Get to Know Blend.Ar
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Blend.Ar promotes social cohesion through language learning. We are building a new generation of Jewish-Israelis to whom Arab culture is not foreign, but rather something enriching—a generation of Jewish-Israelis who deeply understand Arabic language and culture and are able to meaningfully engage with Arab society.
So how do we promote social cohesion through our language courses?
The Blend.Ar Team
Chen Kupperman
خن كوبرمان
Founder. Directs and organizes programs. Teaches Arabic language and culture. Native-level speaker of Arabic, with extensive experience working with Arab society in Israel.
Mays Massalha
ميس مصالحة
Organizational Consultant. Performed the measurement and evaluation study of the first course. Today, she serves as Blend.Ar's organizational consultant, alongside her work on JDC's organizational planning and development team.
Gilad Heimann
جلعاد هايمن
Arabic Teacher. Teaches colloquial and formal Arabic. Directs various programs within the organization.
Ram Staier
رام شتاير
Tour Guide & Instructor. Coordinates cultural learning and tours for Blend.Ar.
Sewar Uthman
سوار عثمان
Arabic Teacher. Teaches Arabic language and culture at Blend.Ar.
Itamar Vishenko
إتمار فشينكو
Alumni Coordinator. Coordinates events and activities for Blend.Ar students and alumni.
Daniel Cohen
دانييل كوهين
Resource & Partnership Development Coordinator. Manages outreach to organizations and partners, develops new English resources, and assisted with translation.
Yarden Meller
ياردن ميلر
Tutor Coordinator. Organizes orientation, training, and placements of Blend.Ar's diverse tutors.
Gilad Kumar
سوار عثمان
Marketing Coordinator. Graduate of Hartman High School in Jerusalem, currently studying management and entrepreneurship. Responsible for marketing, new media, and developing programs for participants and students at Blend.Ar.
Blend.Ar's Board of Directors
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Adi Siman Tov
عادي سيمان طوف
Karen Wasserman
كارين واسرمان
Gili Swary
جيلي سواري
Advisory Committee
Meirav Hofi
ميراف حوفي
Pedagogical consultant. 30 years of experience teaching Arabic and training Arabic teachers. Creates textbooks and curricula, works as a translator, and advises organizations regarding Arabic. Supports Blend.Ar in developing curricula and training teachers.
Ella Khadouri Valstra
ايلا خضوري فلسترا
Pedagogical consultant. 30 years of experience teaching Arabic, training teachers, and writing study materials about language and culture. Writes and manages the 'Safa1' program used by Blend.Ar.
Inbal Argov
عنبال ارغوف
Business development and user experience consultant. An entrepreneur, product manager, and lecturer, she was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30. Assists Blend.Ar in business consulting and user experience.
Susan Hasan
سوزان حسن
Strategic Consultant. Head of Strategy at JDC Israel. Former head of Arabic Society and Development programs at JDC-Tevet. Assists Blend.Ar as a strategy & development consultant.
So how do we promote social cohesion through language learning?
At Blend.Ar we believe Arabic can be a tool for social resilience in its deepest form. Arabic is not only the mother tongue of a fifth of Israeli society, but it is also the language of Maimonides, the heritage language of many Jews who immigrated from the Arab world, and the lingua franca of the Middle East—not to mention a rich and fascinating language. We view Arabic as a window into the diversity of Arab culture and tradition, and more importantly as an opportunity to bring the full array of Jewish society (religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Mizrachi) into meaningful interaction with their Arab neighbors.
Our organization offers a variety of programs for learning Arabic language and culture. We believe that the right way to learn Arabic and understand Arab culture is by engaging with Arab society, and therefore all our programs incorporate interaction with Arab communities.
Blend.Ar is a diverse community of students, teachers, and language tutors from many parts of Israeli society. Join us and find out more!
Partners and Supporters
United Jerusalem Fund
Abu Ghosh Local Council
Tzionei Derech (Landmarks)
Hackaveret
Shutafut Foundation
Maydale
Levi Lassen Foundation
Microsoft
KLA
Our Partners in Abu Ghosh
Mr. Muhammad Jabar
Director of Abu Ghosh Community Center
Mr. Ihsan Abu-Ghosh
Director of Abu Ghosh Young Adult Center
Mr. Salim Jabar
Head of Abu Ghosh Local Council