Greetings!

We hope you are enjoying the holiday season! 
 
We wanted to give you an update on our work and what we are expecting in the coming year. With the formation of a government coalition and the appointment of ministers that will create the most right-wing government Israel has ever seen, our work to build a Shared Society based on equality for all citizens of the State of Israel will encounter surmounting challenges in gaining public funding and support. At Givat Haviva, we are as determined as ever to promote democracy, equality, and a Shared Society regardless of the political environment.
 
We are currently making this happen through:

  • Our Shared Center for Art, which is opening new courses and welcoming the first participants in a newly-founded Jewish and Arab Artists' Residency Program, the first of its kind in Israel. 

  • Arabic courses at the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace are opening now with a record number of participants.

  • Programs bringing Jewish and Arab children together for encounters are in greater demand than they have been for years.

  • Training of mediators for our mediation centers in Arab communities supports these communities in promoting and protecting their residents' personal safety and reducing crime and violence. (See below).

  • Our Bnei Hamakom videos combat stereotypes of Arab culture and have reached a record 4 million people. (See below).
More about our Mediation Centers:
The Jewish Arab Center at Givat Haviva has trained, in the past several months, 22 local civic leaders from a range of occupations, in mediation and conflict resolution in four communities: Sha'ab, Buheina-Jahadat, Gush Halav, Mizra. The fifth participating community, Peki'in, will embark on the program by the end of the year. The training program is recognized by the Ministry of Justice and supported by mayors and local authorities in the participating communities.
Certification ceremony for 22 mediators in Mizra trained in Givat Haviva's program
Opening of the mediation courses in Buheina-Jahadat
More about Bnei Hamakom: 

Educating Jewish Israelis to understand the impact of racism and inequity in Arab communities was the purpose of the Bnei Hamakom [literally, "the local people"] campaign. We produced a series of video clips with the generous support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (Foundation) that explained the connection between these issues, including education and unemployment, and crime in Arab society.
 
This campaign repudiates myths and misinformation about Arab culture and explains the historical distrust of the police in Arab locales. 
Photos of recent guests and events
Delegation of US university vice-presidents and deans visiting Givat Haviva to learn about our Shared Society work.
Givat Haviva hosts Mayor Stephan Keller of Dusseldorf and his delegation. Dusseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia is our long-time partner, now supporting the Artists' Residency program
Concluding session of encounter series between youth from Yodfat (Jewish high school) and Kaokab (Arab high school), singing a jointly written song (left) expressing the positive impact
of their shared experiences
Arab students at Netanya College preparing for marathon study sessions as part of the Givat Haviva program to encourage and promote their entry into the world of hi-tech.
As always, if you have any questions or would like more information from me, please don't hesitate to reach out by replying to this email, or emailing me at [email protected]
Best,
Sadie Baker-Wacks
Development Coordinator
(212) 989-9272 (ext. 3)
Empowering Givat Haviva since 1965

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