(Some of) Givat Haviva's
Amazing Programs
Givat Haviva has designed a number of programs over the years that are holistic, multidimensional, and specifically focused on making a meaningful impact in the lives of
Israel's Jews and Arabs.
A few of our programs and initiatives are listed below. If you'd like to learn more, please head over to the Givat Haviva website and check out their Program Areas to get a broader understanding of our work.
Bara'em Hi-Tech Seeds
Shared Language (Safa M'shutefet)
Strengthening the Hebrew of
Arab Middle School Students
Low-level Hebrew holds many of Israel's Arabs back academically, professionally, and socially. To help solve this problem, Givat Haviva sends Jewish educators into Arab middle schools to teach weekly Hebrew lessons.
These educators do more than simply improve their students’ Hebrew. 68% of the students said their Hebrew teacher was their first positive encounter with a Jewish person, and 92% said their relationship with their teacher improved how they viewed Jews!
The program began in 2014 as a pilot with 6 teachers in 11 schools, and has grown to 118 schools and over 32,000 students! We are now fully partnered with the Ministry of Education, and we are working together to bring the program to every Arab middle school in Israel.
Through Others' Eyes
Bringing Jewish and Arab teenagers together to express themselves through photography
Through Others’ Eyes is one of Givat Haviva’s most veteran programs. For over twenty years, we have brought together twenty Israeli teenagers (half Arab and half Jewish), and through weekly meetings and lessons, they get to know one another on a deeper level, while learning the art of photography.
Participants visit one another’s homes, meet each other’s families, and break down social barriers. Their final project is a trip to the States, where they exhibit their art, join American campers at Camp Shomria (in upstate NY), and have an unforgettable weekend in NYC!
Bara'em Hi-Tech
Giving Arab High School Students
a Head Start in Hi-Tech
Arabs make up 21% of Israel’s population, but account for less than 3% of the country's hi-tech workforce. Bara'em Hi-Tech is Givat Haviva's initiative to help level the playing field.
We offer college-level, computer science courses to Arab high school students to give them the edge when it comes to landing that high-paying, hi-tech career!
Bara'em not only provides professional knowledge and skills (including Hebrew instruction), but also shows these teenagers that a higher education and a well-paying career in Israel are available to them, too!
Shared Communities
Partnering Jewish and Arab
Towns and Villages
Givat Haviva pairs neighboring Jewish and Arab towns and villages together that are physically close, but that previously had next to no contact with one another.
We then help facilitate mutually-beneficial projects, and assist the communities in developing joint programs that meet common needs, goals, and interests.
Our belief is that these paired communities will become models for the rest of Israel as to what a real shared society looks like on the ground.
Children Teaching Children
Connecting Arab and Jewish Middle School Classrooms for Two Years of Meetings, Discussions, and Growth
Developed back in 1987, CTC is a 2-year civics study and encounter program that connects Arab and Jewish middle schoolers to meet, to learn, and to grow together.
The classroom teachers (trained and mentored by Givat Haviva), guide the students in grappling with complex issues of national and individual identity, community life, and conflicting narratives in a shared land.
The children visit one another’s schools, have honest and open discussions, and participate in activities that promote mutual respect, understanding, and healthy dialogue.
Reaching over 30,000 students over the last 30+ years, and with many teachers who have been with the program since its beginning,
CTC is a cornerstone of Givat Haviva and of the Wadi Ara Jewish and Arab communities.