Antigona Ashkar

Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare. Schwartz Management of Nonprofit and Community Organizations Program.

Research Topic

Giving among Minorities - The Case of the Arab Minority in Israel.

Research Summary

The Arab minority in Israel constitutes 20.7% of the population. In recent decades, the Arab minority in Israel has been going through a process of modernization, and it's reasonable to assume that this process has affected its characteristics of giving and volunteering. Most civil society organizations in Arab society in Israel were established in the last two decades. The past decade has seen a marked increase in the study of philanthropy in the world in general and in Israel in particular. However, to date, there is no comprehensive and updated information regarding private giving [donations and volunteering] of the Arab minority in Israel.

The purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive and updated picture of the philanthropic behavior of the Arab minority in Israel as an indigenous national minority that is in conflict with the establishment. The study will examine the patterns of giving, the connection between its characteristics and motivations and the socio-demographic variables of the philanthropists, including level of religiousness. The study will also examine the relationship between Arab minority attitudes toward the state and giving characteristics, and how perceptions of family collectivism affect giving. Findings regarding perceptions of family collectivism-individualism and attitudes toward the state will permit studying of the transition process of the Arab minority from a traditional society towards a more modern one and may help policy-makers and decision-makers in developing programs and solutions to the problems and needs of this minority.

Bella Kovner

Institute of Criminology.

Research Topic

Faculty of Law Child Arrest and Juvenile Justice in East Jerusalem.

Research Summary

When addressing children’s rights in crises and emergencies, specifically within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is necessary to examine the particular socio-political and multicultural context that informs the unique realities and perceptions of Palestinian children in East Jerusalem. These children suffer from a three-tiered oppression, increasing the likelihood of arrest and detainment by Israeli police forces. These factors include: structural discrimination that targets them as criminals based on their ethnicity; a lack of resources, supervision, and assistance as they fall under the responsibility of neither the Palestinian nor the Israeli socio-legal system; and limited access to the welfare, justice, and education structures.

The complex multicultural nature of the context; i.e., East Jerusalem, require that the study delves into two contradictory components; a) the cultural and racial strategies that invade children's welfare, and hinder their accessibility to justice; b) the multi-cultural nature that brings together lawyers, prosecutors, parents, mental health workers and criminal justice personal that through their engagement in child arrest can create a new maze to the child, but, can also contain, support, and maintain children's rights. 

With the aim to promote the safeguarding of children’s rights within the specific context of East Jerusalem, the proposed research examines the specific approaches, perspectives, and ideologies concerning Palestinian children’s access to justice as perceived by state representatives such as Policy makers, Judicial and Law Enforcement Professionals, as well as members of local and international civil society organizations. These perspectives have yet to be examined through methodological research; however, are essential for understanding different perceptions toward child arrest and, ultimately, for promoting a multicultural and child-centered justice system. The findings will be used to expand the current socio-legal knowledge base and discourse by producing several academic articles on the subject matter.

Haneen Mjadlh

Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Research Topic

Child Care for Young Children in the Arab Society: Religious and Gender Contexts and Perceptions of Welfare.

Research Summary

My research examines the relations between day care centers for children under the age of five and perceptions of gender and religion in the Arab community in Israel. The study examines 1000 Arab mothers whose children are five years old (maximum), and 400 working women in the private and public sectors of the day care field. The research  is both qualitative and quantitative. It includes interviews, questionnaires, and a mapping of different day care institutions in 15 different cities in Israel. 

The purpose of this research is to examine how academic women from the Arab community develop their careers in centers of day care for children, with reference to double-bounded contexts: academia and gender. I think it is another institution which is encoding specific gender roles to women where religion plays a crucial role. The research will also describe development of day cares at the Arab community in Israel and their influence.