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Givat Haviva American Update
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Dear Friends,
As we approach the fall and the High Holy Day season, Friends of Givat Haviva is entering an especially active and important period. At a time when the need to strengthen relationships between Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens could not be more urgent, Givat Haviva continues to demonstrate what shared society looks like in practice.
This fall, Americans across the country will have an extraordinary opportunity to engage directly with that work. Mohammad Darawshe, Givat Haviva’s Director of Strategy, will spend the semester as a visiting professor at American University while traveling to communities throughout the United States. His appearances at synagogues, Federations, universities, churches, and community gatherings will provide an opportunity to better understand both the challenges facing Israeli society and the work being done every day to build a stronger shared future.
This month’s newsletter also highlights the impact of Through Others’ Eyes, including the remarkable experience of Jewish and Arab Israeli teenagers engaging with hundreds of young people at American Jewish summer camps. Their conversations remind us that shared society is ultimately built through relationships: by listening, learning, and developing the ability to see one another differently.
As we enter the year 5787, I hope you will continue to engage with Givat Haviva’s work, attend one of Mohammad’s programs if he is visiting your community, and introduce others to our mission.
Wishing you and your family a sweet and peaceful Shana Tova.
L'Shalom,
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Jonathan Lack
Executive Director
& Board Member
Friends of Givat Haviva
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Mohammad Darawshe Set to Visit U.S.
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Friends of Givat Haviva have been preparing for Givat Haviva Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe’s visit to the U.S. While he will be a visiting professor at American University in Washington DC during the fall semester, he also will travel extensively across the country, presenting Givat Haviva’s critical work with Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, building a shared society. Darawshe’s extensive visit is a unique opportunity to raise awareness about Givat Haviva and engage more Americans in our principled work.
Cities booked to date include:
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Amherst, MA
Ann Arbor, MI
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Bay Area, CA
Birmingham, MI
Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
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Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Detroit, MI
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
Milwaukee, WI
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
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Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsfield, MA
Providence, RI
San Diego, CA
Southfield, MI
South Florida
Springfield, MA
White Plains, NY
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If you would like to attend an event in one or more of these cities please reach out to info@usfogh.org for more information.
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Through Others' Eyes Exhibit:
"Taken Out of Context"
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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,” says 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.”
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American Jewish Camps Host Through Others' Eyes
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Yali Golan, Amy Meltzer, Sami Asmar, Sami Jinich (l to r)
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Two Israeli teens, Arab and Jewish, one Givat Haviva staff member, and a representative of the Foundation for Jewish Camps visited three Jewish summer camps in Pennsylvania in July. At BBYO Israel 360 Summit, Camp Harlam, and Camp Havaya Sami Asmar, 18, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and Yali Golan, 18, a Jewish Israeli now serving in the IDF, both alumni of the TOE program had traveled with Givat Haviva to the U.S. last year, but this was their first direct engagement with American Jewish teens.
Alongside Sami Jinich, who spent the past year living and working at Givat Haviva’s Younited High School, and Amy Meltzer, Director of Training and Talent Development at the Foundation for Jewish Camps, the four spoke with 400 campers, staff, and faculty about the TOE photography program. Indeed, it was TOE that three years ago brought Sami and Yali together as close friends.
What resonated most over the two-week tour were the informal conversations about Arab society in Israel and the everyday challenges of shared life. Every camp brought a mix of hard questions and warm welcomes. Several American Jewish teens asked if Sami and Yali could visit their own Jewish and secular schools, saying they rarely get this young, human window into Israeli life.
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WATCH LIVE: Mohammad Darawshe at
The City Club of Cleveland
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On September 4, 12-1 pm (ET), Mohammad Darawshe, Givat Haviva Director of Strategy, will address, with two other speakers, Israel at a Crossroads: Charting the Path Within and Beyond, at the City Club of Cleveland. The other speaker will be Dr. (Yoni) Shimshoni, Brigadier General (Ret.), Israel Defense Forces; and Executive Member, Commanders for Israel’s Security. The moderator will be David Halperin, CEO, Israel Policy Forum.
Since October 7,2023, Israeli society has undergone a profound transformation. The attacks, the ensuing wars, and the intense international scrutiny have reshaped how Israelis—Jews and Arabs alike—understand their identities, their relationships with one another, and their visions for the country's future.
Questions the panel will address include what does it mean to be Israeli today? How has the events of the last three years changed the relationship between Jewish and Arab citizens? And how have regional conflicts and global reactions to Israel influenced Israel’s internal and external dynamics?
To sign up to watch the livestream or attend in person visit Israel at a Crossroads: Charting the Path Within and Beyond | The City Club of Cleveland | September 04, 2026
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Givat Haviva Live Briefing September 16th
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Please join Friends of Givat Haviva on Wednesday, September 16th, 1:00pm-2:00pm (ET), for a live update from the Givat Haviva campus. CEO Michal Sella will provide an insider’s look at educational initiatives for the new school year. Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe and Sella will discuss why the upcoming elections in Israel are pivotal for Givat Haviva’s mission.
During the live briefing we will also hear from Eden Mamon, Alumni Program Coordinator, on outreach to thousands of Jewish and Arab citizens who have participated in Givat Haviva educational programs, and from Sami Jinich, coordinator of the Through Ohers’ Eyes tour of American Jewish camps.
Register Here
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SAVE THE DATE: 2027 Shared Society and Friends of Givat Haviva Conferences
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Givat Haviva's Annual Shared Society Conference will take place at the Givat Haviva campus on April 6, 2027. The event draws an audience of more than 500 Israeli Jews and Arabs, including educators, politicians, and journalists, as well as representatives of the U.S. and European Friends of Givat Haviva associations. Friends’ associations will convene on April 7 and 8 for a series of meetings with Givat Haviva program staff and participants. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for registration details for both conferences.
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In his Times of Israel oped, “Givat Haviva and the Future of the Jewish State,” Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Orthodox Vice Chair of the Friends of Givat Haviva National Rabbinic Cabinet, explains why he is engaged with Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, with Givat Haviva.
“The Torah wants us to hold on strong to our Judaism, but at the same time the Torah wants us to have a close relationship with those who live in the land with us. The Torah indeed sees the ideal society at one where Jews and non-Jews live together in the Jewish state,” states Rabbi Lopatin, who is the rabbi at Kehillat Etz Chayim in Detroit.
“Israel is blessed to have a great mix of resident non-Jews. Two million of them are Arab Muslims and Christians who are citizens of the Jewish State of Israel. To them Israel is home as well; it is their state and the society they are committed to building and strengthening,” writes Lopatin.
“A truly Jewish state should have no reason to fear having Muslims and Christians – Arabs, Druze, Bahai and others – living in the same state as full citizens. Not only not fear, but actually embrace the possibilities about how a diverse population can enhance our self-understanding as Jews and as lovers of the Jewish state.”
Read Rabbi Lopatin’s full oped.
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