Launch Conference 2026 - מוקד פריז לחברה משותפת

Frieze Center

for Shared Society

2026

How can a shared society be built in a reality of deep polarization? The Frieze Center for Shared Society seeks to catalyze processes of change in Israeli society through collaboration among academia, government, and civil society.

The conference brought together senior representatives from academia, civil society, government, and philanthropy to discuss the advancement of shared society and shared life in Israel, with a focus on fundamental issues in relations among the different groups that make up Israeli society: public discourse, political polarization, crisis management, and cross-sector collaboration.

Selected Remarks from Conference Speakers

Shai Piron

Shai Piron | President, Pnima

“I think this conference is very important because it places on the table one of the issues that divides and polarizes Israeli society.”

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Maya Lugasi

Ben-Hamo

Maya Lugasi Ben-Hamo | Director General, Council for Higher Education and Planning and Budgeting Committee

“Today, in order to overcome major economic, security, and social challenges, we must create long-term strategic partnerships.”

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Rabbi
Avichai Lavnoni

Rabbi Avichai Lavnoni | Director, Marbim Shalom

“The central issue addressed by this conference – how we create a shared society here, in which people do not feel persecuted or threatened in their identity – is critical.”

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Shai Tegner

Shai Tegner | Frieze Center

“This day focused on one central question: what can academia do to advance shared society and shared life in Israel?”

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Dr. Keren Sharvit

Dr. Keren Sharvit | Frieze Center

“One of the Frieze Center’s central aspirations is to create connections between academic knowledge and action in the field.”

Prof.
Uriel Simonsohn

Prof. Uriel Simonsohn | Director, Frieze Center

“This is, in effect, the Center’s public launch – an opportunity to present what we are planning for the coming years and our vision for a shared society.”

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Prof.
Amnon Cavari

Prof. Amnon Cavari | Reichman University

“We are concerned not only with a shared society between Jews and Arabs; we are concerned with all sectors and groups in Israeli society, including religious and secular populations and socioeconomic divisions.”

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Dr.
Assaf Turgeman

Dr. Assaf Turgeman | Frieze Center

“What matters now is that we are able to provide Israeli society, at one of its most difficult moments, with the tools and knowledge it needs.”

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Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky

Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky | Head, Ruderman Program and Comper Center, University of Haifa

“Our main goal at this conference is to bring the field and academia together around issues that are highly significant in Israeli society.”

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Mohammad
Darawshe

Mohammad Darawshe | Director of Strategy, Givat Haviva

“We are living through a period of very significant polarization in Israeli society, whether between Jews and Arabs or among other groups, and we need a bridging framework that brings academic intellectual resources into contact with civil society.”

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Ron Gerlitz

Ron Gerlitz | CEO, aChord

“This conference is very important because advancing a shared society in Israel is a major challenge. We are in a dramatic period, facing both the difficulties involved in advancing shared society and the forces in Israeli society that oppose the spaces in which it is created.”

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Tehila Friedman

Tehila Friedman | Head, Libba Institute

“The idea of an academic center that addresses social cohesion and polarization and helps us with conceptual frameworks and data could, I think, make a very significant contribution.”

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Dr. Ran Kuttner

Dr. Ran Kuttner | Academic Director, Frieze Center

“There is something powerful about this conference in the way it brings together people from every sector; the potential for synergy and collaboration is enormous.”

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Oshra Friedman

Oshra Friedman | Deputy Director General, Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women

“This special conference comes at an extraordinarily difficult and important time, and its timing could hardly be more relevant.”

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Avi Haliva

Avi Haliva | Civil Service Commission

“The importance of this conference, in my view, lies in the reality in which we find ourselves, especially in recent years. We have no alternative to building a shared society.”

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Prof.
Hagit Lernau

Prof. Hagit Lernau | Head, School of Criminology, University of Haifa

“Academia can contribute knowledge, but it can also create connections and provide a space in which people working on these issues can meet and try to advance better policy.”

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Barak Luzon

Barak Luzon | Office of the President of Israel

“For me, this was a very meaningful day – an opportunity to learn about different perspectives and about different worlds of meaning coming together through the Frieze Center.”

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Dr. Safa
Abu-Rabia

Dr. Safa Abu-Rabia | Head of Arab Society, Yad Hanadiv

“It is time to create conferences of this kind, centered on shared society, so that this field and its value can once again become visible and present.”

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Prof. Gur Alroey

Prof. Gur Alroey | President, University of Haifa

“The great importance of the conference is that we connected academia with society and created a day in which civil-society organizations could meet, collaborate, and create dialogue.”

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Prof.
Michal Alberstein

Prof. Michal Alberstein | Dean, Faculty of Law, Bar-Ilan University

“Advancing a shared society is one of the most important challenges facing Israeli society today, and I am proud to take part in a conference addressing such a pressing issue.”

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Shira Lev-Ami

Shira Lev-Ami | Former Director General, Israel National Digital Agency

“Government needs academia in order to develop better and more effective public policy, so that we can design intelligent processes and implement them well.”

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During the conference, a fair featuring Haifa-based civil-society organizations and research centers was held to introduce the public to their work and create initial opportunities for connections among participating organizations.

Our Courses

Identity and Belonging in a Multicultural Society – Dr. Mirit Hayavi Barak

This course examines how identity and belonging are formed in a multicultural society, considering both the individual and groups and the relations among them.

The course moves from the individual to society: it begins by examining processes of self-construction through socialization and interaction, and then considers the formation of groups, social boundaries, conflicts, and intergroup encounters. It explores different approaches to managing cultural diversity and examines the tensions among personal identity, group identity, and social belonging.

The course then considers processes of recognition, inequality, and privilege as part of a broader web of intergroup relations, and concludes by examining the possibility of building a shared society – a society in which different groups live together through mutual recognition, participation, and cooperation.

Managing Conflict and Diversity in Israeli Society – Dr. Assaf Turgeman

The course surveys the principal cleavages in Israeli society by tracing their roots in Israeli social and political life. It addresses the Jewish – Arab conflict, the religious – secular divide, ethnic cleavages, and the constitutional revolution and its implications for contemporary political divisions.

Skills for Managing Diversity and Conflict across Life Domains – Dr. Ran Kuttner

This course develops skills for managing difference and conflicts arising from difference across multiple settings – from the interpersonal level, through the intergroup level, to the national level. Participants will acquire tools for collaborative dialogue, negotiation, and conflict management, while becoming familiar with the theories underlying the approaches studied. The course will also examine how these approaches can support constructive management of disputes surrounding social cleavages and polarization that undermine cohesion and resilience in different arenas in Israel. Accordingly, participants will acquire both conceptual frameworks and practical skills for action in the social sphere.

The course is reflective in character and, from its outset, invites students to examine how the material challenges their own assumptions and leadership practices, how they might wish to apply it in their personal lives, and what obstacles may stand in the way.

Practical Strategies for Engaging with Diversity in Israeli Society – Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky

The course offers an in-depth examination of the political and social tensions between conservatives and liberals in Israel, while providing a practical toolkit for conducting dialogue in conditions of disagreement. The theoretical component explores the roots of polarization, focusing on the central role of religion and state, their influence on public policy, and the historical analysis of political strategies and case studies that have shaped Israeli society. This foundation supports the practical component, in which participants practice and acquire skills in deep listening, managing complex dialogue, and recognizing different perspectives. By combining academic analysis with experiential learning and simulations, the course develops the capacity for respectful and meaningful dialogue in situations of disagreement and provides practical tools for building trust and reducing tensions across identity-based, cultural, and political divides.