Givat Haviva Visits the United Nations with Ambassador Ron Prosor
Program Updates

Yaniv Sagee, our Executive Director in Israel, visited our 
New York office and shared some of the great work 
happening  on the ground at Givat Haviva
Shared Communities
Shared Communities is our flagship municipal and regional partnerships programming that partners neighboring Jewish and Arab towns in order to establish collaboration and cooperation on shared interests, goals and initiatives.  The Shared Communities program is generously supported by the Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation. Yaniv updated us on some wonderful stories of our partnered communities working together.

The Jewish and Arab towns of Megiddo and Ma'ale Eron are currently collaborating on a project to construct an access road to two of the smaller villages of Ma'ale Eron that do not have access to the main road, which causes logistical as well as economic issues.  The access road will provide a direct connection to the main highway, strengthen the partnership between the towns, and increase the economic value of the villages.

Another pair of Arab and Jewish towns are working on establishing a shared athletic stadium that will not only have economic value but will provide a shared social setting as well.  A park and environmental cleanup in an abandoned zone in Megiddo is in progress as well. 

An NGO and Special Interest Group Forum has been established for all the participating Shared Communities.  The forum will provide a network of local civil society organizations and community groups to work together on regional initiatives, share resources and expand their regional impact. 

"Yihiye Beseder" - our Hebrew Language Enrichment Program for Arab high-school students

Within our equality field is one of our fastest growing programs "Yihiye Beseder", our Hebrew Language Enrichment Program for Arab high-school students.  The program boasted 2,754 participants in the 2014-2015 school year and will be expanded to 10,222 students the 2015-2016 school year.  This impressive increase has attracted the interest of Israel's Ministry of Education, who have invested almost 1 million shekels in the program for this upcoming school year.  The Ministry of Education's investment is generously matched by our supporter Carole Zabar, whose commitment makes this program a reality for Israeli Arab high school-students. 

Givat Haviva Visits the United Nations

Ambassador Ron Prosor hosted Givat Haviva at the United Nations headquarters for an exclusive tour and briefing on the status of Israel on the global stage. In addition to the tour of the different operating bodies of the UN, the Ambassador also spoke about an especially exciting rising Arab-Israeli leader who has been nominated for the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Professor Michael Karayanni.  He is an Arab-Israeli professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has dedicated his life's work to studying multiculturalism and diversity, especially in the context of the Palestinian-Arab minority in Israel. Karayanni's rising leadership highlights the growing international recognition of the significance of Givat Haviva's Shared Society work.

Read a more detailed summary of the event here.
Our Third Annual Conference is 
Coming Up!

This year's third annual Conference, "Developing a Joint Vision for a Shared Society in Israel" will take place on May 28th on Givat Haviva's campus in Israel and will involve a variety of active NGOs, government and community leaders, as well as our guest of honor, Israel's President Reuven Rivlin.

This high-profile conference will be held as a key milestone in a three-year "Joint Vision"
program led by Givat Haviva together with partners to develop, promote and implement the first Jewish-Arab joint vision for a Shared Society in Israel.The event will provide a high profile platform for launching the visioning initiative, engaging diverse stakeholders in the process and gaining media attention for national impact.

Check out the Agenda.
Register here.
Through Others' Eyes Exhibit at  the JCC 

The JCC of Central NJ in Scotch Plains is hosting our Through Others' Eyes Photography Exhibit this month! We kicked off the exhibit on April 22nd with an inspirational talk by our Special Advisor, Professor Saliba Sarsar from Monmouth University.   Learn more about the Through Others' Eyes program generously supported by the Puffin Foundation and the Rivendell Foundation.

In an NJ Jewish News article about the event, Elaine Durbach writes,

" In his talk, Sarsar listed the elements needed for "top down and bottom up" peace-building, including enlightened leadership and "restorative justice." He pointed out that there are about 300 NGOs in Israel and on the West Bank striving for peaceful coexistence in various ways...  Those efforts include the Givat Haviva Education Foundation, an Israeli nonprofit that strives to build a cohesive society by bringing together disparate groups." 

Make sure to check out the exhibit in person at the JCC!

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