Academia as a Shared Space - Higher Education
Higher education in Israel has the potential to be the first meaningful arena for young Jews and Arabs to interact. By leveraging rising numbers of Arab students, universities and colleges have an opportunity to become models of, and platforms for, an equal and shared society. Yet, despite the growing diversity of student populations attending higher education in Israel, there is a lack of comprehensive policy promoting diversity and inclusion. There is a prevalent feeling that Jewish and Arab students can attend the same college, yet remain separate and never engage in meaningful dialogue or experience shared society.
The Abraham Initiatives has designed a number of models for making campuses more inclusive and welcoming, including cultural competency courses for staff; joint cultural events on campus; publishing best practices and providing recommendations for decision makers in higher education.
In 2018 The Abraham Initiatives ran a large survey of Arab students studying in higher education in Israel. The survey was run in partnership with the National Union of Israeli Students and the Center for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity at Hebrew University.
Click below to see the major findings of the survey.
