New Israel Fund (NIF)

Human Rights and Democracy: NIF works to safeguard human and civil rights - including the rights of people living in the occupied Palestinian territories - and to strengthen public trust in and support for democratic rights and values. This work seeks to reinforce Israel's democratic foundations, to broaden the progressive ideology, and to articulate a shared vison for Israel's future. Examples include: A) Leading the Democratic Pushback: NIF grantees including ACRI, Omdim Beyachad, and Mehazkim spearheaded the pushback against the government's extremist agenda. With NIF support, they fought anti-democratic legislation and organized key pro-democracy protests. B) Cultivating Palestinian-Israeli Leadership: To address the dearth of young Palestinian-Israeli political leadership, Shatil launched Rawabit ("Connections"), a training program for Palestinian citizens in their 20s and 30s with potential to lead social change in their communities. Shatil launched a second cohort in April 2024 and is building an alumni network. C) Civil Society Protection Hub:To respond to intensifying threats against NGOs and activists, NIF established the Civil Society Protection Hub. Based on successful models from Brazil and South Africa, the Hub serves as a clearinghouse for tracking attacks against civil society organizations and activists and connects them to NIF-funded services that help them operate safely and effectively. The Hub offers legal aid, resilience training, mental health, and security support, among other services, in the face of a range of attacks, from bureaucratic harassment to digital and physical assaults. Since its inception, the Hub has helped more than 100 individuals and organizations, from providing legal assistance to protesters who were arrested to thwarting attacks against activists on digital forums. Two significant achievements include: - The Hub, together with Shatil and partners, was instrumental in removing the proposed NGO Funding Law from discussion at the Knesset this spring. If passed, the bill would have taxed donations from foreign governments to NGOs at a rate of 65%. - Israel's Supreme Court struck down an amendment to the "reasonableness clause"-which would prevent the court from overturning government decisions it deems "unreasonable." This amendment was the cornerstone of the government's anti-democratic plan to overhaul the judiciary and remove basic checks and balances in Israel's governing system. The ruling came in response to a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), NIF's flagship grantee, representing 38 human and civil rights organizations. EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN TO DEFEND ISRAELI DEMOCRACY: NIF's response to defend Israeli democracy from the anti-democratic attacks of the government comprised three components: More than tripling the rapid response grants pool to $1.7 million to address threats to democracy; Establishing the Civil Society Protection Hub to enable NGOs and activists to operate safely and effectively in an antagonistic climate; and further strengthening Israel's democratic foundations. Examples include: A) Hasmol Ha'emuni/The Faithful Left (through the Alliance for Israel's Future) - to expand the public and educational activities of this group of pro-democracy progressives from the religious Zionist and ultra-Orthodox communities. The group held an inaugural attended by some 700 people, with support from an NIF grant. ($30,000) B) What Yes - seed funding for a project to formulate policy proposals to advance the principles of equality and democracy that can serve as the basis for the vision of the democratic camp in Israel. ($50,000) RAPID RESPONSE GRANTS respond to crises and leverages opportunities quickly -- as they arise. Examples include: A) Rabbis for Human Rights - to support Israeli volunteers traveling to the West Bank to help Palestinians safely harvest their olives free from settler harassment and violence. B) Israel Women's Network - for an online campaign and billboards in several Israeli cities calling attention to the erasure of women from the public sphere. ($13,000)

Shared Society and Combating Racism: NIF works to advance a society in Israel that is truly shared among its residents, one that values social unity and rejects racism and discrimination against minorities. Examples include: A) In an important victory for the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the High Court of Justice ruled that non-Jewish children adopted by Jewish couples will no longer be required to undergo strictly Orthodox conversions. In practice, this also means that non-Orthodox families will not be automatically disqualified from adopting non-Jewish children. Instead, each adoption case will be judged on its own merits, according to the child's best interests. B) After a 32-year battle by Ir Amim and partners, the High Court of Justice ruled that the Palestinian Sumarin family cannot be evicted from their home in the neighborhood of Silwan. This victory set an important precedent for recognizing Palestinian claims to their homes. C) Years of legal efforts and advocacy have yielded significant progress for LGBTQ rights in Israel, including a landmark ruling allowing same-sex couples to adopt children domestically and a change to the military bereavement policy that recognizes same-sex partners as widow/ers. Bolstering Jewish-Arab Relations: With support from NIF grantee Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? established a Jewish-Arab emergency relief center in the Bedouin town of Rahat in October 2023. Every week, volunteers come together to package and distribute humanitarian aid to hundreds of Jewish and Arab families in southern Israel. The center builds social solidarity and reinforces the idea of a shared future for all Israeli citizens. Rapid response grants to Omdim Beyachad-Naqef Ma'an (Standing Together) and the Haifa Social Development Committee have supported efforts to minimize tensions between Jewish and Arab citizens in cities like Haifa, Lod, and Acre. Omdim Beyachad formed "solidarity networks" of Jewish and Arab volunteers that spread a message of unity and hope and help quell tensions. Providing a Vision for Israel's future: NIF is supporting a multidisciplinary collaboration between top researchers, field workers, and leading former civil servants called "What Yes." These experts are drafting 10 key policy proposals that promote equality and democracy on various issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, equality for the Palestinian-Israeli community, and socioeconomic issues. The project is intended to serve as a blueprint for the pro-democracy movement in the short term and as a platform for the first 100 days of a new equality-oriented government in the long term. Rapid Response Grants: A) Omdim Beyachad-Naqef Ma'an (Standing Together) - to work with more than 30 organizations to organize a protest in Tel Aviv under the banner "This Is Everyone's Home." The demonstration, in January, was attended by more than 130,000 Israelis. ($20,000) B) Tzedek Centers -for an initiative ahead of Ramadan/Passover/Easter 2023 called "Guardians of Shared Society-Hopeful Events for the Month of March," to turn the holiday season from a time of friction to a catalyst for Jewish-Arab partnership and solidarity. To achieve this, Tzedek Centers set up a platform for organizations to create dozens of events that promote Jewish-Arab partnership.

Palestinian Citizens of Israel: More than 20% of Israel's citizens are Arabs/Palestinians. NIF seeks to promote equality for Arab Israelis as well as to expand their participation in Israel's democratic processes and institutions. RAPID RESPONSE GRANTS respond to crises and leverages opportunities quickly -- as they arise. Examples include: A) March of the Dead -to provide transportation for Arab/Palestinian citizens of Israel to attend a major demonstration in Tel Aviv against the soaring crime and violence in their communities. The protest, which featured 140 coffins, drew thousands of attendees and garnered a great deal of media attention. B) I'lam: Arab Center for Media Freedom, Development and Research - for a campaign featuring influential Arab attorneys that linked the judicial "reform" with the limiting of freedoms for Arab citizens of Israel, and to raise awareness about how the government's agenda will further violate human rights in the Palestinian territories. ($36,000)