News & Updates

All News

• April 9, 2026

  Teaching Through Sirens: Shared Language Program Resilience During War

  The war with Iran continues to keep everyone in Israel, Arabs and Jews alike, on edge and, due to the security situation, close to home. Givat Haviva has continued some programs online. One is Shared Language, a Hebrew enrichment program for Arab youths. “Thanks to this program, Arab students learn to use Hebrew authentically, from a teacher for whom it is a native language,” says Yasmin Tsafar, the Education Programming Coordinator of Shared Language. The program operates in 66 Arab schools and has reached tens of thousands of students since its founding in 2011. Tsafar expresses cautious optimism about a swift end to the war and a return to normal routines. Schools, she notes, play a central role in restoring stability for children and adolescents. “The teachers are doing their best to help students continue their education despite the war,” she says. “I know they are eagerly awaiting the moment when they can welcome their students back to school.” Read the full article by Enno Ebersbach, the Peter and Friedel Grützmacher Intern for International Partner Relations at Givat Haviva.

• 
  March 29, 2026

  Matan Segal Heads Kicking Racism Out of Israeli Soccer Program

  For many Israelis football (soccer) has never been just about the game itself. It’s about the community, the devotion, the sense of belonging one gets from identifying with a team. But the sport also breeds something darker than mere passion. “Soccer fans reflect the extreme of society where hate and racism blow up,” says Matan Segal, program manager of Kick It Out, an initiative that fights racism on and beyond the soccer field. “I started this job because I love football and I hate racism,” he says. Segal and forty volunteers attend soccer matches across the country, documenting incidents and producing periodic reports for the Ministry of Culture and Sports. “I truly believe that football can make peace,” Segal says. The sport may reflect the country’s darkest tendencies today, but it also has the potential to inspire a better future.

Recent Events

All Events

• 

  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.
• 

  Jan

  6

  Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella Opens Shared Society Conference

  The 2026 Givat Haviva conference for a shared society comes at a time when “we are more divided, more hateful, and more fearful of one another then ever. This government continues to incite us against each other,” Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella declared in her address opening the January 6 event, attended in person by more than 500 people. “This conference is taking place at a critical moment, a volatile moment, a moment in which the ground could slip from beneath our feet,” Sella said. “Therefore, it is also a moment when responsibility passes to us: to civil society, to local leadership, to educators – to demand from our politicians and leaders, to struggle, and to propose an alternative.” “A shared society is not a luxury,” Sella emphasized. “It is a condition for security, for democracy, and for a future in this land. Without equality, without fair law enforcement, and without civic and political partnership – there will be no future here.” Sella thanked the more conference participants “for choosing to come and say: we do not give up. This is the time for repair, recovery, and partnership.” Read Michal Sella’s full speech.