Batya Kallus is a veteran activist in the struggle for partnership and equality between Arab and Jewish citizens in Israel. During her professional career she has represented philanthropic foundations working to advance equality and partnership,  and continues to serve in that role alongside her other work. Batya has had an enormous influence both on civil society organizations and on philanthropic foundations promoting and formulating values of equality and partnership between Arabs and Jews in Israel – in recognition of which she was awarded the 2019 Givat Haviva Shared Society Prize. Batya earned a BA in urban planning, specializing in health planning, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a master’s in Human Services Management at Brandeis University, specializing in public health policy. Born and raised in Boston, she worked there until coming to Israel in 1991. Batya has one son and lives in Jerusalem with her husband, Rabbi Dr. Menachem Kallus.