News & Updates

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  September 8, 2026

  Israeli Arab leader urges integration, interdependency and shared society

  Mohammad Darawshe, Givat Haviva’s director of strategy, finds commonality with the Jewish Diaspora in communities like Pittsburgh, writes Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle senior staff writer David Rullo. In his extensive interview with the Chronicle, Darawshe expressed hope that American Jews will give greater thought to Israel’s Arab citizens, who make up approximately 21% of the population. “I feel that the American Jewish community lives the experience of being a minority in America, understands the mindset of the minority in Israel, and I think that they see mutual interest in trying to keep the same values that they want to keep in America to protect them as a minority,” said Darawshe. “They want to see the same values in Israel. That is the common denominator that Arab citizens have with American Jews.” Givat Haviva is proving there are ways Arab and Jewish Israeli citizens can live together, and American Jews can support those efforts, he said. “We have a lot of accomplishments that can bring pride if you are engaged in them,” he said, citing the cross-sector teachers’ program as an example. “As an American Jew you can be very proud.” Darawshe said he remains hopeful that full integration will occur. “I don’t give up hope,” he said. “I’m a father. I’m a grandfather. I don’t give up hope. I don’t have an option.” Pittsburgh was the first stop on a 21-city tour for Darawshe across the United States that began on September 3.

• 
  September 8, 2026

  A different kind of Israel encounter at camp

  “If we want young American Jews to learn about the diversity of Israeli society and hold hope for a peaceful future, we need to introduce them to people and organizations trying to build that future and give them examples of people who continue to engage despite their disagreements,” write Amy Meltzer, director of training and talent development at Foundation for Jewish Camp, in her eJewishPhilanthropy oped. The FJC, in partnership with Givat Haviva, brought to three U.S. Jewish summer camps Yali and Sami, Israeli Jewish and Arab alumni of the Givat Haviva’s Through Others’ Eyes program. “On these visits, we wanted campers and staff to learn more about the diversity of Israeli society and hear perspectives they might not otherwise encounter. We partnered with Givat Haviva, who have been advancing relations between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel since 1949,” writes Meltzer. For some campers and counselors, simply seeing Sami, an Arab citizen of Israel, and Yali, a Jewish Israeli currently serving in the IDF side by side — smiling, slapping one another on the back and helping each other translate Hebrew to English, all while describing some of their profound and fundamental disagreements — was almost as striking as anything they heard. “This was one of the first times I saw an Arab and a Jewish Israeli sit next to each other, talking about their past and how they bond even when they disagree,” one camper said afterward. For these young people, this felt very different from many of their experiences at home, where the “wrong” word could end a conversation before it even began. Hearing an IDF soldier say, “We need to see their narrative to understand their pain,” and someone who identifies as Palestinian Israeli say, “We need to let our disagreements be part of us but not interrupt our future,” stands in stark contrast to the kinds of messages young people typically receive about Israel. Read Amy Meltzer’s full oped.

Recent Events

All 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.