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Dear Friends,
A shadow has swept over Israel these past few weeks, marked first and foremost by escalations of violence. Yet even more evocative is the sense that all Israelis are heavy hearted with fear, anxiety and suspicion - a combined perception that anyone, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or political leanings, could be a victim. In these times
Givat Haviva stands as a beacon of light and a source of hope, a place where we have taken this sensibility and transformed it into proactive calls for peace and Shared Society. Hundreds of people have come together - Jewish, Arab, women, men and children - to transcend this victimhood and declare a strong and clear voice for a peaceful, secure and equal Shared Society. Our Dialogue and Partnership Tent in Megiddo Junction has become a home base for all Israelis to peacefully gather, discuss and share their own personal experiences, put forth visions of hope and inspiration, and present ideas for resolution. Givat Haviva's Human Chain demonstration grew out of this, as over one thousand people joined hands in solidarity for a call to end the violence and wholeheartedly adopt a Shared Society.
We hear your call, and it is through this letter that your friends and family at Givat Haviva hope to show you our message and strategy that over sixty years of expertise have taught us will achieve the goal of establishing Shared Society in Israel.
Every day at Givat Haviva we are developing and establishing the groundwork necessary for a Shared Society. First and foremost is the fight for equality. The prejudice, disunity, and inequality between Israeli Jews and Arabs must come to an end. Our newest Bara'em Hi-Tech program at Givat Haviva is an exciting example of these collective efforts to invest in and empower the Arab citizens of Israel.
The Israeli Hi-Tech industry is exponentially growing and there is a serious demand for new expertise in the field. Givat Haviva's
Bara'em (seeds) Hi-Tech program gives high-school aged Arab Israelis the opportunity to take college level computer science and engineering courses. Traditionally, the field has been virtually unreachable for Israel's Arab community because of financial, educational, geographic and linguistic barriers. Givat Haviva addresses each of these obstacles through our program. The courses are offered at a 20% discounted base rate, in addition to scholarships awarded on a need-based basis. By establishing the program on our campus, we provide a recognized location in close proximity to the large Arab population in Wadi Ara - over 300,000 Arab Israelis call this area home. Alongside the hi-tech instruction we will provide our tried and true Hebrew Language instruction course, tailored to the related professional and academic field. After completing our two-year program, these students will expect to finish their degree with only two more additional years at the college, which has promised to uphold the 20% discounted tuition.
Even more promising is the fact that the Bara'em Hi-Tech program will have a far more significant impact than just the students we enroll. Recent research shows that the multiplier effect of hi-tech jobs on home communities of the professionals is substantial, with 4.3 additional jobs in the local goods and services industry created for every job added in hi-tech.
Givat Haviva's program aims to harness this multiplier effect as a catalyst for economic advancement in the Arab community and social change nationally by addressing the barriers and providing an opportunity for promising Arab Israeli youth to succeed in the hitech industry.
Now more than ever is the time to invest in Israel's Arab population - and we need your help to make the Bara'em Hi-Tech Program a reality.
Givat Haviva is asking you to invest in these Arab Israeli young men and women by
establishing a scholarship fund for the participants and investing in more computers and educational materials in order to expand the program to its full potential, so that all those who wish to take advantage of this incredible opportunity can.
The first semester of the program began this past October, with twenty-seven students - fourteen young men and thirteen young women. Two of the young women offered to share their story as an illustration of what your investment could mean.
Yara and Basim are twin sisters from Kfar Kara, currently in 9th grade. The girls are part of a larger family of five sisters and one brother. Their two eldest siblings are in college and have inspired the girls to pursue higher education. Yara and Basim are extremely talented students with high marks and a strong passion for learning. They both aspire to study computer engineering so that they can join the hi-tech field and support their family. Originally, Yara and Basim's parents could only afford to enroll one of the girls in Givat Haviva's program. But we encouraged them to enroll both Yara and Basim, with the promise to provide scholarships for them both. Together, on October 23rd Yara and Basim attended the program's first ever Orientation Day. The girls are thrilled to finally begin their studies and take the first step in their dream for their futures.
Yara and Basim ask for your help in achieving their dream. Join the girls in their first step by contributing to scholarships that will give them a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Givat Haviva's fundraising goal is to establish a scholarship fund at 50% of overall tuition for a full academic year of forty students - a total of $50,000. Additionally, in order to reach our forty student goal, we must add ten more computer stations including all of the peripherals, amounting to $20,000.
Givat Haviva is asking you - our community of dedicated supporters - to contribute to these fundraising goals by donating through these suggested giving levels:
Sponsor a full student's scholarship: $2,500
Invest in one computer station: $2,000
Sponsor our current students' scholarship needs:
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Ihab, Janna, Hiba, Ahmed, Mahmoud, Aya and Idma each need a scholarship of
$1,250
in order to complete their first year of studies.
- Miriam, Aya, Yara, Basim, Amran, Tisir, Shadi and Nur each need a scholarship of $1,000
- Diam, Royad, Hiba, Roya, Amar and Yousef each need a scholarship of $750
- Rushdie, Mehdi, Rima, Tima'a, Abdullah and Raya each need a scholarship of $500
We graciously accept any and all donation amounts towards our scholarship fund.
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Givat Haviva reciprocates your commitment and support by pledging to relentlessly strive and advocate for Shared Society in Israel every single day.
Givat Haviva has been a shared space for peace, understanding, and progress for over sixty years, and we will continue to develop and cultivate innovative programs and ideas that
will promote and create an Israel where social justice, collaboration and equality are more than just a distant ideal, but a living, thriving reality.
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