participants.
The Conference began with an opening of an exhibit at the Givat Haviva Art Center entitled "Between Words and Art" – a multimedia salute to the many artists involved at the Center, blending the visual and performing arts in unexpected ways.
Yaniv Sagee, Givat Haviva Israel's Executive Director, speaking at the Conference.
Samer Atamni, Director of the Education Department, leading a panel on Economics and Urban Development.
Givat Haviva's intensive Arabic program is considered the best place to learn Arabic in Israel. We were treated to a short Arabic lesson to kick off the Friends’ Conference.
On the first day of the Friend's Conference, we participated in a class at the Art Center. We took photos around the campus trying to see through a different perspective.
The first night of the conference we were invited to the home of Riad Kabha, Director of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat Haviva, for a delicious dinner.
A presentation at the Zalafiy Art Gallery, a joint project of Givat Haviva’s Shared Communities Project joining the Jewish community of Zalafiy and the Arab village of Ma’ale Iron
Visiting a middle school in Um Al-Fahm to see a Hebrew Language Enrichment Program in action.
Touring the Givat Haviva Campus.
The friends and staff of Givat Haviva from Europe and the United States.
UN Consultative Status
Last month, Givat Haviva Israel's Executive Director Yaniv Sagee spoke at the United Nations in New York as part of the final step in gaining Consultative Status for Givat Haviva for the UN’s Economic and Social Council.
 
Consultative Status in the Council is the highest status the UN gives to non-government agencies, giving them a number of rights to participate in the work of the UN, to present their viewpoints, and to deliver testimony. By granting Givat Haviva this status, it also means the UN has certified that the work done at Givat Haviva has direct relevance to the aims and purposes of the United Nations.
 
We are excited about this important new relationship with the UN!

Givat Haviva is currently scheduling speakers throughout the U.S. who will be speaking about the Roadmap and other exciting developments in the Shared Society movement. If you are interested in hosting a Givat Haviva speaker in your synagogue, mosque, church, home or community center,  please reach out to Meirav .
Givathaviva.org | (212) 989-9272