



The Mosaica Story
Mosaica owes its reach and depth of practice to partnerships and collaborations with dozens of institutions: Israeli government ministries, local authorities, universities, NGOs, and other collaborations. It operates many programs through government tenders that enable it to provide subsidized services to individuals and public organizations.
Mosaica is comprised of a dedicated staff of seasoned professionals as well as a select group of over a hundred specially-trained volunteers. These Volunteers hail from all of Israel’s sectors and backgrounds and are critical to implementing Mosaica’s conflict resolution models across Israel’s diverse communities. In 2017, Mosaica received the Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism in recognition of its activities that advance understanding, dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation among Israel’s diverse society.
Mosaica continues to expand its areas of expertise and influence, developing third-party intervention models and programs that operate nationwide to promote resolutions to a wide array of conflicts.
Mosaica – Religion, Society, and State was established in 1999 to counterbalance the hostile individual and collective culture becoming increasingly prevalent in Israel and abroad. The organization was founded by Rabbi Michael Melchior, currently Mosaica’s chairman and president, in collaboration with Professor Aviad Hacohen and the late Professor Elie Wiesel.
In 2003, attorney Nurit Bachrach, now Mosaica’s CEO, established the Community Mediation Center in Jerusalem – one of the first community mediation centers in Israel. At the same time, Mosaica began developing a specialized network of insider religious mediators who are uniquely able to mitigate crisis situations due to the intimate connections they maintain within their respective communities.
Since then, Mosaica has continued to focus on two main areas: community mediation and consensus building, which it advances through what is now called the Center for Conflict Resolution by Agreement (CCRA) in Jerusalem; and the ever-expanding network of religious and community leaders through its Insider Religious Mediator program. Today, CCRA is directed by Ruth Nachenson and the IRM is directed by Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth.