💬GIVAT HAVIVA UPDATES

Dear Friends,

It is no secret that the results of the elections last week in Israel have filled us all with concern for the future we can expect for Israel under a government that will lean on racist components. These racist components openly express their objection to any kind of shared society and peace in Israel. They are fundamentally opposed to the principle of equality that is supposed to define Israeli democracy.

With the strengthening of the extreme right and its taking hold of the government, we can expect to see more and more entities seeking to take our society and the state backwards on all matters regarding the vision for a shared and egalitarian society, for defending minority rights, for protecting the legal system, and for strengthening democracy.

Nevertheless, and with all of the disappointment and concern, we can still influence the future of Israel. The political system is not the end-all. Civil society work and education have a tremendous impact on the direction that Israeli society will take. It is important to remember that about half of the population, Jews and Arabs, still support moderate governance and democracy for Israel, and tolerance aiming for the full inclusion of all citizens of the state.

Givat Haviva has faced more than a few similar challenges in the past, confronting governments who sought to gain from divisiveness, hate and racism in Israel. But, we have always continued to seek the light and spread it, even in the darkest times. This is how it will be now, too. We are continuing to promote our educational programs and encounters, expanding spheres of public dialogue, and programs for promoting equality for Arab society, programming derived from the vision for shared society in Israel which continues and will continue to be our guiding light. We will continue calling upon government institutions to intensify their involvement and their investment in the struggle against discrimination and racism, and we will work together with other organizations and forces fighting to fix Israeli society.

The extensive experience and the sophisticated capabilities that have been developed at Givat Haviva over 73 years, together with your steady support enable us to overcome the obstacles of the present time and to continue to plow our way to building a just society, advocating for peace and equality. Despair is not a privilege we can afford. We have no other land, and no other society. If we want to live in a just and democratic society, we will live in it together.

Dear Friends and Partners,

We barely completed the month of Jewish holidays, and faced national elections. With the forming of a government coalition and the appointment of ministers underway to create the most right-wing government Israel has ever seen, our work to encourage and generate shared society based on equality for all citizens of the State of Israel will encounter surmounting challenges in gaining public funding and support. We are as determined as ever to do our share to promote democracy, equality, and shared society regardless of the political environment.

Some of the ways in which we are currently making this happen are 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 attracts media attention while the program advances the role of communities in promoting and protecting their residents' personal safety, and diminishing crime and violence.
Palestinian citizens of Israel contributing to crime and violence alleviation in their communities by creating mediation centers. Givat Haviva is applying the expertise and experience of its Jewish-Arab Center to training mediators in a project that goes a step further to establish mediation centers. In the past several months, 22 local, civic leaders from a range of occupations have been trained 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. Mayors and local authorities in the participating communities support it. The mediators were chosen based on their commitment to volunteer and the fact that they are widely accepted by the members of their communities.

Professionalism is guaranteed by the forthcoming stages of the program in which the newly accredited mediators will be supervised by veteran professionals and academic review. Courts will refer cases to mediation as the program progresses. The community will learn to seek the mediation center's resolution of local conflicts rather than referring to the courts initially. Already, the program has been widely covered by the Arabic media in Israel. All indications point to its continued success and replicability.

Opening of the mediation courses in Buheina-Jahadat

Opening of the mediation courses in Gush Halav

Educating the Jewish public to understand the role of inequality in generating crime 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 that explained the issues of violence and crime in Arab society. This campaign aimed to prevent perpetuating myths and misinformation which would allow Jews to claim that Arab culture has allowed this rising crime. The campaign further seeks to explain the historical development of mistrust of the police and the police avoidance of law enforcement in Arab locales. The NEET phenomenon among young adults is also covered as a cause of the problem, while a problem in its own right, and requiring government intervention.

Delegation of US university vice-presidents and deans visiting Givat Haviva to learn about how we promote shared society

Givat Haviva hosts Mayor Stephan Keller of Dusseldorf and his delegation. Dusseldorf, 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.

Please be in touch if we can provide you with any further information regarding any of our programs and plans for the months ahead. Feel free to contact: cn-jodi@givathaviva.org.il