(preceded by Oneg at 6pm)
Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, DC

An Israeli Arab and Jewish Mayor Build Shared Society

Mayor Nazia Masrawa of the Arab village Kfar Qara, and Mayor Chaim Gaash, mayor of the Jewish town Pardes Hanna-Karkur, both located within Israel's Haifa district, will describe their experience as the first pair of mayors in the Shared Communities Project of Givat Haviva's Jewish-Arab Center for Peace new flagship project that takes an innovative approach to fostering co-existence and building a shared society in Israel.    

Before the "Shared Communities" project was launched in January 2011, most Arabs from Kfar Kara and most Jews from the nearby town of Pardes Hannah-Karkur had little to do each other. Now, groups of teenagers, women and the elderly of both towns are meeting regularly. After initially learning about each other and their respective cultures, they have begun to address the concrete challenges that confront both communities, from violence against women to the need to give teenagers productive after-school activities. The mayors and their municipal staff members have also been working closely together on a variety of projects.  The mayors will describe the impact that the project is already having on the residents of both communities .