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Message from our CEO

Dear Friends,

Before anything else, following the events of last night and the Iranian attack on Israel, we wanted to let you know where things stand at Givat Haviva and what it means for our ongoing activities. We are operating according to the instructions of the IDF Home Front Command. There are specific instructions that apply to Givat Haviva as a public and educational facility.

Classes at the International School have been suspended for the next two days, in accordance with the instructions. The school faculty and staff are working to adapt the scholastic time schedule to the circumstances, including the students' exam schedule. We have experienced similar things in the past, and the entire school staff is doing everything necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of the students who remained on campus.  

Otherwise, despite the security situation, Givat Haviva is able to operate as usual. We are holding our scheduled programs, although with intensified safety measures, following our convictions that it is important to go on with  life as usual to the extent possible, with the feeling that our community acts as a source of strength and support for one another. We hope that after the Eid el-Fitr celebrations at the end of last week and in anticipation of Passover, we will see safer days ahead, without escalation.

Givat Haviva will continue to work for a better future for all of us, in collaboration, with a shared determination for quiet in our region.  

With best wishes,

Michal Sella, CEO, Givat Haviva

מיכל סלע, מנכ”לית גבעת חביבה

ميخال سيلع، المديرة العامة لچڤعات حبيبة

To all of our Muslim friends and partners in Israel and around the world,

We wish you and your families a joyous and peaceful Eid.

Even during these difficult times, we wish all of us days of peace, an end to the fighting, and the safe return of everyone home. May we continue to work together for a just and democratic society for all of us.

The Givat Haviva Shared Art Center

The Residency Program, Concluding Exhibition: Memories from an Imagined Space

March 29, 2024 – May 25, 2024

The unique residency program at the Givat Haviva Shared Art Center bringing together 10 young Jewish and Arab artists concluded this year with a fascinating group exhibit, Memories from an Imagined Space. The exhibit displays the work created by the artists over three months of shared living, creating, and learning. The program, at the conclusion of its second annual cohort, provides a unique opportunity for artists to live and work together in a supportive and inspiring environment.  

The program staff includes a team of mentors, representing respected and experienced artists in Israel, which accompanies the program participants throughout the process that the residency program involves. The mentors help them develop their talents and express their artistic vision.

The exhibit, Memories from an Imagined Space, invites the observer into a shared creative space where Jewish and Arab artists create art together, amidst their confrontation with the complexity of identity and culture.

Participating artists: Aviv Keshet, Eram Aghbarih, Ashwaq Maree, Baylasan M. Karim, Ben Alon, Hadas Almagor, Jonathan David, Malak Manzour, Noa Kornick, Obayda Dahly.

Curator: Dalia Manor

Opening: April 13, 2024

Location: Givat Haviva Art Gallery

Consider yourselves invited!

Entry is free of charge!  

RFP for the third cohort of the Jewish-Arab Group Residency Program – a joint program for young Jewish and Arab artists in residence at the Givat Haviva Shared Art Center, January – March 2025.

Complete application information is available online.

The Jewish- Arab Center for Peace

Various activities were conducted by Guards of the Wadi Ara Partnership and its headquarters during Ramadan, by the Muslim calendar, and Adar, by the Jewish calendar:

Precisely because of the challenges of the times, we placed tremendous importance on a series of joint actions in acknowledgement of Ramadan and the spring holidays. Despite the pervasive reality, we managed to hold meaningful meetings between Jews and Arabs, for children and adults, at Givat Haviva and in the vicinity. Activities emphasized the vital need to make more of a place for what we share in common, and to work together for a better future.

The emergency headquarters of the Guards of the Wadi Ara Partnership operates as part of the Arab-Jewish Center for Peace and the Network of Emergency Centers established throughout Israel to prevent escalation and encourage shared society. The headquarters' plan will continue during the course of the year in cooperation with Jewish and Arab activists from the Wadi Ara region.

Prison of Thoughts, a photo exhibition at the international PHOTO IS:RAEL

We are proud to present the photo exhibition, Prison of Thoughts. It shows the work of Jewish and Arab youth participants in the Givat Haviva program, Through Other's Eyes. The exhibition is on display until April 6, as part of the international photography exhibition, PHOTO IS:RAEL at the Enav Center in Tel Aviv.

The exhibition is the culmination of a fascinating and inspiring journey experienced by the youth, together. This journey took them to the edges of Israel and to the heart of Israeli society, from the Hula Valley in the north and to the desert in the south, from the homes and the communities of each and every one of them to the shared and character-defining encounter.

Through the camera lens, youth share with us the fears, dreams, hopes, and doubts preoccupying them. They confront complex issues like identity, belonging, shared prejudices, while creating open and mutually respectful dialogue.

The program, Through Other's Eyes, began 24 years ago, and continues to provide Jewish and Arab youth a unique opportunity to depart on a journey of revelation, connection, and shared lives via the art of photography. The exhibition is not just a glance at the inner worlds of youth, but a powerful, emotional call for a better society, based on tolerance, understanding, and partnership.

You can see the exhibit on the festival website.

Can Arab Youths' Hebrew Language Skills be Improved?

Over the years, the lack of facility for the Hebrew language has become young Arabs' major barrier to inclusion in academia, the workforces, and other areas. How can we change this and help remove the obstacle?

The Division for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community at the University of Haifa and Givat Haviva, The Center for Shared Society, is honored to invite you to its upcoming conference, The Hebrew Language and the Young Generation in Arab Society in Israel: Obstacles, Challenges and Plans for Action.

May 8, 2024 | 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM | University of Haifa

Subjects to be discussed at the conference include:

• The obstacles and challenges to teaching the Hebrew language as a second language to the young generation of Arabs in Israel.

• Presenting new research, models, and practices in the field.

• Creating a shared framework for thinking together among all relevant players (government, academia, civil society, others). To register, click here