News & Updates

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  August 26, 2026

  OPED: Israeli Jewish-Arab Inspiration for Buffalo

  In his Times of Israel oped, Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein, a member of the Friends of Givat Haviva National Rabbinic Cabinet, and the rabbi at Congregation Shir Shalom in Williamsville, NY, recalls the positive impact of an interfaith visit to Givat Haviva nine months after a mass shooting in Buffalo, NY. Rabbi Lazarus-Klein led a delegation of 17 Buffalo area civic and faith leaders to Israel in February 2023, to sightsee and “find ideas we could bring back to Western New York,” he writes. They found inspiration at Givat Haviva, especially from Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe. “Givat Haviva showed us that by identifying problems and finding practical fixes, we could make a real difference in our own community. We went home emboldened, full of ideas and energy about how to move forward,” says Lazarus-Klein. Read Rabbi Lazarus-Klein’s oped

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  August 19, 2026

  “Taken Out of Context” Through Others’ Eyes Exhibit

  The theme of the current Through Others’ Eyes (TOE) photography exhibition at the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace is defining freedom. “Sometimes, to see differently, you first need to take things out of the context you're used to seeing them in. Only then can you begin to see with other eyes,” says Jenan Halabi, TOE program coordinator and curator of the “Taken Out of Context” exhibition. “For a year, Jewish and Arab teens met, took photos, talked, listened, and observed each other’s worlds,” writes Halabi. “In a year when the reality around them repeatedly sharpened boundaries, identities and fears, they chose to create together. Not to erase the differences between them, but to meet them. Not to agree on everything, but to stay within the shared space. From this encounter, the possibility was born to see the other – and maybe even themselves – in a different light.” Read Halabi’s guide to the exhibition.

Recent Events

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  Jun

  18

  Givat Haviva June Briefing

  A webinar briefing from the Givat Haviva campus featured Mohammad Darawshe, Director of strategy; Barak Ruben, the new Director of the Shared Art Center; Ola Najami Yousef, Director of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace; and Yuval Dvir, Head of the Younited international high school. Each presented important updates on recent activities in their areas and plans for expansion of programs. Listen to the briefing.
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  Jan

  19

  Special Briefing: Survey of Israeli Jews, Arabs

  On Monday, January 19th, 12 pm (ET) Friends of Givat Haviva held a special briefing on the new Givat Haviva survey of Israeli Jewish and Arab citizens. The annual Givat Haviva Partnership Index provides vital insights into public opinion on critical issues affecting Jewish-Arab relations in Israel and the work of Givat Haviva. Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella, Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe, and Adi Sidi, presented the survey results and discussed their implications for advancing Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. This special briefing was the first time the Givat Haviva 2026 Partnership Index was presented in English, and follows the Givat Haviva Conference for a Shared Society that took place on January 6.