Over 150 participants joined our session on “The Beauty and Possibilities of a Shared Society in Israel” with Dr. Asmaa Ganayem and Hagit Damri.
Dr. Asmaa Ganayem, an expert on education from Baqa Al Garbiya in Israel, discussed her struggle with complex identity as an Arab woman in Israel breaking through many glass ceilings. She became the first female Head of the Education Department in Baqa municipality and, through her engagement in Jewish-Arab co-existence projects, became the Arab manager of the TEC Center (Technology, Education and Cultural Diversity) at the MOFET Institute. Hagit Damri, a Jewish parent who wanted to create a more inclusive learning environment for her children, presented her successful development of the innovative, bilingual Hagar school as a model for Jewish-Arab progressive education.
Both women imparted their vision of co-existence and how education is a powerful vehicle for change, touching their audience with their relatable yet unique commitment to making their world more inclusive.
The session was sponsored by the Inter Agency Task Force and JFNA’s Social Venture Fund.