Integrating Arab Citizens into the Israeli Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities

	Event Date(s): 11/22/2011
	Date Published: 10/30/2011	Last Updated: 5/22/2012
	Category: Events

On Wednesday, November 23, 2011, IDI hosted a full-day seminar on the integration of Israeli Arab citizens into the workforce, as part of the activities of IDI's Arab-Jewish Relations project. This project examines relations between Arabs and Jews in Israel in a variety of areas such as the workforce, education, and health, and studies the mutual perceptions that result from direct contact between these two groups in the workplace and public sphere.

The goal of the day-long seminar is to identify and analyze the challenges of and prospects for the integration of Israel's Arab population into the Israeli economy on the basis of equality, while considering internal and external factors that hinder or facilitate integration. Several important aspects will be emphasized, including cultural, gender-oriented, spatial, structural, and political aspects, as well as matters pertaining to the welfare state. Participants in the conference will include some of the country’s leading scholars and experts regarding the labor force in general and employment among Israel's Arab population in particular.

A detailed program can be found below.

Watch this Hebrew roundtable in its entirety below or on the IDI YouTube Channel.

Read about the findings of the research presented at this conference (Jpost)

Visit the Hebrew event page for abstracts and articles prepared for this event (Hebrew)

Integrating Arab Citizens into the Israeli Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Israel Democracy Institute
4 Pinsker Street, Jerusalem
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Program

Integrating Arab Citizens into the Israeli Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities Wednesday, November 23, 2011
9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.	Assembly
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.	Session One: The Influences of Culture, Bias, and Gender on the Integration of Arab Citizens into the Israeli Workforce Chair: Dr. Nabil Khattab, Research Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Speakers: Prof. Vered Kraus, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Haifa Ethnic Origin and Exclusion: Which Professions Are Open to College-Educated Palestinian Citizens of Israel? Dr. Sami Miaari, Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute; Ono Academic College; University of Haifa Ethnic Penalties in the Workforce Ms. Ola Nabwani, Research Assistant, Israel Democracy Institute Ethnic Penalties in the Workforce Dr. Yuval Yonay, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Haifa It’s Not Only Cultural: Structural Obstacles to the Entry of Palestinian Women into the Israeli Workforce Dr. Aas Atrash, Director, Yafa Research Institute; Lecturer, Nazareth Academic Institution Religiosity as an Opportunity or Obstacle for the Entry of Married Women into the Workforce Respondents: Ms. Himmat Zu’bi, Project Coordinator, Feminist Research Project, Mada al-Carmel, Arab Center for Applied Social Research Mr. Mahmoud Khatib, Doctoral student, Department of Management, Tel Aviv University Discussion
12:30 p.m.-1:30p.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m.–3.30 p.m.	Session Two: The Welfare State, Economic Development, and Participation in Employment Chair: Dr. Khaled Abu Asbah, Director, Massar, Institute for Research, Planning and Social Consultation; Assistant Professor, Beit Berl College; Assistant Professor, Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education Speakers: Prof. Aziz Haidar, Senior Research Fellow, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, and Truman Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Is Integration into the Workforce Possible without Economic Development? Prof. Michael Shalev, Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Political Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Welfare State and Arab Participation in the Workforce Prof. Rassem Khamaisi, Town and Regional Planner and Urban Geographer; Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa Obstacles to the Development of Fields in Arab Areas and their Implications Respondent: Dr. Momi Dahan, Senior Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute; Head, School of Public Policy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
3:30 p.m. –3:45 p.m.	Break
3:45 p.m. –5:00 p.m.	Concluding Panel Chair: Dr. Nabil Khattab, Research Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Participants: Prof. Noah Lewin-Epstein, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor, Department of Sociology, Tel Aviv University Dr. Khaled Abu Asbah, Director, Massar, Institute for Research, Planning and Social Consultation; Assistant Professor, Beit Berl College; Assistant Professor Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education Adv. Tziona Koenig-Yair, Commissioner of Equal Opportunities Employment Commission, Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor Prof. Mordecai Kremnitzer, Vice President of Research, Israel Democracy Institute