Givat Haviva Voice

Givat Haviva is deeply shocked about the attack in the synagogue "Congregation B'nai Torah", where five people lost their lives. We send condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the wounded. There is no justification for harming innocent people and there is nothing that can excuse the slaughter of worshipers during the prayer service. Givat Haviva condemns all attacks towards Israeli and Palestinian civilians, synagogues and mosques. We call on the leaders of both sides to avoid any unnecessary incitement and do everything to stop the deterioration and acts of revenge which are leading us to a vicious circle of violence. We call upon the leadership to act harshly to terrorism and to return to the path of reconciliation and hope.  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict contains too much pain, suffering and loss. We must go back, soon, to the path of conflict resolution. It is possible Stop the cycle of bloodshed. And give us a c

Yaniv Sagee, Executive Director, Givat Haviva Twenty-four years ago I fell in love with my wife and life partner, Galia. I was then 26 years old, the Secretary General of Kibbutz Ein Hashofet. This was about a year after I returned from representing Hashomer Hatzair and the Jewish Agency in the United States. It was four years after I completed my service in a Paratroopers Commando Unit, where I spent time Lebanon and served in the First Intifada as part of my reserve duty. Galia was a fresh discharge, who had just completed her military service as a welfare officer of the Golani Brigade. After five years of being together, we got married and our first son was born, Tav Sagee. Today, after the completion of his year of civil service in Hashomer Hatzair, he was inducted into the army for combat service. At the height of the Gaza conflict, the next generation is joining the cycle of war. How long will this continue? My father, Yaakov Sagee (Weissman) was born 77 years ago, in

Heads of Local authorities from Wadi Ara in a call to the public: In these difficult days, we, heads of local authorities in the Wadi Ara region, together with Givat Haviva, find that it is appropriate to turn to the residents living in this area and to call upon them to maintain a peaceful fabric of life.  Over the past few weeks we have witnessed acts that may harm our long term efforts to promote equality and civic and economic partnership in our region. We believe that violence and racism are not the solution. It is important to maintain restraint, not to follow any rumor, and to seek ways to strengthen the solidarity that exists between the different communities in our area. Over the last decade we have worked very hard to create the basis for a joint and secure life for all the residents of this region. Our region is an example of a region where common economic and commercial life exists, where educational activities, communal activities and social and cultural activities take p

Mr. Mohammed Al Madani and the Palestinian delegation, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, Mr. William Grant, mayors, heads of peace organizations, the Kibbutz Movement, youth movements, students, dear citizens – Salam aleikum! Welcome to Givat Haviva, ahalan wa-sahalan! From the day it was founded, 65 years ago, by the kibbutzim of Hashomer Hatzair, Givat Haviva has been committed to peace. We have organized this conference together with our Palestinian associates from Al Tawasul, out of a sense of urgency shared by citizens who are holding hands, demanding their leaders to make peace. It was almost a year ago that President Obama visited here in Israel.  He chose to make his keynote speech at a public event, addressing the entire nation. In that speech, he said: "That's where peace begins -- not just in the plans of leaders, but in the hearts of people.  Not just in some carefully designed process, but in the daily connections -- that sense of emp

Welcome address by Yaniv Sagee, Executive Director of the Givat Haviva Center for Shared Society Mr. Mohammed Al Madani and the Palestinian delegation, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, Mr. William Grant, mayors, heads of peace organizations, the Kibbutz Movement, youth movements, students, dear citizens – Salam aleikum! Welcome to Givat Haviva, ahalan wa-sahalan! From the day it was founded, 65 years ago, by the kibbutzim of Hashomer Hatzair, Givat Haviva has been committed to peace. We have organized this conference together with our Palestinian associates from Al Tawasul, out of a sense of urgency shared by citizens who are holding hands, demanding their leaders to make peace. It was almost a year ago that President Obama visited here in Israel.  He chose to make his keynote speech at a public event, addressing the entire nation. In that speech, he said: "That's where peace begins -- not just in the plans of leaders, but in the hearts of people. 

Anyone who thought there cannot be serious peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians was sadly mistaken. The talks are on the table and people of the right are feeling the pressure. This is also the pretext for Liberman’s latest proposal for transferring territory and populations in exchange for Israeli populated areas of the West Bank.  According to his plan, Wadi Ara and the Triangle would be transferred to the Palestinian state, together with the inhabitants.  The very idea is despicable, immoral, a blow to Israeli society, and, in any case, constitutionally, does not stand a chance of being adopted. Some background: Wadi Ara and the Triangle were assigned to Israel at the armistice talks held with Jordan in Rhodes in 1949. This is how it came about that 300,000 Palestinian Arabs live in the villages and cities of the area.   They represent an historic ethnic minority with their own distinct culture and dialect, much like the more than a million other