If you're in need of a dose of hope around Israel right now, Givat Haviva is it. Through their Shared Art Center, Givat Haviva connects Jewish and Arab artists, students, and viewers, and challenges them to engage with each other, explore their differences and commonalities, and imagine a shared future through an artistic lens. Their contemporary art gallery, featuring the work of emerging and established local and international artists, community, and youth programs reach thousands of people annually, and in recent years, Givat Haviva has expanded to respond to the needs — and the hurt — in the local community.
Join us for an inside look at the work of Givat Haviva, the powerful artwork, and the impact on Israeli society. Gallery Curator Barak Rubin, Givat Haviva Director of Strategy Mohammad Darawshe, and Friends of Givat Haviva Board Chair of Jeff Goodman will explore their vision for shared society through art, and invite us into a conversation about building bridges.
Conversation and presentation to be followed by a dessert reception.
Doors open: 2:30 PM
Program begins: 3:00 PM
Dessert reception: 4:00 PM
Stop by when doors open to see our current gallery exhibit, American Chutzpah.
About Givat Haviva
The Givat Haviva Shared Art Center, founded 40 years ago and set on Givat Haviva's 42 acre campus in central Israel, engages with a multicultural constituency through a variety of visual media while providing safe space to experience art in Israel's complex shared society. The mission of The Givat Haviva Shared Art Center is to explore, culture-mine, create, exhibit, collect, and collaborate through the magic of the universal language of art. The Center's space consists of an art gallery, extensive ceramic studios, classrooms, and an outdoor sculpture and installation garden.
Barak Rubin
Barak Rubin is a curator and director specializing in contemporary Israeli and Arab art. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Photography and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Art from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem. Since April 2026, he serves as Director of the Shared Art Center and Curator of the Givat Haviva Gallery.
Rubin’s curatorial and research practice centers on historical and cultural narratives rooted in the Middle East and the broader region. His research explores the complex intersections of myth, history, and religion, examining the reciprocal cultural influences among diverse communities. His curatorial approach is marked by fostering critical dialogue between contemporary art and its political and social contexts, with particular attention to questions of identity and space.
Beyond his curatorial practice, Rubin is engaged in developing educational initiatives and mentorship programs in the arts, and building collaborations with cultural and academic institutions. He is committed to nurturing an emerging generation of artists, grounded in the belief that artistic communities serve as catalysts for consciousness-building, critical engagement, and strengthening relationships across different communities. Currently, Rubin continues to develop exhibitions and artistic projects in collaboration with leading artists and curators from Israel and internationally.
Mohammad Darawshe
Mohammad Darawshe is the Director of Strategy at the Center for Shared Society at Givat Haviva. He holds a master's degree in Peace and Conflict Management from Haifa University, is a Robert Bosch Academy Fellow, and a faculty member at the Hartman Institute. Previously, he worked as co-director of The Abraham Initiatives, the elections campaign manager at the Democratic Arab Party and United Arab List, and was a leadership fellow at the New Israel Fund.
Jeff Goodman
Engagement in the Jewish Community on a local and national scale has been a central component of Jeff’s life. Since arriving in Boston in the mid-1980’s, he has consistently held leadership positions at Temple Emanuel in Newton, AIPAC, and JCRC of Greater Boston.
His career was centered in commercial real estate, with a focus on the development, management, and financing of affordable housing communities across the US.
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