MichalSel@givathaviva.org.il
Michal Sella
Executive Director
Michal Sella is the Executive Director of Givat Haviva – the Center for Shared Society, and an expert in Israeli politics and public policy. She has extensive experience working with governmental bodies both in Israel and abroad, working as the Director of the Center for Policy Change at Shatil - New Israel Fund, a parliamentary advisor at the Knesset; a journalist and co-editor at Channel 2; a co-founder of The Whistle (the Israeli fact-checking NGO) and a pedagogical coordinator at Hashomer Hatzair youth movement.
She holds a master's degree from Oxford University in public policy, as well as bachelor's degrees from Tel Aviv University in history and journalism. She lives on a Kibbutz with her partner and children.
Michal brings passion, intellect, and a bold vision for a shared and inclusive society to her role as Executive Director of Givat Haviva. With a Master’s in History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas from Tel Aviv University and a Master of Public Policy from Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, she combines academic depth with practical leadership. Before joining Givat Haviva in 2021, she directed the Center for Policy Change at Shatil, leading initiatives for democracy, equality, and civic engagement. A changemaker at heart, Michal also co-founded The Whistle, Israel’s pioneering fact-checking NGO dedicated to strengthening truth in public discourse.
Related News
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March 5, 2026Israeli Opposition Leaders Are Wary of Alliance With Arab Parties. But Voters Are Surprisingly Open to It
Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella argues in her Haaretz oped that opposition party leaders need to welcome partnering with Arab parties in their elections campaigns. “There is a sizable proportion of supporters of opposition parties who might support leaders intent on forging Jewish-Arab cooperation,” Sella writes. “There is a good chance that the way to power of the parties leading the opposition will have to entail cooperation with the Arab parties. There apparently is a significant group of opposition voters who are receptive to this idea. They deserve a leadership that knows how to lead.”
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December 27, 2025OP-ED: The Trust Israeli Society Needs to Restore
“In Israel today, the question is not only how to recover from war but how to regain trust within Israeli society,” Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella writes in The Boston Globe. “Since Israel’s independence more than 77 years ago, relations between its Jewish and Arab citizens have been complex, sometimes fragile, yet always central to the strength of Israel’s democracy. After the horrors of October 7, 2023, and the devastating two-year war that followed, this delicate social fabric was tested as never before.” Sella explains in her oped why Jewish-Arab relations have reached a new nadir, but also why she has “hope that bonds of trust between Arabs and Jews in my country can grow stronger again.” At Givat Haviva, an organization that has led pioneering education programs on campus since 1949 to advance Jewish-Arab relations, “we have seen how those relationships endured”. She calls on leaders across Israel’s political spectrum to make restoring and expanding beneficial Jewish-Arab relations a central priority ahead of next 2026 national elections. “A cohesive Jewish-Arab society is not just a moral goal. It is a strategic necessity for Israel’s stability, prosperity and democracy,” Sella writes. “Israeli society’s health will be emboldened not only by attaining peace across its borders but by achieving peace within them. Historic regional deals are possible as long as Israel’s fractured mainstream population is strong enough to take bold decisions and confront the extreme right.” Read Sella’s full oped