Students, faculty and esteemed friends of the University of Haifa community attended the German Friends Association’s Annual Event honoring students enrolled in the Jewish-Arab Community Leadership Program and the Werner Otto Graduate Scholarships. Over the past two decades, the German Friends of the University of Haifa, led by Chairwoman Sonja Lahnstein-Kandel, has been generously supporting programs promoting Jewish-Arab relations and the advancement of women at the University.

In his opening remarks, President Robin noted, “We are grateful to the German Friends for their dedication and continual support of these programs, which carry a message of hope. This message is now more important than ever in light of the unrest in Israel over the past months. With these programs young people can form meaningful relationships based on communication and respect, create a shared vision, and look forward to a brighter future.”

During the online event, students talked about their volunteer work as part of these programs, their experiences with COVID-19, as well as recent unrest in Israel. A special musical rendition of “Shalom Aleichem” (We Brought Peace) in Hebrew and Arabic by the University of Haifa’s Arab-Jewish Orchestra and a Q&A session led by Chairwoman Lahnstein and moderated by Prof. Stefan Ihrig (Director of the Haifa Center for German and European Studies) concluded the event.

<<WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT>>