News & Updates

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• May 26, 2026

  Friends of Givat Haviva Launches National Rabbinic Cabinet

  New York – Friends of Givat Haviva announced today the launch of its National Rabbinic Cabinet, to further engage American Jews in the vital work of advancing shared society and democracy in Israel. Friends of Givat Haviva is the U.S. affiliate of Givat Haviva, the oldest and largest organization in Israel advancing relations between the country’s Jewish and Arab citizens and building a shared society.

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  May 19, 2026

  OPED: For US Jews, disengaging from Israel is not an option

  Jeff Goodman, Chair of Friends of Givat Haviva, explains in his Times of Israel oped why it is imperative for American Jews to engage in building a shared Jewish-Arab society in Israel: To many of us raised in American Jewish homes — regardless of denomination or degree of observance — one principle was woven deeply into our moral vocabulary: Tikkun Olam, the obligation to help repair a broken world. The concept was never presented as naïve optimism. Judaism does not teach that the world will become perfect. Quite the opposite. Jewish tradition assumes fracture, conflict, injustice, and human imperfection as constants of history. Yet our tradition also insists that awareness of brokenness is not permission for passivity. For US Jews, indeed for all Americans concerned about the future of Israelis and Palestinians alike – learning more, engaging, and helping strengthen a shared and more inclusive future of Israeli society from within is imperative. In doing so, we will not only advance the work of Tikkun Olam but also discover something deeply human and hopeful: that even amid profound pain, distrust, and division, bonds can still be built, trust can still grow, and healing and coexistence remain possible.

Recent Events

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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.
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  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.