Our Tables

Roundtable 1: Context- and Culture-Sensitive Care – Expanded Description

The guiding principle of the roundtable is that every therapeutic encounter is also an encounter between two individuals – or representatives of different groups – who carry a particular combination of identities, contexts, languages, and affiliations; the encounter between them is therefore also an encounter between the contexts from which they come. Relations between their respective identity groups in Israeli society also play a tole in shaping the therapeutic process. Participants may project onto one another prior experiences, prejudices, blind spots, suspicion, doubt, idealization, hopes, and related expectations. We therefore see considerable importance in developing therapeutic-social policy and practice that explicitly takes these dimensions into account. Processing the intercultural and context-dependent dimensions of treatment enables the therapeutic space to function as an agent of social repair and to build the capacity required for sustaining a shared society.

The roundtable’s vision is directed toward change not only at the research, conceptual, and intellectual levels, but also at the level of impact: achieving structural change in service provision, policy, training, and treatment.

The roundtable includes partners from the public, civil-society, and business sectors under academic leadership, while ensuring representation of diverse groups in Israeli society, a range of professional disciplines, and the development of methods that advance the roundtable’s vision.

Roundtable Leads

  • Prof. Merav Roth, School of Counseling, Human Development and Educational Leadership, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, and Head of the Shati Ve-Erev Center for Context- and Culture-Sensitive Care. Clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, expert in trauma and loss, and cultural scholar.
  • Prof. Avihu Shoshana, School of Counseling, Human Development and Educational Leadership, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa. Main research areas: culture and concepts of the self; culturally responsive care and education; the social psychology of inequality; and education and socioeconomic status in everyday life.

Roundtable 4: Public Discourse among Conservative and Liberal Research Institutes – Expanded Description

The Research Institutes Roundtable is an initiative of the Frieze Center for Shared Society at the University of Haifa that brings together directors, researchers, and representatives from research and policy institutes across Israel’s ideological spectrum. The initiative seeks to create a sustained space for professional dialogue, mutual learning, and collaboration among institutions that contribute to shaping policy and public discourse in Israel.

The roundtable addresses fundamental questions concerning the public role of research institutes, the interaction among research, policy, and society, and the challenges facing research institutes during periods of social and political polarization. The meetings are accompanied by a research component examining the development of dialogue, changes in participants’ perceptions, and the conditions that enable cooperation among institutions with different worldviews.

By combining research, dialogue, and the development of joint initiatives, the roundtable seeks to strengthen trust among research institutes in Israel, encourage the co-production of knowledge, and expand their contribution to public discourse and policymaking.

Roundtable Leads

  • Dr. Shai Dror Tegner – Historian specializing in polarization, nationalism, and Israel Studies; researcher at the Frieze Center for Shared Society and the Haifa Laboratory for Religious Studies at the University of Haifa.
  • Dr. David Barak-Gorodetsky – Historian and scholar of religion; Head of the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies and the Comper Center for the Study of Antisemitism and Racism at the University of Haifa; member of the Frieze Center Academic Committee.

-Details regarding additional tables will be provided later-

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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.