Dr. David Mendelsohn of Givat Haviva's International Department welcoming Dr. Karen Mock (center) and Dr. Maha El-Taji Daghash by the Peace Pole on campus

 

Widely acknowledged as one of Canada's foremost specialists in anti-racist education, Dr. Karen Mock recently paid a visit to Givat Haviva after a nine year hiatus.  She also brought along a friend, Dr. Maha El-Taji Daghash, Post Doctoral Fellow at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a Palestinian who was born in Libya, brought up in Lebanon and who lived many years in America.

Karen Mock was born and raised in Toronto, educated at the University of Toronto where she received a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology in 1975.  She is a certified teacher and registered psychologist in a private consulting practice, specializing in human rights, hate crime and diversity issues.  Apart from being a leading authority on multicultural/anti-racist education, Karen Mock is a dynamic lecturer and workshop coordinator with a list of awards for her lifetime work in one of the most sensitive and complex areas of education.

Nine years ago when Karen came to visit Givat Haviva she was accompanying a group of teachers dealing with the topic of Holocaust education.  At that time she was the National Director of the League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada and also as Executive Director of the League's Human Rights Education and Training Centre, a position she held for over 12 years.

For over two decades Karen also worked in psychology and teacher education at the University of Toronto, Ryerson Polytechnical University and York University, teaching courses in multiculturalism and race relations, developmental and educational psychology, and psychological testing and assessment.  She is considered a pioneer in this field and responsible for the first course in multicultural teacher education in Canada.

Over the last 9 years Karen Mock has kept in close contact with Givat Haviva and often mentioned the work done by the organization in Israel when attending meetings and conferences dealing with peace education.  These days Karen chairs the Canadian Friends of Haifa University and during a recent visit to Israel to attend a Board of Governors meeting at Haifa University, Karen - a friend also of Givat Haviva of course - set aside some time to revisit the Wadi Ara campus.

"It is almost 10 years since I was last here but have to say that Givat Haviva and the work being done here has always meant so much to me – only recently I again mentioned this in a meeting I attended in Toronto," Karen told International Department staff members David Mendelsohn and Lydia Aisenberg, the latter of which she has remained in close contact with over the last decade, following events on and off Givat Haviva's campus.

It was not the first visit for her friend and colleague Maha El-Taji Daghash to Givat Haviva but it was the first time Maha heard about, and had the opportunity to see and read, the unique collection of Arabic language newspapers lodged in the Peace Library.  Part of the collection has recently been digitized and available on the Internet.

 

                        

Karen Mock and Maha El-Taji Daghash browse through the Arabic language newspaper collection with Peace Library director Samira Mahamid and Givat Haviva spokesperson Dudu Amitai

 

One of the first boxes of decades old newspapers opened by the ladies and staff members showed a smiling, swimsuit clad American swimming idol – and later to be Hollywood actress – Ester Williams on the front page.

"Now that is not something one would see today," said Maha with a smile.

Maha attained her PhD in Middle East Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, her dissertation being Arab Local Authorities in Israel: Hamulas, Nationalism & Dilemmas of Social Change.  She is currently researching the relationship between the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel and the police, with a focus on community policing.

 

Chatting with Anhar Masarweh in the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace

 

Karen and Maha finished their Givat Haviva visit with a tour of Harish, the Dotan Valley, Reichan Checkpoint, Katzir observation platform and the village of Barta'a guided by Lydia.

In the village of Barta'a they met with some of the colorful local Palestinians including Rateb the barber and Salach who owns a local eatery.

"This is a fascinating place and so interesting to talk to the people here – but it is so complicated," said Karen Mock toward the end of the visit, and her friend Maha, visiting these places for the first time, agreed.

"Today has been a real highlight of my visit to Israel, what an experience," exclaimed Karen Mock at the end of the day.

She later emailed that her day with Givat Haviva had "a huge impact on me, and also Maha," and she would be continuing to follow Givat Haviva projects with great interest from Canada.

 

  

Left: Karen and Maha near the Reichan Checkpoint, Area C of the West Bank, centre: Karen in West Barta'a with East Barta'a in the background and right: Karen and Maha with Rateb Kabaha, a local Palestinian barber in his East Barta'a barber shop.