Presented by Jewish Long Beach, Beach Hillel, and Sharaka

 

Free to attend. Advanced registration required - no walk-ins will be permitted.

 

Sharaka (’Partnership’ in Arabic) is working to shape a new Middle East, built on dialogue, understanding, cooperation and friendship. Following the historic signing of the Abraham Accords in September of 2020, youth leaders from Israel and the Gulf came together to meet and explore each other’s countries and cultures. Sharaka was born out of this mutual exchange of visits.

The goal was as simple as it was ambitious: to translate the governmental agreements to the popular level. Sharaka is unique in that it includes Israelis and Arabs, Jews, Muslims, and Christians from around the Middle East, working together in partnership.

Learn more about Sharaka: https://www.sharakango.com/

For one day only, five speakers from Sharaka are coming to the Alpert JCC for a moderated conversation.

Clear Bag Policy: No backpacks or large bags will be allowed inside. Clear bags that are equal to or smaller than 12 x 6 x 12. Small clutches/wristlets that are 9 x 6 are permitted and do not need to be clear.

 

For more information, contact Elisha Breton, Jewish Community Relations Director

[email protected] • (562) 426-7601 ext. 1017

 

Moderator

ChayaLeah Sufrin

Senior Jewish Educator for Beach Hillel

 

Panelists

Maryam Younnes (Israel)

Maryam is a Christian Lebanese-Israeli activist dedicated to minority rights in the Middle East. After her family fled Lebanon for Israel when she was five, she embraced both cultures, shaping her passion for advocacy. Currently pursuing a master’s in political communications, she is writing her thesis on her community’s history while creating educational content on TikTok to raise awareness of critical issues. 

 

Fatema Al Harbi (Bahrain)

Fatema, the first Bahraini youth to visit Israel with Sharaka, is a trailblazer in promoting women’s rights. A Ph.D. candidate in business management and leadership and an accomplished author, she bridges cultures through her advocacy and storytelling. 

 

Youssef Elazhari (Morocco)

Youssef is a Moroccan marketing and advertising entrepreneur who is passionate about tech, education, and peacebuilding. He holds a master’s degree in marketing and speaks fluent Arabic, French, and English. He is the founder of Fihria, a non-profit project that works to prevent girls from dropping out of school across Africa. Youssef is also a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers program. 

 

 

Noam Meirov (Israel)

Fluent in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, Noam draws on his experience as a reserve captain in the IDF to advocate for educational empowerment across Israel’s diverse communities. He founded two ventures to bridge social and linguistic divides: an education initiative that expands digital access within Israel’s Arab community and a digital school that teaches spoken Arabic to Jewish Israelis. 

 

Dr. Haisam Hassanein (Egypt)

Dr. Haisam Hassanein is an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he is analyzing Israel’s relations with Arab states and Muslim countries. Previously, he was a research fellow at the Washington Institute, where he focused on Egyptian-Israeli relations and U.S. policy toward the Middle East. He has published in The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, the Hill magazine, the New York Daily News, and The Jerusalem Post, to name a few. Hassanein earned his M.A. in Middle Eastern & African history from Tel Aviv University. He was the first Egyptian to be named a graduate school valedictorian by an Israeli academic institution. Haisam knows Hebrew, Arabic, and English.