The Jewish-Arab Center - University of Haifa

Dr. Faisal Azaiza
CURRICULUM VITAE AND LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

I. CURRICULUM VITAE

1. PERSONAL DETAILS

Name: Faisal Azaiza

Place & Date of Birth: Daburiya, Israel, April 7, 1957

Date of Aliyah: Not applicable

Marital Status: Married + 4

Citizenship & I.D. No.: Israeli, 054480314

Permanent Home Address: P. O. Box 907

Daburiya 16910

Home Telephone Number: +972-6-6701993

Home Fax Number: +972-6-6701559

Office Address & Phone: School of Social Work

Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Studies

University of Haifa

Haifa 31905

Telephone Number +972-4-824-0156

Telefax Number: +972-4-824-0231

Electronic Address: azaiza@research.haifa.ac.il

2. HIGHER EDUCATION

Years	Degree	Institute


1992	Ph.D.	Baerwald School of Social Work and the School of Public Health, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

1984	Master of Social Work	Baerwald School of Social Work, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Graduated cum laude

1981	Bachelor of Social Work	Baerwald School of Social Work, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Graduated cum laude

3. ACADEMIC RANKS AND TENURE IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Dates	Rank	Name of Institution & Department


1998	Senior Lecturer	University of Haifa School of Social Work

1993 -1998	Lecturer	University of Haifa School of Social Work

1992 -1993	Lecturer	Hebrew University of Jerusalem Baerwald School of Social Work

1991-1992	Fellow	Foreign and Commonwealth Office Scholarships and Awards Scheme. In the framework of the Government Policy and Social Development for Minorities Program, London School of Economics, England

1989	Fellow	New Israel Fund Program for the Development of Young Leadership

1989- 1991	Instructor	Hebrew University of Jerusalem Baerwald School of Social Work

1987- 1988	Assistant Beth	Hebrew University of Jerusalem Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Faculty of Law, Department of Criminology

1986- 1987	Assistant Alef	Hebrew University of Jerusalem Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Faculty of Law, Department of Criminology

1984- 1987	Instructor	Dar El-Tefel College, al-Quds University, East Jerusalem Department of Social Work

1981- 1984	Teaching Assistant	Hebrew University of Jerusalem Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Faculty of Law, Department of Criminology

4. OFFICES IN UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION

2002-	Head, Jewish-Arab Center at the University of Haifa.
2001-	Deputy Head, Jewish-Arab Center at the University of Haifa.
2000-	Chairman, Academic Committee for the Program for Social Leadership among Arab Students, the Dean of Students.
1997-1998	Chairman of Student Affairs Committee.
1997-1998	Chairman, Acceptance Committee, School of Social Work.
1996-1998	A member in the Forum for Peace.
1983 -1984	Member, Advisory Council of Students, Hebrew University. Responsible for social, study and housing problems of Arab students.

5. PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS AND ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY

2002 -	Member, The Council for Higher Education.
2001 -	Member, Advisory Council for the Minister of Labor and Welfare, Promotion of the Status of Children with Mental Deficiency and their Rehabilitation in the Community.
2001 -	Member, Advisory Common Council for Veteran Citizens, Ministry of Labor and Welfare.
2001- 2003	Head of the Directorate, the Association of Community Centers.
1998 - 2001	Mayor of Daburiya Municipality.
1998 -2001	Spokersman of the Arab committee and the supreme follow up committee of the Arab population.
1998	The vice president of the public council – keren Abraham.
1995 - 1998	Advisor to the Abraham Fund, supporting Arab and Jewish organizations involved in projects fostering co-existence between Jews and Arabs in Israel.
1997	Member of the public council for examination detailed legislation in the subject of handiscapped pupil, Ministry of Labor and Welfare.
1994 - 1996	Research Associate, JDC, Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Adult Human Development, Jerusalem.
1994 - 1998	Advisor, Abraham Fund, a foundation aimed at fostering co-existence between Arabs and Jews.
1992 - 1993	Director, “Sikkuy,” the Association for the Advancement of Equal Opportunity between Arabs and Jews in Israel.
1992 - 1993	Founder and administrator of the first geriatric nursing home for the aged among the Arab population in Israel.
1992-1993	Principal and founder of the general elderly citizens home.
1983 - 1984	Advisor, Shilo Center for Family Planning, Jerusalem.
1984 - 1993	Service Coordinator, ESHEL, Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel, of the Joint-Israel. Responsible for the development of services for Israeli Arab senior citizens. Established six day care centers for Arab Israeli senior citizens.
1981	Coordinator and Fieldwork Instructor, special course for local leaders in underprivileged neighborhoods. Sponsored by the Dean of Students, Hebrew University and the Jerusalem Municipality.
1979 - 1984	Research Associate, JDC, Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Adult Human Development, Jerusalem.
1977 - 1980	Teacher, Experimental Open High School, Jerusalem.

6. ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN SCHOLARLY CONFERENCES

Conference	Place and Date	Type and Title of Presentation


ICSW, IFSW, IASSW, Peace and Social Justice: The Challenges Facing Social Work	Jerusalem, Israel July 1998	Peace and social justice in social work curricula.

State of the World Forum	San Francisco, USA October 1997	The imperative for co-existence and community building between Jews and Arabs in Israel.

ICSW, IASSW, Cultured Identity - Social Work in a Changing Europe: Implications for Education and Practice	Dublin August 1997	The Israeli-Palestinian peace process: Its effects on Palestinian family life (with Y. Lavee & A. Ben-David).

Society for the Study of Social Problems - Creating a Just World: Leadership for the Twenty-First Century	Toronto, ONT, Canada August 1997	“Commitment”: The dialectic between collectivistic and individualistic trends among Arab adolescents living in Israel (with A. Ben-Ari).

9th World Family Therapy Conference: A World Between War and Peace	Jerusalem March 1997	Israelis and Palestinians in the peace process: Sources of stress and response patterns (with Y. Lavee & A. Ben-David).

CFR Seminar	South Africa July 1996	Family patterns in Israeli Arab communities: Division of labor and marital quality (with R. Katz & Y. Lavee).

Participating in Change: The Social Work Profession	Hong Kong July 1996	Breastfeeding, family planning, variables affecting pregnancy within six months of last delivery: A cross-cultural perspective.

International Association of Gerontology, European Region, Behavioral, Social Science and Research Section Symposia	Haifa, Israel June 1996	Changes in the Arab world and development of services for the Arab elderly in Israel during the last decade (with J. Brodsky).

Salzburg Seminar: Concepts and Challenges of Leadership	Salzburg, Austria November 1995	Concepts and challenges of Israeli-Arab leadership.

University of Haifa Center for Research and Development of Arab Education in Israel	Haifa, Israel November 1995	Higher education as a source of empowerment for disadvantaged groups: The case of the Arabs in Israel.

National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference	Portland, OR, USA November 1995	Israeli and Palestinian families in the peace process: Sources of stress and response patterns (Y. Lavee & A. Ben-David).

European Congress of Gerontology	Amsterdam, the Netherlands September 1995	Changes in family care and utilization of community care by Israeli-Arab elderly (with J. Brodsky & Y. King).

Human Rights and Social Action	Lisbon, Portugal April 1995	1. The concept “self-help”: A comparison between the perceptions of Jewish and Arab populations living in Israel (with A. Ben-Ari). 2. A cross-cultural perspective about AIDS: Views from Jewish and Arab professionals living in Israel (with A. Ben-Ari).

The International Initiative - A Different Way of Working with Children	Oslo, Norway September 1994	Social programs for children, youth and families in the Arab population in Israel.

Developing Programs for Children at Risk	Lisbon, Portugal June 1992	Urban center for the treatment of children at risk in Umm al-Fahm.

7. COLLOQUIUM TALKS AND OTHER INVITED ADDRESSES

Forum	Place and Date	Type and Title of Presentation


Tamra Municipality	Tamra November, 2001	Co-existence together with cultural diversity.

Van Leer Institute	May, 2001	Inequality and privatization in Israeli society.

Medical Center “Ha’emek”	Afula May 2001	Prevention of disturbed children in the Arab community.

Center for Local Government	Acco June 2001	Dialogue between communities and religious groups in Israeli society.


“Tsavta”	Tel-Aviv June 2001	Thirty years since the appearance of the “Black Panthers” Movement: Has something changed?

Haifa University/ Or-Akiva Municipality	Or-Akiva June 2001	Budget 2002: Change or remaining the same?

Haifa University/ The Jewish- Arab Center	Haifa November 2001	One year after October 2000: Jews and Arabs - Where do we go from here?

Marmara University Research Center for International Relations	Istanbul March 1997	Turkish–Israeli relations: Social and welfare cooperation.

Israel Council of Social Workers	Jerusalem March 1995	Integration of Arabs in the Jewish state: Present situation and future outlook.

Administrators and Inspectors of the Ministry of Labor and Welfare	Tel Aviv January 1995	Changes in the Arab family and welfare service developments.

International Visitor Program of the United States Information Agency	Washington, DC August 1994	Community service in the Arab population in Israel.

International Peace Institute	Tel Aviv April 1994	The welfare state in the age of privatization.

Paul Baerwald School of Social Work, Hebrew University	Jerusalem February 1994	Anthropology of peace and its influence on the individual and the community.
Sikkuy Association and the Van Leer Institute	Jerusalem October 1993	Equal opportunities for Arabs and Jews in the Israeli state.

Welfare Services for the Arab Population in Israel	Nazareth May 1992	The state of welfare services in Arab settlements with an eye to the future.

The follow up committee for Arab health population	Nazareth April 1991	Developing services for olders Arab Community/population
The follow up committee for education in the Arab population
The State of Arab Education in Israel	Tivon March 1991	The educational system of an Arab child in comparison to that of a Jewish child in Israel.

8. SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS, RESEARCH GRANTS, ETC.

Research Grants

1998-1999	“Help line for the Arab-speaking population in Israel” (with A. Ben-Ari, Ph.D.), the Israel National Insurance Institute (120,000 NIS).
1998	“A sense of well-being and support networks among Arab widows in different communities,” the Israel National Insurance Institute (50,000 NIS).
1998	“Knowledge and attitudes toward drug abuse among Arab adolescents living in Israel,” Israeli Anti-Drug Authority (140,000 NIS).
1997	“Family patterns in Palestinian Arab communities in the West Bank,” the Jewish and Arab Center of the Gustav Heinmann Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (15,000 NIS).
1996	“The Arab Israeli sector in the wake of the national health insurance law” (with M. Farfel, Sc.D. & D. Yuval, Ph.D.), the Israeli National Institute for Health Policy and Health Services Research (R.A.) (70,000 NIS).
1995	“Changes in the Arab family and development of services for the Arab elderly in Israel,” ESHEL - Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel (JDC) (50,000 NIS).
1994	“Community service in the United States,” International Visitor Program of the United States Information Agency (6,000 NIS).
1994	“Israeli and Palestinian families in the peace process” (with A. Ben-David, Ph.D. & Y. Lavee, Ph.D.), The Research Authority, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (20,000 NIS).
1994	“Family and community in the Arab society in Israel” (with R. Katz, Ph.D. & Y. Lavee, Ph.D.), the Jewish-Arab Center, University of Haifa (20,000 NIS).
1987	Doctoral thesis, the Israel Association for Research and Education Funds (7,000 NIS).
1984	“Living conditions of the Arab elderly,” the Ford Foundation (40,000 NIS).

Scholarships and Awards

1998	Dusty & Ettie Miller Prize for Outstanding Young Scholars ($10,000).
1997	Scholarship to the State of the World Forum ($5,000).
1995	Scholarship to the Salzburg Seminar, November ($3,000).
1990	Scholarship from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Scholarships and Awards Scheme, for studies in the framework of the Government Policy and Social Development for Minorities Program, London School of Economics, England ($15,000).
1989	Scholarship from the New Israel Fund Program for the Development of Young Leadership (40,000 NIS).
1988	Horowitz Prize to Outstanding Students, School of Social Work (6,000 NIS).
1983	Prime Minister’s Office Prize to Outstanding Arab Students (3,000 NIS).
1980	Reichman Award to Outstanding Students, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work, Jerusalem (3,000 NIS).

9. TEACHING

A. Courses taught in last 5 years:

Title	Year	Type	Level



At the University of Haifa
Research Seminar: Trends in Family Planning	1993 –1998	Seminar	B.A.
Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare	1993 –1998	Lecture	B.A.
Administration & Evaluation of Welfare Services	1993 –1998	Lecture	B.A.
Policies of Developing Services for the Aged	1993 –1998	Lecture	M.A.
Applied Research Seminar	1993 –1998	Seminar	M.A.

Research Seminar: Patterns in Planning Family 2001-2002 Seminar B.A.

Basic Interfering in Social Work 2001-2002 Workshop B.A

Community Work in Practice 2001 Lesson B.A.

Planning and Management Welfare Service 2002 Lesson B.A

B. Supervision of graduate students in recent years:

Student’s Name	Title of Thesis/ Dissertation	Degree	Date


Sana Hashibon	Community, family and the status of Arab women in Israel	M.A.	1998

Masalcha Roda	Arab adolescents in Israel	M.A.	1997

Eli Araf	Changes in the Israeli Druze family	M.A.	1997

Anat Zohar	Equality in Israeli Arab couples	M.A.	1998

Pesia Harris	The influence of parents who have immigrated from the former Soviet Union on their children’s school achievements	M.A.	1999

Dalia Givon-Sinai	The sense of welfare and support networks among Arab widows in different communities	M.A.	2000

10. MISCELLANEOUS

11. ENCLOSED DOCUMENTS

· Certificate of participation in the Salzburg Seminar.

· Certificate of participation in a study trip in community work in the USA.

II. PUBLICATIONS

A. Ph.D. DISSERTATION

Title of Doctoral Dissertation:

Patterns of Breastfeeding and Family Planning Behavior among Israeli Arab Village Women (Research conducted over one year)

Supervisors: Professor Chava Palti

Professor Yona Rosenfeld

Date: 1992

Language: Hebrew

No. of pages: 170

M.A. Thesis:

Subjective well-being among the elderly, associated variables at three different stages.

Date: 1984

B. BOOKS

Authored Books

Edited Books & Chapters in Books

C. ARTICLES IN REFEREED JOURNALS

¨ Note: In all the publications listed below, the authorship order reflects the relative contribution.

Published

1.	Azaiza, F., & Ben Ari, A. (1997). Minority adolescents’ future orientation: The case of Arabs living in Israel. International Journal of Group Tensions, 27 (1), 43-57.
2.	Azaiza, F. (1997). Contraceptive utilization: Profile of the Moslem Arab woman in rural Israel. Scandinavian Journal of Social Welfare, 6, 317-324.
3.	Azaiza, F., & Palti, H. (1997). Determinants of breastfeeding among rural Moslem women in Israel. Families, Systems and Health, 15, 203-211.
4.	Azaiza, F., & Ben Ari, A. (1997). Knowledge of and attitudes to AIDS among Arab professionals in Israel. International Social Work, 40, 327-340.
5.	Ben Ari, A., & Azaiza, F. (1996). Minority group membership and perceptions of self-help: Evidence from Israel. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 6, 131-140.
6.	Azaiza, F. (1996). Breastfeeding, contraception among rural Moslem women in Israel. Society and Welfare, 16 (2), 217-234 (in Hebrew).
7.	Azaiza, F. (1996). Family planning among rural Moslem women in Israel. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 27, 559-568.
8.	Ben Ari, A., & Azaiza, F. (1996). Associated meanings of the concept “self-help” among Israeli professionals in the helping professionals. Social Work with Groups, 19, 67-80.
9.	Ben Ari, A., & Azaiza, F. (1995). Associated meanings of the concept “self-help”: A comparison between Jewish and Arab populations living in Israel. Social Development Issues, 17, 127-140.
10.	Ben Ari, A., & Azaiza, F. (1996). Self-help within minority communities: The case of Arab Palestinians in East Jerusalem. International Journal of Group Tensions, 26 (4), 225-237.
11.	a. Azaiza, F., & Brodsky, J. (1996). Changes in the Arab world and the development of services for Arab elderly in Israel during the last decade. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 27, (1/2) 37-53. b. Azaiza, F., & Brodsky, J. (1995). Changes in the Arab family and the development of services for Arab elderly in Israel during the last decade. Gerontology, 70, 69-80 (in Hebrew).
12.	Azaiza, F. (1995). Patterns of breastfeeding among rural Moslem women in Israel: A descriptive account. Israel Journal of Medical Sciences, 31,(7) 411-417.
13.	Weihl, H., Azaiza, F., King, Y., & Goldsher, E. (1988). Housing conditions and family life of rural Arab elderly in Israel. Gerontologia, 40, 7-20 (in Hebrew).
14.	Azaiza, F. (1997). Variables affecting pregnancy within six months of last delivery among rural Moslem women in Israel. Social Development Issues, 19 (1), 86-97.
15.	Azaiza, F., & Ben Ari, A. (1998). Self-perception of minority group adolescents: The experience of Arabs living in Israel. Scandinavian Journal of Social Welfare, 7, 236-243.

16.	Lavee, Y., Ben David, A., & Azaiza, F. (1997). Israeli and Palestinian families in the peace process: Sources of stress and response patterns. Family Process, 36, 247-263.
17.	Ben Ari, A., & Azaiza, F. (1998). The concept of “commitment”: Perceptions of Arab adolescents living in Israel. Journal of Social Psychology, 138 (5), 655-660.
18.	Azaiza, F., & Ben Ari, A. (1998). Associated meanings of the concept “self-help” among Arab professionals living in Israel. International Social Work, 41 (4), 417-430.
*19.	Katz, R., Lavee, Y., & Azaiza, F. (1998). Family patterns in Israel Arab communities – Division of Labor and Marital Quality. In S.C. Ziehi (ed.), Multi-Cultural Diversity and Families. (pp. 223-265). Zimbabwe: Rhodes University.
*20.	Azaiza, F., & Lowenstein, A. & Brodsky, J. (1999). Institutionalization for Elderly is a Novel Phenomenon Among the Arab Population in Israel. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 31, ¾, 65-85.
*21.	Eisikovitz, Z., & Griffel, A., & Grinstein, M., & Azaiza, F. (2000). Attitudes of Israeli Arab social workers concerning woman battering; The relationship between responsibility, societal reaction and legitimization of violence. Journal of Social Service Research, 26, 3, 23-47.
*22.	Duvdevany, I., & Sitwartz, H., & Azaiza, F. (2002). Working with families whose children have disabilities: Service provision by Jewish and Arab Israeli Social Workers. International Social Work Journal. 45 (3) 353-373.
*23.	Azaiza, F. & Ben-Ari, . (2002). Knowledge and attitudes towards AIDS: A comparison between Arab and Jewish professionals living in Israel. International Journal of Social Welfare, 11, 331-339.
*24.	Ben Arie, A., & Azaiza, F. (2001). Effectiveness of help lines among socio-political minorities: A view from both of the line. Families in Society. (Forthcoming).

¨ Attached are letters of acceptance.

D. ARTICLES OR CHAPTERS IN BOOKS WHICH ARE NOT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Published

Accepted for Publication

E. ARTICLES IN CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Published

F. OTHER SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

1.	Duvdevany, I., Sitwarts, H. and Azaiza, F. (2002). Working with families whose children have disabilities: Service provision by Jewish and Arab Israeli Workers: Social Security (611) 62-79.
2.	Azaiza, F. (1999). The use of psycho-active materials by pupils and dropouts from schools among the Arab population in Israel, 1998. Epidemiology Research. The Anti Drug Authority. (In Hebrew).
3.	Azaiza, F. (1996). Welfare services in the Arab sector in Israel – situation report. The New East, 37, 207-212 (in Hebrew).
4.	Azaiza, F., & Brodsky, J. (1996). Patters of use of services for the aged by the Arab population. Research Paper Presented to Eshel. Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology (in Hebrew).
5.	Azaiza, F., & Brodsky, J. (1996). Day care centers for the aged in Arab townships in Israel. Research Paper Presented to Eshel. Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology (in Hebrew).
6.	Azaiza, F., & Brodsky, J. (1996). Clubs for the aged townships in Israel. Research Paper Presented to Eshel. Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology (in Hebrew).
7.	Ben-Elia, N., & Azaiza, F. (1995). Master plan for welfare services in Ba’aka-Eljarbi’a. Jerusalem: Sekuy Association (in Hebrew).
8.	Katz, R., Labee, Y., & Azaiza, F. (1995). Family patterns in Israel Arab communities. Research report for the Center for Research and Study of the Family, School of Social Work, University of Haifa.
9	Azaiza, F. (1994). The educational system in Israel of the Arab child in comparison with that of the Jewish child. Conference on the State of Education of the Arab population. Shfar’am: The Oversight Committee for the State of Health of the Arab population. (In Arabic).
10.	Azaiza, F. (1993). Living conditions of Arab elderly and development of services for the elderly for the Arab population in Israel. Conference on the State of Health of the Arab population. Shfar’am: The Oversight Committee for the State of Health of the Arab population. (In Arabic).
11.	Azaiza, F. (1990). Collected papers for the course “Introduction to social work and social welfare” at the Baerwald School of Social Work: Jerusalem: Academon.
12.	a. Weih, H., Azaiza, F., King, Y., & Goldsher, E. (1985). Living conditions and family life of the rural Arab elderly in Israel. Report to the Ford Foundation, also published as Executive summary series 8-86. b. Weihl, H., Azaiza, F., King, Y., & Goldsher, E. (1986). Living conditions and family life of the rural Arab elderly in Israel. Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology. (Hebrew).
13.	Kop, Y., Biber, A., & Azaiza, F. (1986). Elderly Jews in Jerusalem: Projected demographic characteristics (Special series 22-86). Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology.

14. Kop, Y., Bider, A., Azaiza, F., & Golan, F. (1986). Elderly Jews in Jerusalem: Projected

demographic characteristics (Special series 32-86). Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology.

15. Weihl, H., & Azaiza, F. (1982). Evaluation of a psychogeriatric clinic in Jerusalem (Discussion paper no. 82). Jerusalem: Brookdale Institute of Gerontology. (In Hebrew).

G. OTHER PUBLICATIONS

1.	Azaiza, F. (1994). The Arab family in Israel. The Welfare Concept, 8, 2-3 (in Hebrew).

H. OTHER WORKS AND ACTIVITIES CONNECTED WITH YOUR SCHOLARLY FIELD

1994 Preparation of a script and production of a film: “The Age of the Elder,” depicting the development of services for the elderly and the dilemmas surrounding services for the Arab elderly.

I. ARTICLES, BOOKS OR OTHER WORKS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION

1.	Azaiza, F., & Ben Ari, A. Meanings of the concept “self-help” among Jewish and Arab students living in Israel. Submitted to British Journal of Social Work.

2.	Azaiza, F., & Ben Ari, A. Parent-child relationships as perceived by Arab adolescents living in Israel. Submitted to Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology.
3.	Azaiza, F., & Brodsky, J. The aging of Israel’s Arab population: Needs, existing responses, and dilemmas in the development of services for a society in transmission. Submitted to the Israel Medical Association Journal.

J. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AND INFORMATION ON YOUR SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY AND RESEARCH PLANS

Over the past 15 years I have applied myself, both academically and practically, to the welfare of ethnic minorities undergoing cultural transformation. As a member of an ethnic minority, this has had a considerable impact on my professional career. Since 1993, when I first joined the University of Haifa, I have focused my investigations on the cultural transformation of ethnic minorities, with an emphasis on the family unit. In particular, I have studied families on various levels: subgroups such as the elderly, adolescents and couples; patterns of family planning and breastfeeding; and the interface between families and the community.

In times of cultural transformation, the role of professionals is especially complicated and delicate. While introducing changes, professionals need to be aware of and respect the normative and accepted systems of values. This carefully balanced role that professionals play in times of cultural transformation has attracted my research interests and led to several studies focusing on professionals’ perceptions of current issues, such as AIDS, self-help, and battered women.

While researching these areas, my involvement in practical work still remains strong, as manifested in my appointment by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to serve on a committee entrusted with generating new legislation aimed at improving the rights of the disabled. The subject of the relationship between Jews and Arabs is and has been a major theme in my activities. Five years ago I founded “Sikkuy,” an association dealing with equal opportunities for Jews and Arabs. The duality between Jews and Arabs is also an important component in my research activities. Many of my studies are conducted among both Israeli Jewish and Arab populations.

In the future, I plan to continue focusing on the welfare of ethnic minorities undergoing cultural transformation, with a special emphasis on Arab families in various communities in both Israel and the West Bank. In particular, I will investigate the interface between informal and formal support systems as manifested in the dialogue between families, multi-generational systems, and professionals. Yet another related theme of my research explores the service utilization of various groups within the Arab population. This research will serve as the basis for developing policies that take into consideration the delicate balance between traditional norms and modernization processes.

Tamra

Authored Books

Edited Books & Chapters in Books