8/3/2002
The Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace

The promotion of education towards peace, co-existence, democracy and human dignity is a difficult task at the best of times. To attempt it in one of the world's most bitterly troubled regions is an even less enviable challenge. It remains nonetheless the mission that has been relentlessly pursued by the Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace at Givat Haviva.

The Centre is based at the Givat Haviva Institute for Advanced Studies, located in the Northern Sharon Valley, north of Tel Aviv. Founded in 1949 by the Kibbutz Artzi (Federation of Kibbutzs), Givat Haviva is a national education centre that aims to address the major issues facing those living in and around the state of Israel. This includes dealing with the polarity that exists between religious and secular Jews in the country, teaching the heritage of the Holocaust and its effect on modern society, and contemplating the ideology and future of the Kibbutz Movement. More specific to the Jewish-Arab Peace Centre is another key issue of advancing Arab-Jewish relations within Israel and among neighbouring Arab countries.

The Centre was founded in 1963 with the aims of fostering closer relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, increasing mutual understanding, and promoting partnership and permanent dialogue between the two communities. It remains Israel's oldest and largest peace education institution, having survived 38 years of at best insecurity and at worst outright war.

The vital process of promoting dialogue and peaceful co-existence between Arab and Jewish communities is tackled both by educational courses and by practical projects such as Jewish Arab Youth theatre workshops or painting and photography programmes. The Centre also sponsors research projects, conferences and publications - the most notable perhaps being the bi-monthly Crossing Borders magazine written by Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian youths.

All activities at Givat Haviva are governed by the principles of democracy, compromise and dialogue; concepts that the Centre believes are paramount in resisting the patterns of hatred, intolerance, and fear that have traditionally permeated Jewish-Arab society. Each year, around 25,000 people participate in the activities of the Centre and Givat Haviva believes that such education continues to be the most important contribution that it can make towards the political peace process.

In recognition of this work, the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat Haviva was one of two recipients of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education for 2001. The award was made in recognition of "exceptional efforts" to promote peace, non-violence, and the resolution of conflicts through dialogue.

The Centre's website (featured in this week's EuropaWorld recommends) is at http://www.dialogate.org.il/peace/default.asp