NIForum 2007 a Huge Success

October 30, 2007

This Sunday, "NIForum 2007: Towards a Progressive Vision for Israel" wrapped up a successful 10-city North American tour.  The week-long series of events challenged Israelis and Diaspora Jews to imagine a more just, equitable and pluralistic state. The NIForum is the only North American event focusing on social issues in Israel; the now-annual event was inaugurated in New York in 2006.  With nearly 1,500 attendees engaging in lively and oftentimes difficult discourse, the event was a huge success. 

The events offered progressive supporters of Israel a platform for dialogue on vital questions affecting Israel today: How can a Jewish and democratic state also become a real home for its Arab citizens? How can a state founded on the ideals of equity regain fair social and economic policies? How can equality for the various streams of Judaism and true religious pluralism be attained?  In addition, the NIForum explored the connection between Israel and the Diaspora. 

New York Symposium

The central event of the series was a day-long symposium in New York on October 21st.  In her keynote speech,  Naomi Chazan - former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, outspoken advocate of civil and human rights and NIF Board member - emphasized that the struggle for Israel's physical survival cannot be separated from the struggle for Israel's soul as a peaceful and democratic state.

A variety of panel discussions, interactive dialogues, and films were offered as break-out sessions.   Among the highlights were panels on "Human Rights and National Security," "Future Vision/Joint Vision: Creating a Successful Model for Arab-Jewish Relations," and "Challenging the Paradigm: Israel's Place in Contemporary Jewish Identity".  There were also opportunities for the participants to question NIF CEO Larry Garber, listen to SHATIL stories from Rachel Liel, and hear from former NIF social justice fellows about their experiences in Israel. 

The symposium closed with a panel discussion featuring NIF Israel director Eliezer Yaari, SHATIL Director Rachel Liel, Rabbi Felicia Sol of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in New York, and Hebrew University Law Professor Michael Karayanni.  Each spoke frankly about the challenges facing Israeli society, agreeing that constant and forthright dialogue---such as that initiated by the NIForum---is essential for Israel's future.  This message of hope built on the NIForum's message that the progressive community in both Israel and the Diaspora must remain informed and active to drive the wheels of positive change.

Events Around North America

The series kicked off with simultaneous events in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.  The Philadelphia Forum was held at the prestigious National Constitution Center on October 17 and included presentations by Naomi Chazan and   NIF/SHATIL  activists Yarona Ben Shalom-Richardson and Yuval Yavneh; International Council member Dan Segal moderated the program.   Chazan cited the 60th anniversary of Israel as the appropriate milestone to assess the current state of the country and to reflect on the direction the country should now take to reach ideals not yet attained.  She also urged Jews in the Diaspora to express their views regarding pressing social issues, stressing that Israel needs to hear the opinions of progressive American Jews and not just those from American Jews on the right. 

The Washington DC Forum featured Larry Garber and Rachel Liel, and was moderated by the Director of Dialogues and Public Affairs at the DC JCC Stephen Stern.  Touching on issues such as religion in Israeli society, African refugees, Arab-Jewish relations and social inequality, Rachel and Larry presented a view of Israel's domestic situation that is unfamiliar to many  American Jews.  Rachel also spoke at a  "Women's Voices" dinner, describing the challenges and hurdles facing women in Israel today.

The Boston NIForum was co-hosted by Temple Isaiah, Temple Emunah and Beth-El Temple Center and took place at Temple Isaiah in Lexington, Massachusetts.  Naomi Chazan led a discussion about the challenges facing Israel today in terms of building a coherent Israeli identity, development and inequality and building a vibrant civil society. 

In Toronto, close to 200 people attended a lecture by Eliezer Yaari, NIF Executive Director in Israel, who spoke about Israel at 60: The Challenges. Yaari stressed the broad context for the various challenges currently facing Israel. He highlighted some of the ways that NIF is  helping to address them, and underscored the growing success NIF is having in partnering with other funders in more effectively dealing with Israel's most critical issues.

On Monday, October 22nd, Temple Sholom of Chicago hosted  Eliezer Yaari, Nidal Abed El Gafer, former NIF civil liberties law fellow, and SHATIL consultant Liora Asa.  Temple Sholom's Rabbi Petuchowski introduced the panel discussion.  Each speaker spoke about his/her work with NIF/SHATIL, their personal background, and their perspective on Israel and some of its challenges as it approaches 60 years of independence. 

The Los Angeles program featured SHATIL activists Ronit Heyd and Ilana Litvak, and former NIF law fellow Nidal Abed El Gafer, and was co-sponsored by the Progressive Jewish Alliance.  The event not only served as a Forum for the community, but also as the official launch for a renewed NIF presence in LA, which is being led by Ellen Aaronson, NIF's newly instated regional director.

The Seattle Forum, facilitated by NIF International Council member Lisa Orlick-Salka, took place at the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences on October 24. Ronit Heyd spoke about the role of activists in creating social change in Israel. Nidal Abed El Gafer highlighted what needs to be done to ensure equality for Israel's Arab citizens. Ilana Litvak noted the special problems confronting immigrant youth and ways that Israel can help these immigrants realize their identity as both Russian and Israeli.

Wrapping up in San Francisco

The San Francisco Symposium took place on Sunday morning, October 29, at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.  The event was co-presented by the JCC, Progressive Jewish Alliance, and Israel Center of the Jewish Community Federation.  The program featured six speakers:  Nidal Abed El Gafer, Aaron Back, Gidon Bromberg, Ronit Heyd, Ilana Litvak, and Momo Mahadav.  Dr. Back, director of the Ford Israel Fund, moderated a panel discussion with all of the speakers, including 20 minutes of questions and answers with the audience.  The goal of the panel was to bring out each speaker's personal story of why he or she chose to work for social change in Israel, how this work serves to advance social justice, and their vision for Israel's future.  

The panel was followed by breakout sessions with each speaker covering a myriad of diverse and compelling topics: creating a successful model for Arab–Jewish relations in Israel; inequalities in Israel's mixed cities; balancing human rights protections with security concerns; how US energy policy affects Israel's security; environmental peace-making between Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians; the Second Lebanon War and its impact on Israeli society one year later; immigrant youth-at-risk; and encouraging social responsibility among Israeli businesses.  The sessions provided  participants with a chance to learn about Israel's domestic issues in depth, and to discuss potential solutions in an intimate setting directly with an NIF activist-expert.

The New Israel Fund believes that in order for Israel to be able to celebrate another successful 60 years, it is imperative that issues pertaining to social justice, civil and human rights and religious pluralism are addressed.   And we urge you to not let the conversation end here.  Please visit the NIF blog to continue the dialogue.