Building a democratic and inclusive Israel
by Uriel Simonsohn
This past year has tested the social fabric of Israeli society in ways we have not seen in a generation. Amid conflict and deepening divisions, it has become painfully clear that if we are to build a more equal, cohesive, and democratic Israel, we must invest in the people and processes that hold our society together. This is the very mission of the Haifa Laboratory for Religious Studies (HLRS), which I have had the privilege to found and lead since its inception.
HLRS stands at the intersection of academic inquiry and public engagement. Our work is guided by the conviction that religion – so often seen as a source of tension – can and must be harnessed as a vehicle for solidarity, empathy and shared responsibility. We see religious leaders, scholars and educators not merely as commentators on society but as key agents of social transformation. This approach shapes our vision of change: to weave together Israel’s religiously diverse communities into a shared society, where all groups – Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and others – feel seen, heard, and empowered to create the public square together.
Our methodology is both top-down and bottom-up. It integrates rigorous research with grassroots organising, academic training with real-world application, and interreligious dialogue with structural change. In practice, this means developing long-term partnerships with municipalities, ministries, faith institutions and civil society actors – especially in Israel’s “mixed cities,” where Jewish and Arab populations live side-by-side, yet often worlds apart.
In Haifa, a city that embodies coexistence not as a slogan but as a complex daily reality, we launched our first multifaith council, an initiative that brings together rabbis, imams, priests, Druze sheikhs, educators, and civic leaders to address local challenges collaboratively. From Haifa, the model has expanded to Acre and Ramle, where HLRS now works hand-in-hand with mayors, civil servants and religious authorities to promote dialogue, mutual understanding, and educational reform.
We have also taken these efforts to the classroom. Our interfaith ambassadors master’s programme – the first of its kind in Israel – trains religious leaders in both academic study and community-based activism. The first cohort includes rabbis, pastors, imams and Druze leaders, who meet weekly to explore the intersection of religion, society and politics, and who then take this knowledge back to their congregations. They are not only learning about each other’s traditions, they are creating new frameworks of cooperation that can outlast the moments of crisis that so often drive communities apart.
Our fellowship programme, intertwined worlds, supports early-career researchers across fields such as theology, anthropology, political science and law to critically engage with questions of interreligious life in Israel and beyond. Here, we create a space for rigorous interdisciplinary scholarship to inform social practice and vice versa. These scholars not only present their findings in academic conferences; they also walk the neighborhoods of Haifa, meet religious leaders and build bridges between communities through engaged research.
This is also a deeply personal journey. As a historian of Islam and interreligious relations, I have long studied the complex legal, theological and social interactions between religious communities across time. Yet HLRS has taught me that scholarship must be rooted in empathy and solidarity, not only across faiths but across lived experiences. It is not enough to study the past; we must shape the future. And that future must be built with those most affected by inequality, marginalisation and systemic exclusion.
One of our newest initiatives is led by Dr Marva Shalev Marom, a postdoctoral scholar who is developing educational models to expose high school students – Jewish, Muslim, and Christian – to Israel’s religious diversity through both textual study and experiential learning. These students will visit houses of worship, meet religious leaders and interview their own families. They will receive university credit – but, more importantly, they will receive an education in empathy, in coexistence, in the reality of the “other”. This is the generation that will inherit our society, and we are committed to equipping them with the tools to shape it wisely and compassionately.
Our work has begun to garner recognition both nationally and internationally, allowing us to build knowledge and capacity that extends beyond Israel’s borders. We are engaged in research collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh’s Centre for Governance and Markets on religious leadership in crisis management and, within Israel, we have launched a multi-disciplinary partnership with Haifa’s Al-Qasemi College focused on “authentic Islam in Israel”.
We need more allies and this is where friends in the UK come in. To those in the UK who share our values of inclusion, pluralism and equality, I say this: Israel is at a crossroads. The forces of extremism, polarisation and despair are real – but so are the forces of hope, resilience and interreligious solidarity. You have the power to amplify the latter. Whether through partnership, funding, research collaboration, or simply spreading the word, your engagement can make a difference. Not just for Israel, but for the broader global struggle to build societies where difference is not merely tolerated but cherished.
The HLRS model – rooted in academic excellence, social engagement and interfaith collaboration – can be expanded. It can be adapted to cities and contexts across the UK and beyond. We believe in mutual learning. We believe in shared futures. We believe that our work in Haifa can inspire parallel efforts elsewhere – and that your work can strengthen ours.
At HLRS, we are not naïve. We know the road ahead is long. But we also know that change is not only possible; it is happening already. In every interfaith meeting, in every high school classroom, in every research paper that bridges the gap between academy and community, we are sowing the seeds of a different Israel: one that is more equal, inclusive and just.
I invite you to join us. Let us build this future together.
Dr Uriel Simonsohn is an associate professor at the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Haifa, and head of the Haifa Laboratory for Religious Studies
