Jewish-Arab Center


The Jewish-Arab Center is a multidisciplinary research institute in the University of Haifa in Haifa, Israel, active since 1972. The head of the center since 2014 is Prof. Rassem Khamaisi.

Mission

The center's mission is to promote good relations between Jews and Arabs within Israel and to enhance peace between Israel and the Palestinians. These goals are pursued in three major interconnected spheres. First, as one of the research centers of the university the JAC coordinates between various faculties of the university – the humanities, social sciences, education, and law - interdisciplinary academic research on Jewish-Arab themes. The second sphere concerns campus life, initiating common activity, seminars and various projects between Jewish and Arab students. The third sphere is the public sphere. The JAC maintains contact with various organizations and NGO's in the field and organizes colloquiums, conferences and working groups aimed to support significant, productive discussion between Jewish and Arab politicians and representatives of the civil society in Israel and between Israelis and Palestinians.

Activities

The activities conducted by the JAC focus, among other things, on peace initiatives, human and civil rights, equality of women, education, and political, social, economical, cultural and religious aspects of Israel and the Middle East at large. The JAC works toward bridging gaps and forging meaningful and lasting ties between Jews and Arabs. Community outreach plays a central role in the work of the JAC as well. The JAC is currently involved in a wide range of Jewish-Arab activities in the north part of Israel and the community at large.
During 2017, the main events conducted by JAC were:
  • Conference: Outcast Voices: Reflections on the marginalized, the exiled and secondary in classical and modern Arabic culture, January 2017
The international conference was held by the department of Arabic language and literature in association with the Jewish –Arab center. It was a two days conference composed of four sessions that took place at the University of Haifa and a day trip to Nazareth. The conference included a variety of lectures that were given from various international researchers like: Alexander Key from Stanford University, Avigail Noy from Harvard University and Rachel schine from the University of Chicago. The researchers raised important issues concerning the outcast voices in the Arab community. The lectures dealt with subjects like:" Persian Outcasts? The deviation at the heart of classic Arabic", Voices in Desert? Reading the Qurʾān by Arabic Postmodernists", " Mahdist Movements of the 10th century in Baghdad". In the second day of the conference the researchers traveled to the city of Nazareth, which is full of culture and religion, they visited churches and Mosques around the city and experienced the historical wealth of the city. Towards the end of the conference and after the trip to Nazareth, the researchers returned to the university for the fourth and last session and concluding remarks.
  • Conference: The Annual And Third Conference of "Arab Female Researchers Beyond The Window", March 5, 2017.
The lecturers and participators of the conference were the WO scholarship holders. The event started with an opening statement from the head of the Jewish Arab center Prof. Rassem Khamaisi followed by three sessions. The first session dealt with the female gender and experience, the lectures in this session talked about gender reading, the challenges of Arab women in the Arab community in Israel and the experience of Arab women and a reading of songs for women's Day . The second session dealt with female researchers, health, infrastructure and history. The scholars lectured about the campaign to raise awareness to the Brucellosis disease in the Arab community, about the decision-making process for optimal planning of sewage systems and about mercenaries from the Aegean Sea in acre in the Persian period . The third and last session raised the subject of Education and teaching, the topics of the lectures were: I am a Literacy man: the skills required for 21st century and the implementation of Visual teaching tools. The conference ended with a discussion alongside questions from the audience and concluding remarks. This main event was covered by the press via television and an Arab newspaper and as a result from that many scholars that took part in the conference received calls and offers to participate in interviews for different shows.
"The story has not yet ended" a seminar in memory of the author Salman Natour was held at the Aviva and Sammy Ofer observatory in the askol building, university of Haifa. At the beginning of the conference opening statements and greetings were given by Prof. Rassem Khamaisi, the Head of the Jewish- Arab center, Mr. Maras Natour, Salman's family member and Ms. Arin Abdi Zo'abi Haifa City Council member and Mossawa Center. Following that were the conference's sessions, the first session discussed the literary and theatrical legacy of Salman Natour which included Dr. Masoud Hmadn, the actor Omar Hleihel, Dr. Basilios Bwowardi and Dr. Yoni Mendel. The second session was called the creator and reality and included lectures given by Prof. Reuven Snir, Dr. Rauia Borbara, Prof. Mustafa Kabha and the author Dr. Nabih Al Qasim. The third and final session dealt with the social, Journalist and political activity of Natour and began with a musical segment featuring Mr. Amin Natour followed by lectures by the author Mohammed Nafa, and Mr. Jafar Farah Director of the Mossawa center. The seminar ended with a concluding lecture from Ms. Fida Zidane.
  • An Evening Dedicated to the Book Release Conditional Citizenship: On Citizenship, Equality and Offensive Legislation,March 27, 2017.
An evening for the book launch of "conditional citizenship: on citizenship, equality and offensive legislation" by Sarah Ozacky-Lazar and Yousef Jabareen. The event was held in the Rabin Observatory at University of Haifa and started with opening statements from Prof. Rassem Khamaisi, Head of the Jewish- Arab center & Prof. Gad Barzilai from the Faculty of Law and the Rector office at University of Haifa. The two talked about the importance of the book in our society and education as it touches on influential issues that deal with the minority citizenship in the state. The evening continued with a roundtable of discussions and lectures, Yousef Jabareen from the Joint List, member of Knesset, talked about law, Rights and politics in the country, Dr. Tamar Hagar discussed how Arab citizens are lacking in discourse and academia. Dr. Tamar Hustovsky Brandes lectured on the relationship between loyalty and citizenship that occupies a central place in social and political discourse and Prof. Rassem Khamaisi talked about his research, which is part of the book, titled: "Between Man and Earth," that deals with the relationship between man and the land as the basis for many disputes and conflicts, being necessary resources for the existence of healthy human communities. Dr. Sarah Ozacky-Lazar guided the roundtable and responded to remarks that were said. The evening of the launch ended with questions and an extensive discussion of the issues raised in the lectures.
  • Conference: The Challenges of Tomorrow in Local Arab Government, May 16, 2017.
This conference was set In order to discuss the issues and challenges that the local Arab government is now facing. The event was held by the political science school and the Jewish- Arab center at University of Haifa.
The conference started with an opening lecture from Prof. Rassem Khamaisi, who spoke about the challenges of planning in a changing society. Following that, there were three sessions, which dealt with current issues and challenges that the local Arab government is confronting, issues such as: the role of the clan in a changing Arab society, mixed cities and resource allocation to the Arab community and Transparency in local authorities.
The conference Participants included public figures and prominent academics from the Arab community: Mr. Yosef Abu Geffer, Treasurer of the Hura Council; Dr. Khaled Abu Asbah; Mr.Mahim Shibli, Head of the Umm el-Ghanem council; Mr. Adham Jamal, Deputy Mayor of Acre; and Ahmed Balaha, Member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Council. The event ended with a light tune stand-up comedy performance from Mohammed Naama.
Over 100 women in Israel were murdered by their relatives since 2011. This research workshop organized by the Israel Democracy Institute, Ebert Foundation, and the Jewish-Arab Center was conducted in order to address this issue from a legal point of view and promote a new book release on the matter, the "Kermnitzer Book".
The event was held on the 25 of May 2017 at the Aviva and Sammy Ofer Observatory located in University of Haifa. In this workshop, there was a presentation of opinions regarding the stated issue of honor killings and a dissociation about how the law deals with it.
The main participants in the event were: Prof. Oren Gazel Eyal, Prof. Rassem Khamaisi, Dr. Tehilla Altshuler, Mr. Werner Puchara, Prof. Miri Gur-Arye, Prof. Michael Karayanni, Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer and Dr. Khaled Ghanim.
  • Conference: From damage to fusion: Restorative justice and Restorative discourse in Israel, July 24, 2017
The evening opened with the words of prof. Rassem Khamaisi, the Head of the Jewish-Arab center, who talked about the connection between restorative justice and the Koran. The incoming President of the Haifa District Court, the Honorable Judge Dr. Ron Shapiro gave a guest lecture. He described how the criminal legal system generally focuses on one tool almost exclusively: punishment in response to social crime. The severity of the punishment reflects how severely society views the act committed by the accused. There are hardly any references in the criminal procedure relating to the victim or his needs, which are often only an apology or responsibility rather than punishment. Restorative justice, which was designed to address these and other needs of victims of crime, while providing an opportunity to criminals to repair their ways, is receiving an ambivalent attitude from the courts in Israel. Some take the restorative justice process very lightly in consideration before sentencing; others see it as an indication of the rehabilitation of the defendant or the willingness of the victim to forgive. Dr. Shapira gave several examples of judgments given in references to restorative justice processes. In the conclusion, Dr. Shapiro emphasized the importance of referring to the restorative justice as a treatment tool and the need to add treatment tools to the law, like the restorative justice to the courts responds basket.