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Givat Haviva American Update
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Jonathan Lack
Executive Director
& Board Member
Friends of Givat Haviva
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Dear Friends,
This July 4th, Americans will mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and the idea at its founding: that out of many peoples and faiths, one society could be built on equality and shared self-government. E pluribus unum, “out of many, one,” was never where America stood but a destination each generation has had to claim and extend.
That same aspiration animates Givat Haviva. In a country where, as our Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe observes, “Israeli society is fighting with itself,” we dare to build something different: a shared, democratic society in which Jewish and Arab citizens learn, create, and shape a common future together. Barak Rubin, our new Shared Art Center director, calls Givat Haviva “the ‘what if’ place.” America’s own long and unfinished work of becoming one people out of many reminds us that this belongs to the work of generations and is worth every year of it.
This issue of our monthly newsletter introduces two leaders carrying that vision forward. Dr. Yuval Dvir, who heads our Younited international high school, speaks about bringing Jewish and Arab students into authentic shared education - “the best thing we can do as educators in Israel today.” And Barak Rubin reflects on making art a bridge between cultures while building one of Israel’s leading cultural institutions.
You’ll also find highlights from our June 18th briefing from the campus; a report on Mohammad’s appearance at the University of Haifa’s Shared Society Conference; a wide-ranging podcast interview with him; and the launch of our National Rabbinic Cabinet of 25 American rabbis drawn from across the denominations.
As we American Friends of Givat Haviva celebrate this historic July 4th, may America’s founding promise renew our shared resolve. Building a society where every citizen belongs is hard, hopeful work - on both sides of the ocean. Thank you for standing with us in it.
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Featured Stories: Yuval Dvir and Barak Rubin
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Dr. Yuval Dvir, Head of Younited High School
When he got a call in 2016 from Givat Haviva’s former executive director, asking him to build what would become the Younited international high school, Yuval Dvir didn’t hesitate.
“I understood that there is something about Givat Haviva that can allow this meeting space to be different from what I saw before, and that I could generate something which allows for true, authentic, intercultural discourse and connection,” says Dvir, an educator and musician. “I moved my family next to campus, changed my entire life, and immersed myself.”
For the past seven years, he has been working to strike a balance by preparing students for academic success while cultivating a deeper commitment to the world and communities around them. Despite launching the school on the eve of Covid and then leading it through years marked by war, he remains confident. “This work echoes my internal beliefs,” Dvir says.
“Israeli society is split between tribes. People don’t listen to one another or understand one another because we weren’t brought up together,” he says. Younited’s aim is to create something more sustainable for both its students and Israeli society.
This shared education is rare in Israel. “It’s intercultural understanding, and it’s the best thing we can do as educators in Israel today,” says Dvir. Read full story.
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Introducing Barak Rubin, Director of the Shared Art Center
For Barak Rubin, art has never been only about exhibitions or aesthetics. It is a language for discovering one another’s stories, a bridge between cultures, and a tool for imagining a truly shared society between Jews and Arabs in Israel. That vision is precisely what drew him to Givat Haviva.
"Givat Haviva is the 'what if’ place," he says. “It dares to imagine what a shared democratic society can look like."
As the new Director of the Givat Haviva Shared Art Center and Curator of the Givat Haviva Gallery, Rubin brings a rare combination of artistic excellence, educational experience, and cultural entrepreneurship.
His ambition is clear: to position the Art Center as one of Israel’s leading cultural institutions while remaining deeply rooted in Givat Haviva’s mission of advancing a shared society and democratic values.
“My vision is that Givat Haviva will become one of Israel's top cultural institutions," Rubin says. Read full story.
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Givat Haviva June Briefing
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A webinar briefing from the Givat Haviva campus on June 18 featured Mohammad Darawshe, Director of Strategy; Barak Rubin, the new Director of the Shared Art Center; Ola Najami Yousef, Director of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace; and Yuval Dvir, Head of the Younited international high school. Each presented important updates on recent activities in their areas and plans for expansion of programs advancing relations between Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens.
Watch the recording.
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Mohammad Darawshe Addresses University of Haifa Shared Society Conference
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Givat Haviva took part in the University of Haifa Frieze Center’s Shared Society Conference. The June 3 event brought together representatives from academia, civil society, government, and philanthropy to discuss the challenges of building trust and social cohesion in Israeli society. One session featured Givat Haviva Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe in conversation with Haredi Rabbi Yosef Kaminer. The discussion focused on cooperation between academia and civil society organizations and their shared responsibility in advancing a more inclusive future. Darawshe spoke about rising social tensions in the country, observing that “Israeli society is fighting with itself.”
He stressed the importance of ensuring full social and political equality for Israel’s Arab citizens. “We have a big problem when even representatives of the political center exclude citizens with a certain identity—namely Arab identity—from the political process,” he said. Reflecting on Givat Haviva’s mission, Darawshe emphasized the importance of practical solutions alongside public dialogue. He also pointed to common challenges faced by Arab and Haredi communities in Israel, particularly regarding social and economic inequality, and highlighted the potential for cooperation between these groups in advancing a more inclusive society. Read full story.
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The Israel Connexion podcast interviewed Givat Haviva Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe on a range of issues concerning Israel’s Arab citizens, including the Arab vote and prospects for Arab political parties in national elections later this year; Arab citizens’ reactions to ongoing wars with Gaza, Iran and Lebanon; the crime rate in Arab communities in Israel; the brain drain of Arab citizens leaving the country; and significant gains in education and employment. Listen to the 42-minute interview on The Israel Connexion.
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eJewishPhilanthropy reported that “Friends of Givat Haviva, an American support group for the Israeli shared-society organization, announced the launch of a national rabbinic cabinet, featuring 25 rabbis of all denominations from across the country.”
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