Hakaveret – Program for Druze Activists

The focus is on promoting gender equality, strengthening democratic values, and encouraging civic engagement. The aim is to strengthen the impact of the Druze community in Israeli society and politics. In practice, this means:

• Seeking and promoting points of contact for exchange with the Ministry of Finance on budgeting of development measures.
• Working with relevant Knesset members on legislative initiatives.
• Approaching planning and construction committees to negotiate land and housing challenges.

Every week, a meeting is held in this context to discuss Israeli democracy, state structure, and opportunities for engagement. On November 6th, the meeting took place in Maghar, and we were able to get an impression of the work ourselves. There are 15 Druze participants, 12 of whom are women, all of whom hold various positions and are politically active. An input on the topic of local policy making came from the deputy mayor of Haifa, Sarit Golan Steinberg, who also spoke about her personal career. She described her childhood in socially precarious circumstances, her training as a lawyer, and her path into local politics.

The project and its participants left a motivating impression on us, and we wish them all the best for the future!