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July 2025 Friends of Givat Haviva Newsletter
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Dear Friends,
As the summer unfolds in Israel, the reality on the ground remains uncertain, complex, and deeply emotional. At Givat Haviva that uncertainty has reinforced our commitment to building a shared society through education, dialogue, and action. This newsletter highlights how our staff, students, and programs continue to adapt and persist—even in the face of war, disruption, and heartbreak.
Below, you’ll hear from our CEO, Michal Sella, about what this turbulent season has meant for our youth, our educators, and our shared mission. You'll also learn how our programs—like the Shared Language initiative and YOUNITED international school—are not only thriving but are finding renewed purpose and support. From creative expression in the Sway exhibition at the Shared Art Gallery to expanded summer camps and bold public efforts like “Kicking Racism and Violence Off the Fields,” Givat Haviva remains a place of possibility and progress.
We invite you to read, reflect, and consider how you might support this vital work during such a critical time.
Warmly,
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Jonathan Lack
Interim Executive Director and Board Member
Friends of Givat Haviva
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Dear Friends,
The current academic year ended unexpectedly when the war with Iran broke out, severely impacting the Israeli home front. The war reminded us that for our youth, certainty and security– two principles so important in childhood and adolescence–cannot be taken for granted. Again and again, students come to understand that even if they work towards an exciting graduation party, there's no guarantee it will happen. Even if they plan an end-of-year performance or look forward to the excitement of finishing studies and entering summer, no one knows whether those plans will be realized.
Givat Haviva is also coping with uncertainty. While 12th-grade students at the international school were able to hold a moving graduation ceremony, 10th and 11th-grade classes were sent home before the end of the year without celebrations and hugs. International students had difficulty returning to their countries due to the closure of Israel's airspace, but the dedicated school staff took care of them on campus and found creative ways to arrange for them to get home safely. Now the school is expecting a new cohort of students, and is proud of the long waiting list of young people who want to study here. In the midst of chaos, wars, and rising social tension, a Jewish-Arab-international school is truly a wonder.
This is not a quiet season at Givat Haviva: Shared summer camps and Hebrew learning camps have already begun, and camps scheduled abroad that were canceled due to the war will take place in Israel. The Jewish-Arab Center staff at Givat Haviva adapted to the situation and continued with the shared educational activity, so as not to disappoint the children.
The ceramics and print exhibition, Sway, which had been postponed by war, has opened. 500 impressive works were hung after accelerated preparations, as it was important to us to open as soon as possible. You're invited to read about the exhibition below.
I'll end with hope. All of us at Givat Haviva await and yearn for the end of the terrible war in Gaza and the return of the hostages. An overwhelming majority of Israeli society, Arabs and Jews, see no benefit or reason to continue the war. People in Gaza and Israel lose what's dearest to them every day and know that war is not a decree of fate and can be stopped. We follow the publications regarding ceasefire contacts and hope that by the beginning of the school year everyone will be home, the war will end, and the rehabilitation process will begin.
May there be a peaceful summer for everyone,
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Michal Sella
Executive Director, Givat Haviva
מיכל סלע מנכ"לית
ميخال سيلع مديرة عامة
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500 ceramic and print works created at Givat Haviva are displayed throughout the Shared Art Gallery, telling hundreds of stories. You can find virtuosity, delicacy, sophistication, and special techniques, be impressed by the journey of the creators, and note the influences of the difficult year, evident in color and material. The exhibition, curated by Avner Zinger and Moshe Roas, who are legends in their field, closes at the end of August. Check it out here.
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Givat Haviva’s school-year "Shared Language" program is essential for Arab children who would not study Hebrew to the point that it enables conversation, higher education, and employment. Summer offers these students a special opportunity to increase their skills. After participating in Hebrew camps and intensive language programs at Givat Haviva this season, hundreds of Arab students will speak Hebrew with much more confidence. We are working with students from Jadeidi-Makr and Jisr az-Zarqa, two Arab towns in the north of Israel. The children who come here are thirsty for engaging activity and they will learn the language through playing, creating, and enjoying enriching experiences.
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The voices rising from the field are clear: Arab children finish high school without Hebrew skills that enable them to continue to higher education or work in professions requiring fluent Hebrew. Givat Haviva initiated its “Shared Language” program 11 years ago to address this problem. The program trains Jewish educators to teach Hebrew in Arab schools, improving their language skills and paving cultural bridges between the societies in Israel. Recently, following our research initiative and discussions in the Knesset Education Committee, the Ministry of Education significantly increased the hours for the program in the coming school year. Givat Haviva is responsible for training and mentoring educators and administering the program in current and new schools. Your support for this unique, invaluable program will ensure its continued success. You can make a special donation to strengthen and expand “Shared Language” at www.usfogh.org/donate.
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The conference, "Kicking Racism and Violence Off the Fields," returns for the second time, against the backdrop of one of the most violent, toxic and charged seasons Israeli soccer has ever known. The conference will deal with burning social issues threatening the spirit of sport– racism, violence, homophobia– alongside the ongoing difficulty in dealing with these phenomena in terms of values, public, and parliamentary response.
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A few weeks ago, the YOUNITED international school students returned to their countries and homes. Graduates of the 10th and 11th grades will return in the fall, with the birds, but 12th grade graduates will continue on after finishing exams with impressive achievements, placing the school in line with leading educational institutions worldwide. This success is not taken for granted: the children dealt with the consequences of war from October 7, 2023, experienced stress and anxiety, stayed in shelters during their studies, and chose to stick to school and friends every day. This trust is very moving and is not taken for granted.
The eighth cohort of YOUNITED students will arrive in September. We hope we can offer them a better school year– without wars.
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