Join us on February 23 for an in-person-only conversation at UCLA on how international community-research partnerships in education can make a difference in regions of conflict.
Monday, February 23, 20264:00 PM - 5:30 PMBunche Hall, Rm 10383
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Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for Middle East Development.
About the Event
In the midst of a war-torn conflict, Hebrew University professor Mona Khoury and UCLA professor Ron Avi Astor have partnered with Amal Education Network—a large system of Jewish and Arab Schools comprised of over 100,000 educators, students, and parents—and its CEO Karen Tal to research how both Arab and Jewish students can see the humanity in each other through academic curriculum, school-based personal exchanges, dialogue, and a joint mission toward coexistence and social justice.
About the Speakers
Karen Tal, Director General of Amal Educational Network since August 2022, pursues a mission to redefine the trajectory of Israel’s future generation through transformative education. Previously, Karen spearheaded “Insights in Education,” a pioneering non-profit organization where she served as Executive Director for a decade. The organization champions schools in Israel’s periphery, addressing not only educational but also social and emotional needs. She has also served as Executive Director of the Bialik Rogozin Campus in South Tel Aviv, home to students representing 50 different nationalities, many from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Karen’s work has been recognized with prestigious national education accolades and in the Oscar-winning documentary Strangers No More. She holds degrees in education from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and brings a wealth of expertise and passion to her role at Amal.
Mona Khoury is professor of social work and Vice President for Strategy and Diversity at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the previous Dean of the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University, and also holds the school's Frances and George Katz Family Chair. First in her family to reach higher education, Mona was voted one of the top 3 most influential women in Israel by Globes magazine and last year received the coveted Israel Presidential Medal of Honor Award. In 2021, Prof. Khoury won the Bruno Memorial Award, presented to young scholars by the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS). In her role as VP for Diversity, she is responsible for determining and implementing overall policies, strategies, and models for promoting diversity and inclusion at the Hebrew University. Specifically, her work aims to increase the accessibility of groups currently underrepresented in Israeli academia—including ultra-Orthodox Jews, Arabs, Jews of Ethiopian descent, first generation to higher education, and people with disabilities.
Ron Avi Astor is professor of social welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs with a joint appointment in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. His work examines the role of the physical, social-organizational and cultural contexts in schools related to different kinds of bullying and school violence (e.g., sexual harassment, cyber bullying, discrimination hate acts, school fights, emotional abuse, weapon use, teacher/child violence). This work documents the ecological influences of the family, community, school, and culture on such violence. Over the past 35 years, findings from these studies have been published in approximately 300 scholarly manuscripts. Astor’s work has won numerous international research awards from the Society for Social Work Research, the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, the Military Child Educational Coalition and other research organizations. Astor is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.
Sponsor(s): Center for Middle East Development