In September 2026, the Peace Academy hosted two representatives from the organization “Givat Haviva.” Givat Haviva is Israel’s largest and oldest civil society educational institution dedicated to Jewish-Arab understanding and a sustainable, equitable democracy. Since 1949, the organization has been committed to fostering dialogue and peaceful coexistence between the Jewish and Arab populations. For over 30 years, Givat Haviva has maintained a close partnership with the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which has supported the organization’s work annually ever since—for projects in civil conflict resolution, the promotion of dialogue, and the teaching of fundamental democratic values.

Educational Director Dikla Tomer-Kayal and the director of the “Face to Face” exchange program, Yakoub Ibrahim, presented Givat Haviva’s work at two public events (on September 22 in Speyer and on September 24) in Mainz, and in doing so also described how this work has changed since October 7 and the role that understanding and dialogue can play in resolving conflicts. The public event in Speyer took place in collaboration with the Peace and Environment Office of the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate; the one in Mainz was held jointly with the Justice and Peace Department of the Diocese of Mainz and Pax Christi Rhein-Main.

The guests also led two professional development workshops for teachers from schools in Rhineland-Palatinate—one in Speyer (in collaboration with the State Institute of Education) and one in Mainz (in collaboration with the Institute for Teacher Training and Continuing Education). There, they applied their experiences from the Middle East to a broader context and, under the title “War in the Classroom?”, discussed how to address polarizing conflicts in a school setting.

Both the public events and the training sessions generated keen interest and very positive feedback. We hope to continue this form of collaboration next year and expand it to other locations in Rhineland-Palatinate.

In September 2026, the Peace Academy hosted two representatives from the organization “Givat Haviva.” Givat Haviva is Israel’s largest and oldest civil society educational institution dedicated to Jewish-Arab understanding and a sustainable, equitable democracy. Since 1949, the organization has been committed to fostering dialogue and peaceful coexistence between the Jewish and Arab populations. For over 30 years, Givat Haviva has maintained a close partnership with the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which has supported the organization’s work annually ever since—for projects in civil conflict resolution, the promotion of dialogue, and the teaching of fundamental democratic values.

Educational Director Dikla Tomer-Kayal and the director of the “Face to Face” exchange program, Yakoub Ibrahim, presented Givat Haviva’s work at two public events (on September 22 in Speyer and on September 24) in Mainz, and in doing so also described how this work has changed since October 7 and the role that understanding and dialogue can play in resolving conflicts. The public event in Speyer took place in collaboration with the Peace and Environment Office of the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate; the one in Mainz was held jointly with the Justice and Peace Department of the Diocese of Mainz and Pax Christi Rhein-Main.

The guests also led two professional development workshops for teachers from schools in Rhineland-Palatinate—one in Speyer (in collaboration with the State Institute of Education) and one in Mainz (in collaboration with the Institute for Teacher Training and Continuing Education). There, they applied their experiences from the Middle East to a broader context and, under the title “War in the Classroom?”, discussed how to address polarizing conflicts in a school setting.

Both the public events and the training sessions generated keen interest and very positive feedback. We hope to continue this form of collaboration next year and expand it to other locations in Rhineland-Palatinate.