01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼

Subscribe Past Issues Translate

View this email in your browser

From our Executive Director: 27/02/2020

Dear Friends and Partners, The most recent significant event was the announcement of the Trump program. A one-sided “peace plan” at the expense of the Palestinian people and with great injury to Palestinian citizens of . I chose to attend the mass demonstration organized by the Arab Society Monitoring Committee in neighboring Baqa al-Gharbia. I went to express my partnership and solidarity with the Palestinian people that the Trump-Bibi scheme harms severely, and with the Palestinian citizens of Israel, who are at the simultaneously part of the Palestinian people as well as citizens with equal collective and individual rights in our shared state, Israel. Some of my fellow chose to leave because of the Palestinian flags at the demonstration. I stayed. Palestinian flags do not bother me: This is their national flag and it does not mean that they want to live in . The flag proclaims they are part of a nation that also deserves the right to self- determination and a national home that is not under occupation. The protesters who came to Baqa came to protest the humiliating affront to their people, of which the proposal of transfer is just one component. I came to show them that they were not alone. That there are Jews who share their fight. This is called solidarity and it is our duty. I came and stayed because this program also hurts me as a Jew and as a Zionist. It contradicts Jewish morality and it portends the destruction of Zionism. It is true that I did not feel comfortable with every speech that was heard, but – and this distinction is critical – this was a Palestinian demonstration and not a demonstration of Jewish-Arab partnership. I wish there were many more who felt comfortable in Palestinian demonstrations with Palestinian flags and Palestinian slogans, because these are our partners in our common homeland here in Israel. For us in there is no alternative to a shared and equal society in Israel. We view partnership among different people on an equal basis as an exciting future. The State of Israel should not look for ways to transfer ; it should celebrate the cultural https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 1/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼ richness and economic and social contribution of multiculturalism in the shared society of Jews Subscribe Past Issues Translate and in Israel. We have posted our response to the plan here, but more importantly, our response is in the work we do every day, in all of the activity that you will read about in this newsletter. Yaniv Sagee

GIVAT HAVIVA IN THE MEDIA

Weeping in coal - the feminist art of Hannan Abu-Hussein Dough is white, coal is black. In the 2001- 2008 Video Ajeeneh (Dough) Hannan Abu- Hussein kneads and covers herself in dough as if ready to go to sleep in its soft and warm embrace. In a video placed next to Ajeeneh titled Mashara (Blacker) from 2017, she is seen breaking large blocks of coal into smaller fragments and smears her face with the soot. Both works take place in a space that evokes a home, or maybe a kitchen, where fuel is burned and bread is baked. read whole article...

Israel’s Palestinian minority has good reason to fear Trump’s plan The Trump administration’s decision to green-light Israel’s annexation of illegal settlements in the occupied grabbed headlines last week. But US support for a related proposal – one equally cherished by Israel’s extreme right – was far less noticed. read whole article...

Secret Israeli Document Reveals Plan to Keep Arabs Off Their Lands A document unsealed after 60 years reveals the Israeli government’s secret intentions behind the imposition of a military government on the country’s Arab citizens in 1948: not to enhance security but to ensure Jewish control of the land. read whole article...

SHARED COMMUNITIES

Partnership between Arab and Jewish Communities to Build a Shared Society: the Givat Haviva Model Led by academic advisor Dr. Ran Kuttner, https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 2/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼ Givat Haviva has just published a new book Subscribe Past Issues Translate in Hebrew and that presents an in- depth exploration of the Shared Communities program. For the past decade Shared Communities has been Givat Haviva’s flagship program, developed and implemented to promote partnership and equality at a time of dissatisfaction with the idea of “coexistence”, and a growing preference for tackling the challenges of building and sustaining a shared society in Israel. The book presents a theoretical and practical model in the form of a multilayered program that facilitates sustainable partnerships between pairs of neighboring Jewish and Arab communities, headed by local authorities, as a basis to developing a concept of shared region. The book will be presented at a conference at the University of on April 22, with senior academics from Israel and abroad. An English translation of the book is on the way. In the meantime, the Hebrew version here includes a two-page executive summary in English on pages 12-13.

https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 3/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼

Subscribe Past Issues Translate

ENVIRONMENT 2020 began with two events of major importance regarding the environment in the region. A public meeting presenting the Forest Connection Plan for Wadi Ara communities took place in Maale Iron on Jan 29, attended by representatives of the Arab and Jewish municipalities in the region, in which Jewish National Fund (JNF) officials presented their master plan for the Wadi Ara region to senior officials in the area. Two environmental projects led by Givat Haviva were held up as inspirational models for working in collaboration with environmentalists in the region. The following day, a tour of Nahal Barkan promoted an environmental project initiated by members of the regional association in the area between and Mu'awiya. Participants included representatives of the Carmel and JNF drainage authorities Kafr Qara, , Arara-Ara, the association, and Givat Haviva, who made important decisions for the project’s implementation.

BUSINESS A meeting of the Regional Business Forum’s Executive Committee was held with the participation of Riyadh, Yaniv and Samar to plan the Forum's official launch in a conference to be held at the end of March 2020. About a hundred and fifty Arab and Jewish business owners from the region will be invited to the conference. The conference will present the Forum’s vision of integrating the private sector in Givat Haviva’s framework for building shared society in the region.

EDUCATION

https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 4/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼

Subscribe Past Issues Translate

CHILDREN TEACHING CHILDREN Uni-national meetings and a number of bi-national meetings were held in schools in each of the nine pairs of the program. Year after year the schools express great satisfaction with this program and there is a desire to open a new pair of schools next year. Most of the collaborative sessions dealt with the cultural and identity components of the groups. The facilitators and participants reported on significant sessions which created personal and group connections

HEART TO HEART The annual follow-up project of the 2019 Canada delegation took place on November 12, as part of Givat Haviva's annual conference activities, led by program coordinator Samira Assi. Graduates of the 2019 delegation planned and led three dynamic workshops for ninth graders from neighboring Pardes Hanna and Kafr Qara, sharing how the experience influenced their own sense of identity, creating a space for the students to ask potentially uncomfortable questions, and allowing for deep and intimate dialogue in small groups and pairs, to reduce negative stereotypes and prejudices towards different groups of youth and provide a personal example of shared life and shared responsibility. On January 9-10, 60 alumni representing all 9 past Heart to Heart delegations gathered for the annual conference for a very full to days of workshops, networking, capacity building, and fun for these motivated leaders of shared society.

LEV Givat Haviva’s joint learning program, Learning Together, or LEV, continues its activities this year, https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 5/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼ pairing Jewish and Arab classes from nearby schools for shared learning projects. Three pairs of Subscribe Past Issues Translate classes met at Givat Haviva during the past month for facilitated encounters to get to know each other so they can begin their projects and feel comfortable visiting each other in their schools. The visits have begun, giving the students the opportunity to see each other’s environments firsthand and learn about their, and our, shared region.

ENCOUNTERS The Youth Encounters programs continues this year, as many groups of Jewish and Arab youth from all over the country have come to Givat Haviva to take part in one and two-day Shared Space seminars, which raise awareness of issues of shared public space and its importance in building a shared society.

YOUTH LEADERSHIP – THROUGH OTHERS’ EYES Participants in Through Others’ Eyes, our joint photography program for Jewish and Arab youth, met for their first joint educational seminar - 48 hours of intensive encounter led by program coordinator Tau Sagee and program graduate Zayna Abu Zarqa. Photographs from the seminar here.

GENDER EQUALITY

https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 6/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼

Subscribe Past Issues Translate

On December 12, 2019, Givat Haviva again convened a Women Making Social Change Conference, in what has become an annual tradition. The conference was led by Anhar Masarwa, Director of Women’s Programming at Givat Haviva, and Sharon Rufa Ophir, deputy head of the Kiryat Tivon and a journalist. The conference brought together Arab and Jewish women, secular, religious, ultra-Orthodox Jewish and Muslim women, leaders of women's organizations and interested members of the public. The conference addressed topics of concern to women, including violence against women, income inequality, education, representation, and exclusionary practices, and included both expert presentations and participatory breakout discussions. Together the attendees signed a petition calling on the parties ahead of the elections to put these issues into their platform and take action to implement them.

ART

The Givat Haviva Art Gallery’s most recent exhibit was My Body ~ Soul ~ Honor ~ Property, a solo show by Hannan Abu-Hussein. The exhibition was the third of a trilogy featured at the Gallery over the past year, on the topic of female protest against the rule of the power and authority of male society - in Jewish society, in Arab society, in the world. The presenters in this trilogy, Abu Hussein in particular, all realize that this is the state of women, still, even in the 2020s. here.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Givat Haviva’s Annual Shared Society Conference was held on November 12, 2019, celebrating Givat Haviva’s 70-year anniversary by showcasing the organization’s Educational Roadmap for a Shared Society. The day began with a Shared Society Educational Happening with https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 7/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼ 400 students and teachers representing all of Givat Haviva’s education programs, including Subscribe Past Issues Translate awarding of prizes for the Yihyeh B’seder Enrichment program Hebrew video contest. Despite the fact that missiles were flying on the day of the conference and most public events in the country were cancelled, all of the scheduled schools showed up enthusiastically, and both the conference and the education happening went on as planned, in the island of sanity and shared society that is Givat Haviva. The conference itself featured members and experts on Shared Society from the U.S., followed by interactive breakout sessions offering an in-depth look at Givat Haviva’s many programs working to educate for a shared society in Israel, challenges encountered, lessons learned along the way, and accomplishments thus far. The official conference was followed by a singalong in three languages to celebrate Givat Haviva’s 70 years of educational activity promoting a fair and equal society in Israel. The conference program can be viewed here.

EMPOWERMENT

YIHYEH B’SEDER Givat Haviva’s Hebrew Language Enrichment program, Yihyeh B’seder, bringing Jewish teachers to Arab middle schools to teach spoken Hebrew while getting to know Hebrew culture, continues to grow. We now have 82 teachers in 119 schools in five districts, reaching over 32,000 students. The program staff has been busy visiting participating schools, observing classes, and speaking with the teachers and principals. Many of these site visits are accompanied by senior officials from the Office of the Director General of the Ministry of Education, as we continue to put emphasis on building our relationship with the Ministry that has enabled the program’s expansion thus far and will form the basis for its full implementation in the future. Program instructors attended the first seminar of the year at Givat Haviva in January, with a workshop in classroom management with the head of the unit for the advancement of teaching at Haifa University. At the November 12 Educational Happening, prizes were awarded for the best Hebrew videos created by students in the program, and the winning classes enjoyed a standup performance in combined Hebrew and Arabic. This year, many of the schools have held special Hebrew activities sponsored by the program already in the first trimester. Teachers celebrated the end of the term with their students in various ways - including learning about the Jewish holiday of Chanukah through its various customs and foods. The students gobbled donuts, lit candles, spun dreidels and played games on themes of dark and light.

https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 8/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼

Subscribe Past Issues Translate

BARA’EM HI-TECH The "Bara’em Hi-Tech" program, which gives promising Arab high school students in Israel, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, the opportunity to pursue a bachelor's degree in computer science while still in high school, opened its fifth year in November. This year we opened a record three first-year groups with 118 students, in addition to 37 students in the second year at Givat Haviva. About 200 students are enrolled in the program overall, with our first graduates expected at the end of this school year. This year we distributed 81,190NIS worth of scholarships, based on socioeconomic status and achievement level. On December 25, our first study tour for the students visited Check Point in Tel Aviv, and the second tour went to Google Israel headquarters in Haifa on January 9, giving the students an inside look at life in the world of hi-tech.

ETGARIM As part of the "Challenges: Promoting the Informal Education System in Arab Society" program and as part of the implementation of Government Decision 922 of December 30, 2015, the Director of Social Affairs and Youth in the Ministry of Education seeks to budget Arab and Bedouin local authorities for creation and operation of an official master plan for the development, promotion, establishment and institutionalization of an informal education system in local authorities according to the needs of the residents: children, youth, and the community. The program provides projects to the Arab population in 3 main areas: • Empowerment and youth leadership • Entertainment • Employment skills Givat Haviva has taken on the aforementioned goal, and created six approved programs that will meet the needs of Arab youth. We began to implement our plans for the current year in early October with the goal of reaching the Arab youth in localities, to provide enrichment with informal activities that would empower https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 9/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼ and meet their needs. We also received permission to run an integration program, called Subscribe Past Issues Translate "Connected Vessels," designed to accommodate students with different needs.

INTERNATIONAL

Givat Haviva International School seeks to transform the Middle East and beyond by developing a powerful network of leaders who will work together to achieve shared society and a sustainable, just future. READ WHOLE NEWSLETTER

INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT The International Department started the new year with 18 day groups and one longer group of Birthright Plus. The latter included graduates of the "Birthright" program, who chose to extend their stay in Israel for a 4-day extension on the topic of Jews and Arabs in Israel under the auspices of Givat Haviva. During the seminar, they were exposed to Arab culture in meetings discussing various topics including language, writing, and food. Participants went on educational

https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 10/11 01/03/2020 We have posted our response to the plan Trump program here ‼ tours to Barta'a, Mishmar HaEmek, and Sakhnin and discussed the conflict on a personal and Subscribe Past Issues Translate group level.

ARABIC

The Institute for Arabic Studies launched an off-campus program this year to make Arabic language studies accessible to people throughout the country. Twenty-six groups were opened, with roughly 300 students. These included professional groups who received instruction tailored to their specific needs: social workers, dialogue facilitators, the Arava Institute, kibbutzim, and moshavim from the north to the Negev sites. Instruction takes place in person, using Givat Haviva’s proven approach for learning spoken language and getting acquainted with Arab society. We look forward to expanding this important activity in 2020. This is of course in addition to the 150 students learning Arabic here at the Givat Haviva campus.

HISTORY DEPARTMENT AND ARCHIVES

Tal Elmaliach’s book, “Hakibbutz Ha’artzi, Mapam, and the Demise of the Israeli Labor Movement,” was published in English, providing a substantial addition to the English bookshelf on the movement. Translation of the book was made possible with the support of the Havatzelet Foundation and the Hashomer Hatzair Historical Department (Yad Yaari and Moreshet). Be strong and of good courage!

Copyright © 2020 Givat Haviva Israel, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

https://mailchi.mp/givathaviva/newsghnov2019-2123105?e=ca5f289acb 11/11