The Lab for Citizens Assemblies in local Authorities- 2025 in a Nut Shell

In a Nation Divided, Citizens’ Assemblies Are Reimagining Democracy in Israel

In a year when 59% of Israelis are pessimistic about the future of democratic rule, and internal division remains one of the nation’s most perceived threats, the Lab for Citizens’ Assemblies, part of the Heschel Center’s Democracy 3.0 initiative is charting a new course for civic renewal. With public trust in government at historic lows, and widening gaps between communities, Israel stands at a profound democratic crossroads.

The Lab for Citizens’ Assemblies in local authorities was born in one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s modern history. It launched soon after Israel’s most hard-line government since independence introduced sweeping judicial reforms, a move that ignited months of protest, deepened polarization, and eroded confidence in democratic checks and balances. Then, in October 2023, Israel suffered the deadliest terrorist attacks in its 75-year history: 1,219 people murdered and 251 taken hostage, most of them civilians. As war erupted and uncertainty spread, local elections were postponed, leaving many communities uprooted, fragmented and anxious about the future.

In such a volatile environment, launching a non-partisan civic initiative that openly spoke the language of democracy felt almost impossible, and even more necessary. Democracy 3.0 of the Heschel Center chose to act, convinced that dialogue, participation, and deliberation must not only be defended but practiced.

Israel’s democratic institutions today are under relentless strain. The sense among many citizens is that democracy itself is being besieged, constantly tested, undermined, and forced to defend itself on new fronts almost daily. Efforts to weaken judicial independence, silence critical media, and erode professional oversight have created a climate of permanent tension and mistrust. Each attempt to limit accountability is followed by another, leaving Israelis with a growing fear that the country is drifting away from democracy toward something far more dangerous.

In this atmosphere, civic action becomes not just important but urgent. The Lab for Citizens’ Assemblies stands as a quiet yet determined counterforce, showing that Israelis are not powerless, that democratic practice can still thrive even when the system itself feels under siege. The citizens who come together in these assemblies, ordinary people from every walk of life, demonstrate that democracy is not only about elections or politics, but about people learning, listening, and deciding together.

The Lab was designed to move beyond rhetoric and into the daily work of democratic practice, embedding participatory processes that reconnect citizens to decision-making, strengthen social cohesion, and rebuild trust in governance. Rather than treating citizens as passive observers, it restores their sense of agency, empowering them to deliberate, learn, and co-create solutions to their own local challenges.

Over the past two years, the Lab has built a structured and replicable model for deliberative democracy in local authorities, a remarkable achievement at a time when even speaking about democracy can be politically charged. Through training, mentorship, design, campaign and implementation support, the program helps municipalities convene Citizens’ Assemblies where a randomly selected, representative group of residents studies an issue, engages in respectful dialogue, and produces practical recommendations for its municipality to consider and respond to publicly.

The first cohort of the Lab brought together 18 municipal leaders and changemakers from across Israel, Jewish, Arab, Druze, religious, and secular, all committed to reimagining local governance. Over the course of five intensive training days, participants took part in a comprehensive learning journey that included lectures, workshops, and a full-day immersive simulation of a Citizens’ Assembly process, to which additional senior managers from participating municipalities were invited. This hands-on experience helped them grasp the dynamics of deliberation and build confidence to lead assemblies in their own communities.

Following the training, six municipalities were selected to hold assemblies with the Lab’s full professional guidance. From Eilat in the far south to Beit Jann on the northern border, and Jatt, which hosted the first-ever assembly in an Arab municipality, a moment of immense pride and courage, and perhaps the first of its kind anywhere in the world, these assemblies became milestones of civic renewal and hope.

Out of this pioneering cohort, a core group of alumni has emerged as ambassadors for the method, actively advocating for Citizens’ Assemblies in professional networks, conferences, and local forums. Their growing leadership and public visibility are helping to normalize deliberative practice and expand its reach across Israel’s civic landscape.

Citizens Assembly in Jatt- February 2025

Between January and May 2025, residents met over several weeks to deliberate on issues central to their lives: climate preparedness in Eilat; living together in diverse Ra’anana, local identity and cohesion in Kfar Saba, shared responsibility for public spaces in Jatt and Beit Jann, and an educational vision in Bnei Shimon. Each assembly offered participants a rare chance to meet neighbours they had never spoken to before, learn from experts, and draft recommendations their municipality pledged to review transparently.

Despite operating in a politically challenging environment, results from our combined questionnaires were striking:

• 83% would recommend the method to other municipalities.

• 80% described the experience as meaningful; 56% felt more capable of influencing change.

• 71% reported a stronger sense of belonging and pride; 64% saw clear potential to strengthen social cohesion.

Participants repeatedly called the process a “gift”, the first time many had ever felt heard or had listened deeply to others. They described discovering unexpected common ground and learning how disagreement can coexist with respect. What participants valued most, however, was the encounter with the human diversity of their own community, sitting face to face with residents they had never spoken to, from different backgrounds, beliefs, and walks of life. This direct engagement was cited as the most meaningful and attractive aspect of participation, turning abstract ideas of coexistence into lived experience. Consensus rates were high: 77% agreed on the criteria for final recommendations, and 85% endorsed the final reports.

The assemblies revealed another truth, diversity and inclusion are both vital and challenging. While 71% reported they met residents from different backgrounds, many emphasized the need to further expand representation especially of youth and working families in future assemblies. Those insights are already shaping the Lab’s next phase.

In September 2025, the Lab launched its second cohort, selecting 20 municipal leaders and 5 civil-society representatives to deepen and expand the methodology. 6 of these municipalities will be chosen to receive full Lab guidance in 2026 to convene assemblies on pressing local issues. Each one will serve as another step toward embedding deliberative democracy in Israel’s civic DNA.

The Lab for Citizens Assemblies - Cohort 2 in Tel-Aviv - October 2025

This work unfolds in an increasingly anti-democratic climate, where public debate is fuelled by fear and manipulation, and where democratic norms feel under siege. Time is of the essence: no one can be sure what kind of political model the government is steering toward, yet the warning signs are clear. 

And still, we persist. Democracy 3.0 is committed to keeping the door open proving that in the most divided of times, Israelis can still gather around one table, listen, and rebuild trust.

Our long-term vision is to make Citizens’ Assemblies a recognized, enduring part of Israel’s democratic life, a credible, non-partisan framework for dialogue, joint decision-making, and shared responsibility. Through this work, the Heschel Center has become the national reference point for deliberative practice, known for its bilingual facilitation, rigorous methodology, and cross-cultural reach.

In an age of uncertainty, the Lab for Citizens’ Assemblies offers a simple but radical truth, when people are given the chance to deliberate together, democracy is not lost, it is renewed.

Sources: 

• Israeli Voice Index, Israel Democracy Institute, July 2025, fieldwork conducted by Midgam Research & Consulting and iPanel Online

• Internal surveys and questionnaires conducted on behalf of the Heschel Center’s Lab for Citizens’ Assemblies.