Drying Stream to Flow Again in Northern Israel
April 15, 2010
Intensive pressure by SHATIL and two partner environmental organizations has resulted in government action that will restore and protect a damaged stream in northern Israel.
The Ein Hazahav (Golden Spring) stream is now virtually dried up. The stream has long been a landmark of Kiryat Shmona, flowing through the northern border town. But due to poor planning policies and the siphoning of water by the Neviot Water Company, substantial ecological damage has been inflicted. Read>
Israeli Leaders back SHATIL efforts to combat sexual harassment in the workplace
April 15, 2010
In its efforts to decrease sexual harassment in the workplace, SHATIL recently conducted a round table meeting with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor and senior Ministry staff. The round table was organized by one of the “Action Groups” that comprise the SHATIL project Equality and Dignity for Women in Israel, and which include representatives of the country's leading women's and economic empowerment organizations. Read>
Avraham Burg: Our Holocaust, but Not Ours Only
April 9, 2010
This coming Sunday evening in Israel and around the Jewish world, is the Holocaust Remembrance Day (in Hebrew, 'Yom Ha'Shoah'). It is a well-known, accepted and respected reality amongst the Jewish people that the horrors of World War II and the atrocities against the Jewish people are a national tragedy. Few, however, are aware that this national tragedy became a de facto national strategy, as well. Read>
Ma Nishtana Halilah Hazeh –Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?
March 25, 2010
This Passover eve will be different from last year's festival for thousands of Israelis because of the freedom won for them by the efforts of organizations and projects funded by NIF. In this special holiday edition of NIF News, we bring you the stories of three Israeli families whose lives have been changed by the New Israel Fund over the past year. Read>
SHATIL fights proposed law to “privatize” environmental planning decisions
March 17, 2010
The Netanyahu government is backing a law that would severely reduce the country’s open spaces, reduce government and community input into planning decisions and increase socio-economic inequality. The first reading of a broad and comprehensive “planning reform law” is scheduled this week with little time allotted for public input. Read>
Negev Bedouin women join rare demonstration against "honor" killings
March 17, 2010
In a rare public outcry against so-called honor killings, more than 500 Arab Israeli women and men demonstrated last month in Nazareth against the murder of women in their community. The largest contingent of women came from the Negev, thanks to the work of Hind el Sana, a lobbyist in SHATIL's Bedouin Women's Leadership Project. The Project is run in collaboration with Ma'an, the Forum of Arab Women's Organizations in the Negev, where el Sana is based. It is funded in large part by the U.S. State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI); Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the American vice-president,recently visited the project. Read>
NIF Family Opposes Anti-Pluralist Conversion Law
March 17, 2010
A new Conversion Law proposed by Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party seeks to expand the number of Orthodox rabbis permitted to perform conversions. While the proposed law will make it easier for non-Jews to get Orthodox conversions in Israel, the political negotiations with the religious parties resulted in certain aspects of the law that would seriously damage the struggle for religious pluralism in Israel. Read>
Court Rules That Bedouin Village Must Be Connected to Sewage Infrastructure
March 17, 2010
The Be’er Sheva District Court has ruled that the recognized Bedouin village of Keseifa near Arad must be connected to a sewage infrastructure. The ruling was handed down following an administrative petition by Israel Union for Environmental Defense (IUED), which is supported by NIF through the Green Environment Fund (GEF). Read>
Opposition Mounts to Gender Segregation in Public Places
March 4, 2010
In preparation for next month’s crucial debate in Israel’s High Court of Justice, dozens of social change organizations are planning a rally against gender segregation in public places. Hundreds of demonstrators are expected to gather outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem on Saturday, March 13 as part of an NIF-supported campaign for religious pluralism and women’s rights Read>
Security Guards Receive Financial Compensation for Payment Violations
March 4, 2010
The National Labor Court has ordered two Israel security companies to pay over $52,000 in compensation to two Israeli security guards. The employees were represented by NIF grantee Kav LaOved – Workers’ Hotline.
The court found that the employees had been compelled to sign contracts under false names in order to reduce their seniority-related social benefits and their severance pay when they were subsequently fired.
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