Diversity and Inclusion of Arab Citizens in Israel's Higher ...

Arab students in Israel are entering higher education in greater numbers, and pursuing a wider range of fields than ever before. Colleges and universities, led by the Council for Higher Education, have been instituting programs to attract, enhance access to and retain students. This includes making Israeli campuses more shared, diverse and inclusive environments. What is the status of these efforts, what barriers remain, and what are the implications for Jewish-Arab relations beyond campus?

Dean Mona Khoury-Kassabri from the Hebrew University and Dr. Sarah Ozacky-Lazar from the Van Leer Institute will discuss these questions and their view of campus as leading agent of building a more shared society.

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About the Speakers

Mona Khoury-Kassabri, Ph.D., is a professor at the School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof. Khoury-Kassabri is the advisor for minority affairs to the university president, and the head of the University Steering Committee for Accessibility to Higher Education among Arab Students. Prof. Khoury-Kassabri also heads the committee appointed to examine the Hebrew University's diversity policy as part of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's initiative, “Israeli Hope in the Academia." Her research specializes in child and youth welfare, focusing on those at risk for becoming perpetrators and victims of violence and criminal activity.

Sarah Ozacky-Lazar, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute where she leads the Forum for the Promotion of Arab Society in Israeli Academia, in cooperation with the Council of Higher Education. She edits The Van Leer Platform, Manbar: An Electronic Magazine on Palestinian-Israeli Relations in Israel. For almost two decades, Dr. Ozacky-Lazar was a lecturer and researcher at The Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat Haviva, Israel, and served as its co-director from 1997-2004. During her tenure the Center received the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. Her research focuses on the Arab minority in Israel and its relations with the state.