In Haifa, a university serves as a base for Arab-Jewish coexistence - and a place to tackle global problems

HAIFA - On a recent chilly morning, six Israeli Druze women gathered in a room at the University of Haifa library to discuss the joys and frustrations of living in a modern, Jewish, largely secular country.

Chatting in Arabic and Hebrew, many of the women, all students at the university, spoke about the challenges of balancing their traditional Druze identity with their modern Israeli aspirations.

"I spend two hours each way to come to school. But my education is so important, I'd do it even if I spent 10 hours a day," said Walaa Bader, 20, an Arabic literature and music major from Horfeish, a...